A-14 Raptor
| A-14 Raptor | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | Heavy Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Origin Aerospace |
| Primary User | Terran Confederation |
| Additional Users | Free Republic of the Landreich, Union of Border Worlds |
| Introduction | 2630s |
| Retirement | Confederation Service - 2660s |
| General Characteristics | |
| Length | 36 meters |
| Mass | 20 tonnes |
| Crew | 1 (pilot) |
| Performance | |
| Maximum Yaw | 6 dps |
| Maximum Pitch | 5 dps |
| Maximum Roll | 6 dps |
| Acceleration | Good |
| Velocity | |
| Cruise | 250 kps |
| Maximum | 400 kps |
| Afterburner | |
| Maximum Afterburner | 1200 kps |
| Armament | |
| Guns | |
| Mk. 40F Neutron Guns (2) | |
| Default Missile Loadout | |
| Javelin HS (2) Spiculum IR (2) | |
| Components | |
| Decoys | None |
| Cloaking Device | No |
| Jump Drive | No |
| Defense | |
| Shields | |
| Fore | 7 cm equivalent |
| Aft | 7 cm equivalent |
| Armor | |
| Front | 8 cm |
| Rear | 8 cm |
| Right | 6 cm |
| Left | 6 cm |
| |
| Raptor Target Identification, circa 2654. | |
History
The A-14 Raptor was a Terran Confederation heavy fighter. It was included in the Joan's Fighting Spacecraft Vega Sector Supplement for 2654.092.
Raptors came into the spotlight in 2639, during the McAuliffe Ambush and Enyo Engagement. Then-Captain Geoffrey Tolwyn's daring plan rested on the abilities of a small force of Raptors outfitted as mine-layers. The plan worked, rescuing hundreds of thousands of captive civilians and ensuring the Raptor a place in history. Over the next fifteen years, through to the close of the Vega Campaign, the Raptor would see success in several roles: as a commerce raider, as a heavy handed answer to swarm fighter tactics and, when used in co-ordinated attacks, as a strike craft against line targets as large as cruisers.
During the height of the Vega Sector Campaign, Raptors from Star Slayer Squadron based on the TCS Tiger's Claw scored a string of impressive ship-to-ship victories.
Raptors continued to see service with front line squadrons through to the 2668 Battle of Earth. Following the conclusion of the Kilrathi War, surplus Raptors found their way to the service of the Free Republic of the Landreich - where they continued to see service through the border skirmishes of the early seventies.
An earlier variant of the Raptor carried a different missile loadout: two Phalanx missiles, three missiles of another type of missile and a Porcupine Space Mine. It also mounted laser cannons rather than neutron guns.
Specifications
Middle Terran-Kilrathi War
| Raptor
|
Raptor 
|
Raptor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source: | Joan | WC | SWC |
| Class: | Heavy Fighter | Heavy Fighter | Heavy Fighter |
| Length: | 36 meters | 36 meters | 36 meters |
| Mass | 20 tonnes | 20 tonnes | 20 tonnes |
| Max Velocity: | 400 KPS | 400 KPS | 400 KPS |
| Cruising velocity: | 250 KPS | 250 KPS | 250 KPS |
| Afterburner Velocity: | 1200 KPS | 1200 KPS | 1200 KPS |
| Acceleration: | Good | Good | Good |
| Max. YPR: | 6/5/6 DPS | 6/5/6 DPS | 6/5/6 DPS |
| Guns: | Mk. 30A Mass Driver Cannon (2) | Mk. 30A Mass Driver Cannon (2) | Mk. 30A Mass Driver Cannon (2) |
| Guns: | Mk. 40F Neutron Gun (2) | Mk. 40F Neutron Gun (2) | Mk. 40F Neutron Gun (2) |
| Missiles: | Javelin Heatseeker (2) | Javelin Heatseeker (2) | Javelin Heatseeker (4) |
| Missiles: | Spiculum Image-Recognition (2) | Spiculum Image-Recognition (2) | Spiculum Image-Recognition (4) |
| Missiles: | Pilum Friend-or-Foe (1) | Pilum Friend-or-Foe (1) | Pilum Friend-or-Foe (2) |
| Missiles: | Porcupine Mine (1) | Porcupine Mine (1) | Porcupine Mine (2) |
| Armor (Fore/Aft/Sides) | 8.0/8.0/6.0 cm | 8.0/8.0/6.0 cm | 8.0/8.0/6.0 cm |
| Shields (Fore/Aft) | 7.0/7.0 cm | 7.0/7.0 cm | 7.0/7.0 cm |
| Shield Recharge: | 3 seconds | 3 seconds | 3 seconds |
| Missile Decoys: | None | None | None |
| Jump Capable: | No | No | No |
Appearances
Wing Commander/Super Wing Commander
Wing Commander Conversations
- Beta Wing (McAuliffe System)/Delta Wing (Gateway System)/Omicron Wing (Cheng-Du System)
- Michael Casey: Maverick. They call me Iceman. Don't let Knight here fool you about the Scimitar. It's a gun-heavy slug. Forget finesse in a Scimitar.Just head straight in, guns blaring. Give me a ship that lets me use my skill... A Raptor, even a Hornet... ...or one of those new Rapiers! If half of what they say is true, the Rapier's a true artist's ship!
