P-64 Ferret

P-64 Ferret
Type	Light Fighter
Primary User	Terran Confederation
Additional Users	Free Republic of the Landreich Union of Border Worlds
General Characteristics
Length	10.2 meters
Mass	10.5 tonnes
Crew	1
Performance
Maximum Yaw	8 dps
Maximum Pitch	8 dps
Maximum Roll	8 dps
Acceleration	Good
Velocity
Cruise	360 kps
Maximum	500 kps
Afterburner
Maximum Afterburner	1400 kps
Armament
Guns
Mass Drivers (2)
Default Missile Loadout
None
Defense
Shields
Fore	6.0 cm equivalent
Aft	6.0 cm equivalent
Armor
Front	6.5 cm
Rear	6.5 cm
Right	4.5 cm
Left	4.5 cm
Target Designation circa Enigma Sector 2665

History

The P-64 Ferret is amongst the lightest fighters in the Terran Confederation fleet and was commonly used as a patrol craft or in reconnaissance roles. The "D" variant of the Ferret, often called the Super Ferret, had improved avionics and carried missiles.

Specifications

	P-64C Ferret	P-64 Ferret (2665)	P-64D "Super Ferret"
Sources:	WC II Playguide Manual	Wing Commander 2	Special Operations 1
Class:	Patrol Fighter	Patrol Fighter	Patrol Fighter
Length:	10.2 meters	10.2 meters	10.2 meters
Mass:	10.5 metric tonnes	10.5 metric tonnes	10.5 metric tonnes
Max Velocity:	500 KPS	500 KPS	500 KPS
Cruise Velocity:	360 KPS	360 KPS	360 KPS
Acceleration:	Good
Max Y/P/R:	8/8/8 DPS	8/8/8 DPS	8/8/8 DPS
Shields (Fore/Aft):	6.0/6.0 cm	6.0/6.0 cm	6.0/6.0 cm
Armor (Front/Rear/Sides):	6.5/6.5/4.5 cm	6.5/6.5/4.5 cm	6.5/6.5/4.5 cm
Guns:	Mass Drivers (2)	Mass Drivers (2)	Mass Drivers (2)
Missiles:	None	None	Javelin Heatseekers (2)
Missile Decoys:	N/A	N/A	N/A
Jump Capable:	No	No	No
Service Entry:			2667

Sources

Confederation Handbook

• Inquiry Into the Loss of the Odysseus-Class Naval Exploratory Vessel CS Iason Reg E-1456
  • "1 long-range Pelican-class shttle refitted for research, 1 standard Tern-class shuttle, 2 towed Ferret-class scout fighters with enhanced sensor arrays, 19 lifeboats."
  • "At 0715 hours both Ferrets were scrambled. One, piloted by Captain F. Izmuti, was ordered to begin a pattern of concentrated fly-bys of the Kilrathi ships, while the other, piloted by Commander J. Taggart, was ordered to commence long- and medium-range scans of the area."
  • "At 0743 hours, on an approach within 2 kilometers of the Kilrathi ships, one of the Kilrathi opened fire on Capt. Izmuti's Ferret, damaging the right wing array, including cameras and stabilizers. She was ordered to return to the Iason. Commander Taggart remained in space apparently until after after the Iason was destroyed. His precise fate is unknown."
• INQUIRY INTO THE CAPTURE AND SUBSEQUENT ESCAPE AND RETURN OF COMMANDER TAGGART
  • "There were only four pilots, and two Ferrets. We spent most of our time in the shuttles, ferrying the scientists around. The Ferrets had stripped-down armament and hyped-up sensors . . . really flying cameras more than anything else. Solar patrols are fully loaded with escort fighters, but not the explorers...of course, they had no way of knowing we'd meet anything alive that wasn't single-celled and growing on a rock."
  • "...the captain was good about keeping us informed about events. Every fifteen minutes we'd get an info-byte about what was happening. After about an hour, Farrah Izmuti and I were ordered out. If the Ferrets had been sent out when it first happened, I'd have still been off-duty, but I went on the clock at 0700, and we went out at 715. We were laughing at the guys who had just clocked out..."
  • "Impact didn't destroy my Ferret, but it completely drained my shields and damaged my repair array. The first thing I did when I saw that the Iason had been destroyed was hit the self-destruct. You know, it wasn't that difficult a decision. I always expected it would be hard to make myself do it, but it seemed like a really good idea. I slapped it like a bug, and when it didn't work, I hit it again. I really got angry that all systems were down. Totally down. The only thing I can think of is that some shrapnel must have punched through my shields, past my armor and actually opened both of my power supplies."

