F-44 Rapier II
| F-44 Rapier II | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | Medium Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Origin Aerospace |
| Primary User | Terran Confederation |
| Additional Users | Free Republic of the Landreich Union of Border Worlds |
| Introduction | 2654 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Length | 24 meters |
| Mass | 13.5 tonnes |
| Crew | 1 (pilot) |
| Performance | |
| Maximum Yaw | 10 dps |
| Maximum Pitch | 10 dps |
| Maximum Roll | 10 dps |
| Acceleration | Excellent |
| Velocity | |
| Cruise | 250 kps |
| Maximum | 450 kps |
| Afterburner | |
| Maximum Afterburner | 1300 kps |
| Armament | |
| Guns | |
| MK. 25 Laser Cannons (2) | |
| Default Missile Loadout | |
| Dart DFs (2) Pilum FFs (2) | |
| Components | |
| Decoys | None |
| Cloaking Device | No |
| Defense | |
| Shields | |
| Fore | 7 cm equivalent |
| Aft | 7 cm equivalent |
| Armor | |
| Front | 5 cm |
| Rear | 5 cm |
| Right | 3 cm |
| Left | 3 cm |
| |
| Rapier II flown off the TCS Tiger's Claw, Black Lion Squadron, circa 2654. | |
| Source | Claw Marks |
| Work-in-progress, expect frequent changes. Help and feedback is welcome. See discussion page. |
History
The F-44 Rapier II was a medium fighter introduced in 2654. The Rapier's sleek lines and famous silhouette have become synonymous with the might of the Confederation military - and will remain forever enshrined in the minds of a generation of young men and women who grew up dreaming of top gun heroics. A disproportionate number of the top twenty aces from the Terran-Kilrathi War served with Rapier II squadrons.
The Rapier II first saw combat aboard the TCS Tiger's Claw: a pair of YF-44s were assigned to the carrier for active duty testing during the invasion of the Gimle System. Major Michael "Iceman" Casey and Captain Jeannette "Angel" Devereaux of the Star Slayer Squadron credited the fighter's first kills during a three point patrol mission. The prototypes performed magnificently and the same carrier soon received the first batch of production models, which Black Lion Squadron would fly during the battle for Kurasawa. By the invasion of Venice, Rapier II squadrons were assigned to both the Tiger's Claw and the Kyoto.
Within a year, the F-44A had been replaced on the assembly lines by the F-44B, which boasted a larger missile load-out and a limited-use jump drive. A combination of cost and technical issues would force the removal of the jump drive from future iterations - making the F-44B unique among the Rapier IIs lineage until after the Terran-Kilrathi War. A and B model Rapier IIs served with distinction during Operation Thor's Hammer, the assault on Jakarta and the defense of Firekka. A pair of F-44As even flew from then-Colonel James Taggart's intelligence ship, the Bonnie Heather.
In the late 2650s, the Rapier II went through a significant redesign of its space-frame, reducing the overall size and mass. The new design began with the popular F-44C model, which would go on to serve aboard escort carriers through the 2660s. F-44Cs flew with distinction off the TCS Tarawa during Operation Back Lash and the Third Enigma Campaign.
G and H model Rapier IIs served on fleet carriers through the Battle of Earth in 2668. The TCS Concordia's F-44G Rapier II squadron, with its distinctive lightning bolt markings on their tails, was considered to be the single finest active duty fighter unit in the Space Force.
After the Kilrathi War, surplus Rapier IIs served with both the Free Republic of the Landreich and the Union of Border Worlds and proved popular among mercenary groups. By 2701, three more variants of the Rapier II had emerged as a result of needs of the Nephilim Conflict. The Rapier II Blade is a direct update of the original space-frame, whereas the Vanguard and Cavalier added armor and other defensive abilities. The Vanguard was often used in mine laying assignments, and was at the forefront of the first offensive strike against the Nephilim in their own territory.
