F-44 Rapier II

F-44 Rapier II

Few military spacecraft have achieved the sheer fame of the F-44 Rapier II. 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.

The Rapier II first saw combat onboard 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 Jeanette "Angel" Devereaux of Star Slayer squadron credited the fighter's first space to space kills during a three point patrol mission. The prototypes performed magnificently and the same carrier soon recieved the first batch of production models, which Black Lion squadron would fly during the battle for Kurosawa. 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 loadout and a limited use jump drive. A combination of cost and technical issues would force the removel of the jump drive from future iterations - making the F-44B unique among the Rapier II's lineage. 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-44A's even flew off of Col. James Taggart's famous intelligence ship, the Bonnie Heather.

In the late fifties the Rapier II went through a significant redesign of its spaceframe, reducing the overall size and mass. The new design premiered in the popular F-44C model, which would go on to serve onboard escort carriers through the late sixties. F-44Cs flew with distinction off of the TCS Tarawa during Operation Backlash and the Third Enigma Campaign.

Finally, the G and H models served off of fleet carriers through the Battle of Terra in 2668. The TCS Concordia's F-44G Rapier II squadron, with its distinctive lightning bolt tails, was considered to be the single finest active duty fighter unit in the Space Forces.

Surplus Rapier IIs served with both the Free Republic of the Landreich and the Union of Border Worlds through the mid 2670s.

Variant Comparison

Stat\Variant	Rapier YF-44 (2654)	Rapier F-44A (2654)	Rapier F-44B (2654)	Rapier F-44C (2654)	Rapier F-44G (2654)	Rapier F-44H (2654)
Length:	24 meters	24 meters	24 meters	19 meters	19 meters	19 meters
Mass:	13.5 metric tonnes	13.5 metric tonnes	13.5 metric tonnes	15.0 metric tonnes	15.0 metric tonnes	15.0 metric tonnes
Max Velocity:	450 kps	450 kps	450 kps	450 kps	450 kps	450 kps
Max Afterburner velocity:	1300 kps	1300 kps	1300 kps	1300 kps	1300 kps	1300 kps
Acceleration:	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Max Y/P/R:	10/10/10 deg/s	10/10/10 deg/s	10/10/10 deg/s	10/10/10 deg/s	10/10/10 deg/s	10/10/10 deg/s
Shields:	8.5fb cm	7.0fb cm	8.5fb cm	8.5fb cm	8.5fb cm	11.5fb cm
Armor:	6.5f/5lr/5.5r cm	6.5f/3lr/4.0r cm	8.5f/5.0lr/8.5r cm	6.5f/5.0lr/5.5r cm	6.5f/5.0lr/6.5r cm	7.5f/6.5lr/7.5r cm
Guns:	MK 25 Laser Cannon (2), MK 40F Neutron Gun (2)	MK 25 Laser Cannon (2), MK 40F Neutron Gun (2)	MK 25 Laser Cannon (2), MK 40F Neutron Gun (2)	MK 25 Laser Cannon (2), MK 40F Neutron Gun (2)	MK 25 Laser Cannon (2), Particle Gun (2)	MK 25 Laser Cannon (2), Particle Gun (2)
Missile Hardpoints:	1x2 Dart DF, 1x2 Pilum FF, 1x1 Spiculum IR	1x2 Dart DF, 1x2 Pilum FF, 1x2 Javelin HS	1x4 Dart DF, 1x4 Pilum FF, 1x2 Javelin HS	1x2 Dart DF, 1x2 Pilum FF, 1x2 Javelin HS	1x2 Dart DF, 1x2 Pilum FF, 1x2 Javelin HS	1x2 Dart DF, 1x2 Pilum FF, 1x2 Javelin HS
Missile Decoys:	none	none	none	none	2 Chaff	2 Chaff
Jump Capable:	No	No	Yes	No	No	No

Images

<gallery> Image:Darket-ccg.jpg|A Darket flown off the KIS Sivar's Glory in 2669. Image:Wc3darket.png|A Darket flown off the KIS Sar Hrai in 2669.