Joan's Fighting Spacecraft - 2664.128 UPDATE

• Confederation Fighters
  • P-64C Ferret

TCSNA Handbook

• In the Cockpit
  • "(The Ferret has one less display than other ships.)"
  • "Note: The Ferret is the most primitive patrol fighter in the simulator and has no left VDU in its cockpit."
  • "Note: The center VDU in the Ferret functions as the right VDU."
• Improved Targeting and Tracking System (ITTS)
  • "The Ferret and Rapier are not equipped with ITTS."
• Spacecraft of the Terran and Kilrathi Fleets
  • Epee
    • "The design of the Epee is very similar to that of the Ferret. It also demonstrates excellent acceleration and velocity, and maneuvers even better than the Ferret."
  • Ferret
    • "The Ferret is the fastest light fighter in the Confederation fleet. Only the Wraith, a Confederation ship model currently in development, will be able to fly at higher velocities than this basic fighter. The Ferret has very simple cockpit features, e.g., only one VDU, and it's the ship most graduating rookie pilots will be first assigned to. The Ferret demonstrates good acceleration and maneuverability, but it is only equipped with mass drivers and has very weak shields and armor. It is not equipped to perform rescue-and-retrieve missions or to attack capital ships."
  • Sartha
    • "The Kilrathi Sartha is a light fighter comparable to the Confederation's Epee. The Kilrathi fighter is slower and not as maneuverable as the Ferret or the Epee."

Wing Commander 2 / Academy

Wing Commander 2: (De)Briefings

• Gwynedd System - Series 1 - Mission 1
  • Shadow: "I like the Ferrets. They’re quick and light. But I’d feel safer in a heavier ship like the Rapier."
• Pembroke System - Series 1 - Mission A
  • Jeannette Devereaux: "You will be flying the new P-64D Super Ferret fighters for this mission. They have new control systems, and have been refitted with heat-seeking missiles."
• Pembroke System - Series 1 - Mission D
  • Christopher Blair: "Admiral, I have an unusual encounter to report. While patrolling the jump area, I was attacked by an enemy squadron comprised entirely of Human pilots, flying Confederation Ferrets."
  • Geoffrey Tolwyn: "I’m not too surprised, Maverick. We had a report several weeks ago that the pilots of the TCS Gettysburg staged a mutiny near N’Tanya."

Wing Commander 2: Missions

• Flyable Missions
  • Gwynedd System - Series 1 - Mission 1
  • Gwynedd System - Series 1 - Mission 2
  • Gwynedd System - Series 1 - Mission 3
  • Gwynedd System - Series 1 - Mission 4
  • Niven System - Series 2 - Mission 2
  • Niven System - Series 2 - Mission 3
  • Niven System - Series 2 - Mission 4
  • Ghorah Khar System - Series 9 - Mission 1
  • Ghorah Khar System - Series 9 - Mission 2
  • Ghorah Khar System - Series 9 - Mission 4

Special Operations 2: Missions

• Flyable Missions
  • Pembroke System - Series 1 - Mission A
  • Pembroke System - Series 1 - Mission B
• Appears in Mission
  • Pembroke System - Series 1 - Mission D
  • Rigel System - Series 2 - Mission A
  • Rigel System - Series 2 - Mission B
  • Rigel System - Series 2 - Mission C