Wing Commander: Freedom Flight
- "Next to his Rapier fighter, Paladin was talking quietly with a strange-looking young man, his dark face marked with an intricate tattooed pattern. Spirit was having a similar talk with her wingman, Puma, AKA Lieutenant Youngblood. Sorry you got saddled with that boy, Mariko, Hunter thought, climbing up the ladder into his fighter cockpit. Nobody deserves that one.
- The blond boy from the shuttlecraft was crawling out from under the Rapier's left engine as Hunter walked up. Like everyone else this morning, he looked too alert and cheerful. "Ready for flight, sir!" he said, saluting."
- "Hunter finished his pre-flight checklist and strapped himself in, then double-checked to make sure that all the ground personnel were clear of the engines. Then he flipped the switches and thumbed the engines into life.
- Even through the closed cockpit, the roar of the engines drowned out all the other noise of the flight deck. Hunter clicked up the volume on his comlink as the entire fighter vibrated, straining against the braking system. Carefully, he pushed the throttle up slightly, moving the huge fighter toward the brightly-marked launch strip.
- As he maneuvered into position for the launch, the Deck Officer held up one hand, his other hand cupping his headset to listen more closely. Hunter eased up on the throttle, feeling the fighter quivering around him. The Deck Officer brought his hand down sharply, and Hunter punched the engines to full throttle, accelerating forward through the launch tube. A moment later the fighter broke through the magnetic airshield with a bare instant of resistance, and then he was free of the ship and its artificial gravity.
- Hunter banked the ship sharply to starboard, easily clearing the landing pattern traffic and heading into open space. A few seconds later he was five thousand klicks out and killed his engines, after reversing the engines briefly to bring his speed down to zero. He drifted there, weightless, waiting for his wingman. It was peaceful, even with the noise of the open com channel chattering in his ear."
- "He watched as another Rapier launched from the carrier, veering sharply toward him. There's the boy, Hunter thought. He's looking good, has a light hand on the controls. Not overcorrecting, or turning too tightly. I think this one's going to do just fine.
- The second Rapier slowed as it approached his position. The vid flickered to life, Jazz's helmeted face smiling at him. "Lieutenant Colson reporting for duty, sir." "
- "Another Terran fighter soared past her, barely five feet away from her cockpit, the Rapier firing all guns directly at the enemy craft on her tail. Through the cockpit, she caught a glimpse of Hunter's wide grin. Then her fighter shook with the explosion of the Kilrathi that had been tailing her. Glancing aft, she saw the fragments of the enemy fighter drifting in all directions."
- "Hunter jogged toward his Rapier fighter, and saw a blond-haired face emerge from inside the cockpit. The kid... what was his name? Jimmy? ... swung down lightly from the cockpit, and saluted Hunter. "You're ready to launch, sir," the kid said."
- "Hunter looked back to see the main engine nacelle peeling away from the rest of the ship. He had a split second of horrified realization... My God, I'm too close to the ship!... before the Fralthi exploded into brilliant light and debris. The blast wave caught him up and hurled him forward, tumbling end over end helplessly. The Rapier's stabilizers kicked back in a few seconds later, and the fighter hung motionless in space, large pieces of debris drifting past him. Hunter just sat there for a long moment, trying to catch his breath. Then he brought the fighter around to see what was left."
- "He was flying a Rapier fighter…no,it was a Kilrathi ship, very alien, with a curved cockpit roof and that weird alien writing everywhere. He scanned the controls, trying to figure out how to fly the strange craft, but nothing made much sense. And something was wrong, the alien fighter was moving strangely, rocking from side to side."
- "The flight deck was already busy; two Hornet fighters took off, one after the other, as Hunter mustered up a tired trot to his fighter. A tech was under the Rapier, invisible except for a pair of booted legs sticking out from beneath the wing. "Good morning, Jimmy," Hunter called, forcing himself to sound cheerful."
