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Fighter Class
Corvette Class
Frigate Class
Super-Capital Class
Non-Combat & Resource Classes
Fighter Class
Fighter Description
While highly maneuverable, quick and cheap, fighters are unable to carry enough reactor mass to generate a self-sustaining torch, and so they must be refueled. This limits their range from the Mothership, unless a Support Frigate is provided to carry fuel for them. Fighters are also too small to carry a hyper drive module and must dock with a carrier or a Mothership when the fleet hyperspaces. The Fighter's use is limited only by the imagination of the commander.
Kushan Defender - "Shield Mk. 3b"
The Shield series of defense fighters is one of the oldest front-line designs employed in the Kushan fleet. Drives and weapon systems have evolved over time, but the basic hull design of the original Shield strike craft has yet to be surpassed in terms of economy and durability. A new state-of-the-art targeting system and an upgrade to the gimbal-mounted turret systems have been incorporated into the current Mark 3b version of this classic strike craft, and should serve to keep the Shield effective in combat for the foreseeable future.
While Shield class fighters have been gradually replaced in the offensive strike force by the Blade Interceptor, the relatively low cost of producing the chassis and its excellent weapons coverage have kept the Shield series in service, in the fleet defense role. While more resource-intensive strike craft engage and destroy enemy assets, Kushani admirals will deploy Shield fighters in the escort role to protect support ships such as Resource Gatherers, Lab Ships and even Carriers from enemy counter strikes. The extremely fast production time for Shields also means they will often find themselves being thrown in as a last ditch defense against a surprise attack when newer, more powerful ships simply take too long.
Shield squadrons are crewed by an odd mix of dedicated veterans serving out one last patrol cycle before retirement, and new pilots fresh from the training crèches. The irony of their deployment orders is that the majority of them remain virtually untested in combat until the very moment that they are all that stands between the Kushan fleet and utter destruction.
Taiidan Scout - "Fiirkan"
The scout-class fighter is named after a small hunting bird native to the temperate deserts on Kharak. The fiirkan hunts by riding the wave-front of the huge seasonal sandstorms, plucking its food as the violent winds drive various small animals from hiding. The bird dives and twists at the edge of the storm, but is never swallowed up by it, and that is exactly how scout pilots prefer to fly this nimble light fighter. With excellent speed, range and maneuverability, but negligible firepower and armor, the Firrkan class scout must behave as its namesake does: always on the edge of combat, looking for an opportunity, but never being drawn into the storm and certain death.
The minimal striking ability afforded by the single nose-mounted mass-driver means that in order to pose a serious threat, even to Corvette class vessels, Fiirkans must fight in tight packs in order to concentrate damage. In these large hunting flocks, scouts can be quite dangerous, and a skilled squadron is very difficult to hit with turreted weapons. When used in the purely scouting role, they are usually deployed in pairs, and depend on their high speed to avoid any trouble they might encounter. They can shadow enemy vessels until help arrives.
Fiirkan pilots are proud when other ships' crew refer to them as 'little birds' and their flight emblems, usually revolving around the sharp bloody claw or beak motif, show that they are well aware of how to draw blood from much larger opponents and survive.
Kushan Interceptor - Blade Mk.5
The Interceptor research project, code-named 'Blade' was a disaster for Kushan scientists and engineers from the very start. Saddled with too many capability demands from the Intelligence arm, the first four prototypes resulted in an Interceptor that was capable of performing multiple roles, but was competent at none of them. The specs called for a heavy version of the Scout, upgraded engines for higher speed, wings for atmospheric flight, and multiple light hardpoints for weapons and recon sensors. Versions 3 and 4 both blew themselves apart when plasma ducts burned through the magnetic couplings. The project was about to be abandoned when a single engineer and a test pilot executed an off-shift redesign which resulted in the wing sections being cut away and bonded to the inner hull as thermal insulation. The resulting ship had lost all atmospheric capability, along with its multiple hardpoints, but retained most of the other desired characteristics and, most importantly, it had ceased to be a guided fireball.
With the need for a radical redesign demonstrated to both the research scientists and the military, work went ahead to further strengthen what was now a considerably durable frame. The Blade Mk.5 went into final production with a heavy rotary cannon mounted partially inside the nose armor plates and a reinforced plating around the drive core and main plasma vents. While its checkered past still clings, (Blade pilots still carry the nickname 'Bomb Jockeys') this heavy interceptor is slowly gaining acceptance as a space superiority fighter to be reckoned with.