- Omicron Wing (Gimle System)
- Shotglass: Hey, Maverick. How’s it goin’? You heard about those new Rapiers? Ever'body's talkin' about 'em. I'm not so sure about 'em, though. I flew jus' about my whole career in Scimitars an' Raptors. Liked the Raptor best, even though she didn't handle too good. She sure was fast once you got her goin', though!
- Tau Wing (Rostov System)
- Shotglass: Have a seat, Maverick. This place is getting empty these days. I hear you've been flying the Raptor. She's a good ship, fast but a bit clumsy. It's an aggressive ship...if you're an aggressive pilot. I'd bet you could stand off a Gratha or two with that kind of ship. Oh well...you've probably got a better feel for the ship than me. Pay no mind to this ol' has-been.
Wing Commander Missions
- Flyable Missions
- Appears in Mission
The Secret Missions Conversations
- Beta Wing (Jotunheim System)
- Tanaka Mariko: "Shotglass believes we may fly in asteroid fields today. I hope he is right. There is something I wish to try. Have you ever seen Iceman in an asteroid field? No? He does some amazing things. If his front shield is gone, he will turn tail... ... and let his enemy come up behind him. He performs evasive maneuvers and uses his thrusters... ... and sets course straight for a large asteroid. At the last moment possible, he rolls out. The Kilrathi does not always follow successfully. Of course, Iceman prefers to do this in Hornets or Rapiers, not Raptors.
The Secret Missions Missions
- Flyable Missions
The Secret Missions 1.5 Missions
- Flyable Missions
The Secret Missions 2: Crusade Missions
- Flyable Missions
Wing Commander: Freedom Flight
- "Spirit rolled her Raptor fighter hard right to stay close behind the Kilrathi, glancing desperately at the power readings on her ship's neutron guns, slowly building up to full power again. The small fighter's powerplant was straining to recharge the weapons… she waited until the last moment, when the Kilrathi fighter was veering sharply away, to pull the trigger and let loose the volley of deadly red fire. The aft engine of the enemy fighter peeled away and exploded, taking the rest of the fighter with it. Spirit veered again to avoid the debris, scanning her aft view for Youngblood."
- "She felt the vibration of the engines straining at the base of her spine as she flew at top speed, willing her Raptor to leap across the remaining distance and into the rocks..."
- "Spirit punched on the Raptor's engines… for an awful second, all she could hear was the splutter of her ship's engines as they failed to ignite. Then they roared back into life and she hit the afterburners. She was beyond the diving Kilrathi a moment later, using the asteroids to block their weapons' fire. But she knew she couldn't play this game forever… soon they'd maneuver to box her in, to force her in front of their guns, and it would be over."
Star*Soldier
Classifieds
- "Used ships available! Navy surplus means your lucky day! Fighters? F-36 Hornet, F-38 Talon, F-71 Stiletto, F-98 Phantom, F-95 Morningstar, F-97 Wraith! Bombers? A-14 Raptor, A-15 Gladius, even A-20 Banshee! Collectables and like new!
- Contact crazyjoe@shipsmustgo.corporation"
Gallery
Raptor-class line drawing from Joan's Fighting Spacecraft.
Origin Aerospace blueprint.
Origin Aerospace blueprint.
Origin Aerospace blueprint.
View from a Raptor cockpit as it engages a Krant.
Raptor as seen in Super Wing Commander
