F-104 Bearcat
F-104 Bearcat | |
---|---|
Type | Heavy Fighter |
Manufacturer | Douglas Aerospace |
Primary User | Terran Confederation |
Additional Users | Black Lance |
Length | 27 |
Mass | 14 |
Max Velocity | 550 |
Max Afterburner Velocity | 1400 |
Max Afterburner Acceleration | 1200 k/s^2 |
Max Y/P/R | 90/80/90/ DPS |
Guns | Light Tachyon Cannon (4) |
Missiles | 4x2 (2HS/2IR/2IR/2HS) |
Decoys | 24 |
Cloak | None |
Jump Drive | None |
Crew | 1 |
Devices | None |
F-104 Bearcat Target Designation, circa 2673.]] |
The F-104 Bearcat was a heavy fighter in the service of the Terran Confederation.
Overview
Designed and manufactured in the aftermath of the Terran-Kilrathi War, the Bearcat was to be the next top-of-the-line heavy fighter in the Terran Confederation Space Force. A peacetime design, it was to defend the Confederation against future enemies and against Kilrathi raiders who were still intent on continuing the war with the Confederation. With a standard armament and fair speed, it had potential as a formidable dogfighter on the frontlines.
History
The Bearcat was one of many new Terran innovations to come forth during the peacetime era. By 2673, several combat-ready prototypes of the Bearcat were in testing. A number of them fell into the hands of the Black Lance, who used them in an attempt to provoke war between the Confederation and the newly-independent Union of Border Worlds.
One notable action undertaken by the Bearcats was their role in the Black Lance assault on the Peleus System, where they were charged with defending a jamming ship that was creating a communications blackout across the system. They also were present at the BWS Intrepid's assault on Ella.
In Speradon, a trio of Confederation pilots sympathetic to the Border Worlds defected to the Union after hijacking a squadron of Bearcats. The Union, in desperate need of fighter pilots, acted quickly to rescue the defectors before the Black Lance could intercept them.