Wing Commander: End Run

• Chapter 1
  • "He cleared the energy field airlock and felt the slowing resistance of air on his wings. There was barely thirty meters of maneuver room inside the hangar and the deck was packed. To his port side was a squadron of F-54C Rapiers."
  • " "Doomsday will be squadron commander for the Sabre fighter bombers, Starlight will be in charge of the recon and patrol Ferrets. I'm taking personal charge of the Rapier squadron. Are there any questions?" "
• Chapter 2
  • "One after the other the ships went out, after the sixth recon the first three Rapier fighters, and then the second six recon Ferrets. Next went six more Rapier fighters to form the close-in combat air patrol, and by this time nearly a half hour had passed, exacerbated by the abort of two launches, one with an overheating engine, the other with a full power shutdown, made worse by several seconds of panic on the part of the pilot when he wasn't sure if he had toggled the eject system back on, or had secured it to full off.
    • The launch cycle continued and dictating in some last minute notes on his wrist-mounted memo pad Jason turned away from Doomsday, went over to his Rapier, and climbed into the cockpit."
• Chapter 4
  • "He hated atmosphere fighting, where anything much beyond a click a second was far too much. He bled off speed, watching the nav screen which was plotting out his trajectory, a thin blue line on the bottom of the screen showing the edge of the atmosphere. He felt the controls go mushy, the Rapier's computer automatically switching from thrusters to wing control surfaces. Fuel was now going to be a constant concern; flying inside the atmosphere, the hydrogen scoops would simply create too much drag. He closed the scoops and soared in."

Wing Commander: Fleet Action

• Chapter 1
  • "He was damn near hanging still in space, sparing a quick glance to his tactical display, filled now with a swarm of blue and red dots. A Kilrathi Gratha heavy fighter flashed by, followed by a Rapier. He heard Jonesy in the turret behind him, stammering out a curse as she snapped off a quick volley. His Broadsword shuddered, damage information blipping red for his rear starboard stabilizer. A spray of mass driver rounds arched up from the carrier as it twisted away, and he nudged up the throttle to follow the ship as it continued to turn."
  • "Hunter swept past the edge of the fireball, and then turned back towards Munro, ready to offer backup support for the Marine landing operation. The red blips of the few remaining Kilrathi fighters covering the carrier were winking off the screen as the Rapier squadrons finished them off."
  • " "I hate losing people, but trading a Rapier, a Sabre and two of your Broadswords for a light carrier is a damn fine piece of work in my book. I wish it had always been that easy." "
• Chapter 3
  • "He closed the door behind him and walked down the now dimmed corridors. He passed the flight ready room and had a flash memory of his first day aboard, chewing out his new pilots, and passed on into the hangar deck. The Rapiers, Ferrets, and Sabres lined the deck and it felt strange to hear the silence. No engines humming, no shouted commands blaring over the loudspeakers, the hissing roar of the catapult or the thunderclap of engines kicking in afterburners on a hot launch. It was a silence that was as complete and deeply disturbing as if he were walking through a tomb."
• Chapter 5
  • " "They had some problems getting the four, the peace commission kicked up a royal stink. We're lucky we got what we did."
    • "It figures," Jason sighed. "That commission really screwed us up."
    • "What do you mean?"
    • "That report that we'd have ten squadrons of Rapiers and Sabres, well forget it."
    • "What the hell happened?"
    • "The shipment was blocked by the commission. Seems that the Kilrathi ambassador caught wind of the deal, screamed holy hell, and the Baron even got into it, threatening to end all peace negotiations if the ships were allowed to leave Earth system. Rodham, of course, caved in. The three transports, loaded down with fighters and spare parts were blocked from leaving moon orbit. So now we've got to scrounge up whatever we can find around here." "
• Chapter 12
  • "Kevin tightened the grip on his joystick, his Rapier G jiggling slightly from his nervous hold on the stick. It was certainly the biggest strike group he had ever flown with, more than two hundred and fifty fighters and attack bombers launched from four carriers. The extra fifty heavy strike craft from Saratoga were missed, the carrier still half a system away with a main engine fuel pump acting up. Two hundred and eighty fighters were being held in reserve as protection for the fleet carriers and as a second strike wave."
  • " "This is Tolwyn. Good luck to all of you and good hunting." The image winked off and Kevin smiled. Typical Brit understatement. The forward edge of Rapiers, Raptors, Ferrets and Hornets, running ahead of the attack wave, slammed into the opposing wall of opposition defending the Kilrathi heavy carriers."

Gallery

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  P-64C Ferret Silhouette circa 2664

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  P-64 Ferret circa 2667

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  P-64 Ferret target identification circa 2667