Kushan Cloaked Fighter - "Spectre"
Cloaking technology is on the cutting edge of Kushan science, and is only employed on one of their ships. The Spectre strike craft, based on the heavy fighter chassis, uses light-curving energy fields to render the ship invisible to both sensors and the naked eye. This first application of light-folding has not been without its trials and tribulations, and much of the heavy fighter's weapons and armor capability had to be removed to make room for the field generators. This makes the fighter somewhat vulnerable when it has to drop the cloaking effect to attack, and these fighters are often more useful in a scouting role or in small groups, raiding support vessels deep in enemy-controlled space.
It is rumored that constant exposure to the cloaking fields can have a destabilizing effect on pilots, and a certain eccentricity amongst Spectre squadrons seems to bear this out. Calling themselves simply "The Invisibles," most of these pilots have lost loved ones to enemy action, and see themselves as personifications of the ancient spirit of vengeance, often taking incredible risks to track down and destroy crippled enemy capital ships. Observers have noted that Specter squadrons have even destroyed ships that have already surrendered, though all cases have been dismissed as the result of combat confusion and communication jamming. Some Invisibles believe that the cloaking fields let them see into the dark spaces between the stars, and there are dark rumors of disturbing rituals held in unused launch bays. These accusations, of course, have never been proven, and the Spectre cloaked fighter remains one of the most important tactical assets of the Kushan fleet.
Taiidan Defense Fighter - "Koshiir Ra"
The Koshiir Ra defense fighter is the pinnacle of Taiidan fire control and tracking technology. Using a rapid-fire, tight beam microwave emitter in a frictionless gimbal mount, the Shield can literally shoot enemy projectiles out of space. While this system leaves this ship without any kind of offensive capabilities, designers have tried to maximize survivability by enhancing maneuverability and armor. The only weakness in this fighter's design is the very light armor around and under the turret assembly. The very high rotation speeds of the turret means that any extra armor mass would increase wear and slow down reaction fire by an unacceptable margin.
The Koshiir Ra suffers from the often deadly tactical paradox of being a purely defensive vehicle that is often deployed in the most savage offensive operations. Fleet captains will often englobe heavy capital ships with defense fighters before sending them to punch through enemy picket lines. The defense fighters intercept most of the enemy fire that would otherwise render capital ships incapable of pushing on to complete their missions. While these tactics optimize a capital ship's survival, they do little for the projected lifespan of Koshiir Ra pilots, and these squadrons are manned completely by volunteers.
Koshiir Ra was an ancient god of protection in the ancient days of the Taiidani people and many of the defense fighter pilots carry his symbol, a shield crossed by broken swords, on their person when entering combat. Koshiir Ra pilots are known for their sense of mercy and will often hover near crippled fighters, both friendly and enemy, destroying incoming fire until the battle is over.
Taiidan Attack Bomber - "Kaarak"
Fighters form the backbone of any fleet's fast response arm, but despite the fact that they can engage enemy assets quickly, their effectiveness drops off considerably if capital ships are present. While fighters can carry a variety of kinetic energy loadouts, the most powerful directed-energy system they carry is their own fusion drives. Plasma bomb technology allowed engineers to funnel some of that maneuvering power directly into an attack system. The plasma bomb launcher shunts some of the drive stream directly into the launcher system, effectively bottling high energy plasma inside a shaped magnetic field. The plasma charge moves by venting tiny amounts of the stored energy, allowing it to match speeds with its target, but does not allow for any extreme maneuvers. Once the charge impacts with its target, the front part of the field collapses first, venting all of the high energy plasma directly onto the hull of the enemy ship. Because of its maneuverability limitations, the plasma bomb is nearly useless against strike craft, but is devastatingly effective against capital ships and slow-moving support vessels.
The Kaarak attack bomber carries twin plasma launchers mounted to either side of the dual cockpit, and has a very narrow field of fire. The forward crew position is manned by the pilot, who maneuvers the bomber and sets up the attack run, while the back seat is manned by a combat engineer who monitors the launchers, warns of incoming threats, and activates various ECM systems. The last task is especially important, as the drain on the fusion drive from the launcher systems renders the Kaarak slower and less maneuverable than any other strike craft.
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