F-104 Bearcat
| F-104 Bearcat | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | Heavy Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Douglas Aerospace |
| Primary User | Terran Confederation |
| Additional Users | Black Lance |
| General Characteristics | |
| Length | 27 meters |
| Mass | 14 tonnes |
| Crew | 1 |
| Performance | |
| Velocity | |
| Maximum | 550 kps |
| Afterburner | |
| Maximum Afterburner | 1400 kps |
| Max Acceleration | 1200 k/s^2 k/s2 |
| Armament | |
| Guns | |
| Light Tachyon Cannon (4) | |
| Default Missile Loadout | |
| 4x2 (2HS/2IR/2IR/2HS) | |
| Components | |
| Modules | |
| None | |
| Decoys | 24 |
| Cloaking Device | None |
| Jump Drive | None |
| Defense | |
| Shields | |
| Fore | 280 cm equivalent |
| Aft | 280 cm equivalent |
| Right | 280 cm equivalent |
| Left | 280 cm equivalent |
| Armor | |
| Front | 150 cm |
| Rear | 150 cm |
| Right | 150 cm |
| Left | 150 cm |
| |
| 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.
The F-104 Bearcat in the prototype stage in 2673.
