CF-105 Scimitar
The Scimitar was a Terran Confederation medium fighter. It was included in Joan's Fighting Spacecraft Vega Sector Supplement for 2654.092.
In March 2654, a pair of Scimitars dispatched by the TCS Tiger's Claw as part of an assault on the KIS Rathtak were ambushed and destroyed by a wing of Jalthi. The Scimitars encountered two cripped Jalthi en-route to their target. One thrusted away intermitently as though it had suffered engine damage while the other spun powerlessly. Against orders from his wingleader, Captain R.A. Skinner, Lt. Lary Dibbles broke and attacked the active Jalthi. Neither Jalthi was damaged. The disabled ship powered up and destroyed Skinner's fighter, then joined the other to shoot down Dibbles. The incident became the impetus for Taggart's Tactics.
Specifications
| Class: | Medium Fighter |
| Length: | 25 meters |
| Mass: | 16 metric tonnes |
| Max Velocity: | 360 kps |
| Cruise Velocity: | 150 kps |
| Acceleration: | Good |
| Max Y/P/R: | 6/6/7 dps |
| Fore Shield: | 4.0 cm equivalent |
| Aft Shield: | 4.0 cm equivalent |
| Front Armor: | 6.0 cm |
| Right Armor: | 5.0 cm |
| Left Armor: | 5.0 cm |
| Rear Armor: | 6.0 cm |
| Guns: | Gatling Mass Driver Cannon (2) |
| Missiles: | Dart DF (2), Javelin HS (3) |
The Scimitar was a Terran medium-class starfighter. It was a tried and true durable fighter that held out in active service for what is possibly the record for longest serving military spacecraft - beating out even the venerable Kilrathi Dralthi series.
History
Though it earned the scorn of both space superiority and strike craft pilots alike, the Scimitar was fully capable of routine interdiction and light strike duties. Scimitars served with distinction onboard Bengal-class ships like the Tiger's Claw, the Trafalgar and the Eagle's Talon through the final days of the Vega Campaign. The famous Blue Devil Squadron even managed to destroy a heavily armed Kilrathi depot using only a pair of Scimitars during Operation Thor's Hammer.
The Space Force's Flight School used a lightly-armed trainer variant of the Scimitar for live fire practice. Two-seat Scimitar trainers often found themselves on the front lines during command school exercises.
By the time of its official retirement in in 2655, the Scimitar was well over one hundred years old and had outlived its nominal replacement, the CF-117 Rapier which had begun its development cycle in 2527 and had been retired the year before, in 2654. Surplus Scimitars would continue to see service with the Free Republic of the Landreich through 2668, and they would again show up in the service of the Union of Border Worlds Outerworld Fleet during the 2673 conflict.
Variant Comparison
| Stat\Variant | CF-105 Scimitar (2654) | Scimitar (?) | Trainer (?) | Scimitar (?) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class: | Medium Fighter | Medium Fighter | Medium Fighter | Medium Fighter |
| Length: | 25 meters | 25 meters | 25 meters | 25 meters |
| Mass: | 16.0 metric tonnes | 16.0 metric tonnes | 16.0 metric tonnes | 16.0 metric tonnes |
| Max Velocity: | 360 kps | 360 kps | 360 kps | 360 kps |
| Cruise Velocity: | 150 Kps | 150 Kps | 150 Kps | 150 Kps |
| Max Afterburner velocity: | 1120 kps | 1120 kps | 1120 kps | 1120 kps |
| Acceleration: | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| Max Y/P/R: | 6/6/7 deg/s | 6/6/7 deg/s | 6/6/7 deg/s | 6/6/7 deg/s |
| Shields: | 4.0fb cm | 4.0fb cm | 4.0fb cm | 6.0f/5.0b cm |
| Shield Recharge: | 6 sec | 6 sec | 6 sec | |
| Armor: | 6.0f/5lr/6.0r cm | 6.0f/5lr/6.0r cm | 6.0f/5.0lr/6.0r cm | 8.5f/6.5lr/8.0r cm |
| Guns: | Mk. 30A Gatling Mass Driver Cannon(2) | Mk. 30A Gatling Mass Driver Cannon(2) | Mk. 25 Laser Cannon(2), Single Mount Laser Turret (1), Tractor Beam (1) | Mk. 30A Gatling Mass Driver Cannon(2) |
| Missile Hardpoints: | 1x3 Dart DF-V.32, 1x2 Javelin HS-V.21 | 1x6 Dart DF-V.32, 1x4 Javelin HS-V.21 | 1x5 Javelin HS-V.21 | 1x3 Dart DF-V.32, 1x2 Javelin HS-V.21 |
| Missile Decoys: | none | none | 9 | none |
| Cloak: | No | No | No | No |
| Jump Capable: | No | No | No | No |
| Crew: | 1 (Pilot) | 1 (Pilot) | 1 (Pilot, Instructor) | 1 (Pilot) |
| Service Years | 2526-2655 (Confed), 2669 (Landreich), 2673 (UBW) |
Images
- Scimitar2654.gif
Scimitar flown off the TCS Tiger's Claw, Blue Devil Squadron, circa 2654.
Alternate History (the real world)
Appearances
- Variant 1 - Claw Marks
- Variant 2 - Super Wing Commander
- Variant 3 - Wing Commander Acadamy
- Variant 4 - Wing Commander
Data
Converted from