- " "Take your time, sweetheart," Hunter said, leaning against the side of the fighter. After all, the longer she took, the shorter the amount of time he'd have to spend strapped in. Could be the Colonel didn't reckon on how much down-time these Rapiers need. "Say, you wouldn't happen to like listening to live jazz music, would you?" "
- "Oh, hell! They're startin' their missile run! Hunter brought his Dralthi fighter up to full speed, sliding into position behind the Kilrathi fighters. As he angled for a good firing solution, he saw a single Rapier fighter launched from the Austin, too late to stop the attack run."
- "Another close hit, this time by the Gratha's multiple cannons. Several warning systems in the fighter began to wail simultaneously, and the Dralthi's shield readouts flickered once and died completely. Hunter worked the controls furiously, trying to use what was left of the Dralthi's superior speed and maneuvering to avoid another direct hit Ahead of him, he could see the Austin Rapier fighting with the second Gratha. The other Gratha banked close to the huge Gettysburg-class cruiser in an attempt to escape the Rapier. A little too close, as it turned out: the Gratha exploded spectacularly against the side of the Austin. The Rapier turned tightly and 'burned directly at Hunter's Dralthi.
- "Not me, mate!" Hunter yelled as the Rapier dived toward him. A moment later, the Rapier fired a missile. Hunter's eyes widened as the deadly missile accelerated right toward him.
- The missile passed overhead just above his cockpit, and he glanced back in time to see it slam into the Gratha on his tail. The Gratha spun out of control and exploded.
- He turned back to look at the Rapier, and realized in horror that it was still on a direct collision course with him. A split-second later, the Rapier rolled neatly, flying inverted a couple meters over Hunter's head, so close that Hunter could see the pilot's helmet with the musical notes surrounding the name JAZZ.
- "Good work, Colson!" Hunter shouted, even though he knew there was no way Jazz could hear him. Not bad for a kid, Hunter thought with a grin, as he pulled up on the stick to bring the Dralthi up in a tight turn to avoid the looming Austin ahead of him.
- "The Rapier fighter glided in for a smooth landing. The pilot popped the canopy even before the fighter had completely stopped. Hunter saw Jazz Colson's grin even at this distance, as the crowd of Deck crew surrounded him, cheering wildly.
- "Damn, but that boy is good," Hunter said, cheerfully acknowledging excellence, even when it wasn't his own. He wiped at the trickle of blood from his nose again. "I think he'll go for."
- " "You're on jump arrival patrol in two minutes," Iceman continued, one eyebrow raised sardonically. "With me. The Colonel seemed convinced you were going to show up. Ready for another flight?"
- "I can handle it," Hunter said. Right now, he could handle anything. Nothing like thinking you were dead—then finding out that you were going to live, after all..."Are the fighters ready?"
- Iceman pointed across the Deck; he began to run toward the parked Rapiers, Hunter hard on his heels.
Variants
Kilrathi War
In addition to the variants listed below, an F-44C variant operated from TCS Tarawa at the time of Operation Back Lash and the Kilrah raid; the ships carried Space-to-Ground Anti-Radar Submunition Missiles, in keeping with the escort carrier's mission role for providing air support during ground assaults. The Free Republic of the Landreich and later the Union of Border Worlds both operated Rapiers, although their specifications are unknown.
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Nephilim War
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Appearances
Wing Commander
Wing Commander Missions
- Flyable Missions
- Appears in Mission
The Secret Missions Missions
- Flyable Missions
- Appears in Mission
The Secret Missions 1.5 Missions
- Flyable Missions
The Secret Missions 2: Crusade Missions
- Flyable Missions
Gallery
Rapier II-class line drawing from Joan's Fighting Spacecraft.
Origin Aerospace blueprint.
Origin Aerospace blueprint.
Origin Aerospace blueprint.
Rapier II flown off the TCS Tiger's Claw, Black Lion Squadron, circa 2654.
Rapier II flown off the TCS Concordia, circa 2666.
A Rapier II Blade flown by a mercenary pilot in 2701.
A Rapier II Vanguard flown by a mercenary pilot in 2701.
A Rapier II Cavalier flown by a mercenary pilot in 2701.
