Looks like everyone is chipping in a ship apiece
. Lets go with the one I have for the Thud:
WC3 era
HF-66 Thunderbolt VII Heavy Fighter
The Thunderbolt VII is little more than a flying gun platform. Less maneuverable than the Arrow and the Hellcat, the ‘Thud’ carries a forward armament capable of downing a small capship in one pass, not to mention any medium or heavy fighter that fails to elude this beast. Carrying two meson blasters, two photon guns, and two plasma guns, this heavy fighter brings to bear more weapons energy than any Confed fighter (excluding the Excaliber) circa 2669. If this wasn’t enough to make Kilrathi capship commanders cower, this gunship not only has the heaviest shields of any Confed fighter, it also carries a torpedo slung under its belly, making this ship a threat to both fighters and heavy capital ships. The Thud isn’t all roses though. The heavy hardpoint of the torpedo limits the missile capacity of this heavy fighter to 6 medium missile hardpoints, which is a major hindrance to the Thud’s dogfighting longevity. The many upfront energy weapons exhibit a huge drain on the capacitors when fired at full salvo, requiring a pilot to be extremely accurate with limited, high-powered bursts. The shields, though the heaviest of any fighter in service, are extremely slow to regenerate. The heavy armament and armor come at a heavy price for the Thunderbolt. The severely hampered maneuverability and slow top speed of the heavy fighter allow most light fighters to outrun and outmaneuver this gun-heavy piece of machinery. The mass driver turret in the rear keeps a pilot’s six clear but the sides, where the fighter’s armor is thinnest, are left exposed. This poses a problem if a Thud is jumped by a few eights of Darkets during a mission. Although, it has its shortcomings, the Thud is favored by many flyers, a fact shown by the amount of pilot requests to transfer to Thunderbolt-laden heavy squadrons.
WC4 era
The Kilrathi War era gunship got a little tune up during the post-war years. The Thunderbolt’s forward gun allotment was changed to include twin photon guns and quad plasma guns, putting the Thud on par with the Sunday punch of the Excaliber. Still supporting strong shields, a decent missile allotment, and with the new wicked gun armament, the Thunderbolt can still make short work of any fighter out there, as long as a pilot can maneuver the lumbering Thud into place to take the shot.
WCP era
As of the beginning of the Nephilim Incursion of 2681, the aging Thunderbolt is being phased out of front-line service, making way for the new breed of Confederation technology. Having its forward guns changed to include two tachyon cannons and quad ion cannons relegates its energy weapons punch to Kilrathi War status. This downgrade in offensive weaponry soon proved to be a poor decision, as more and more were called into service against the superior forces of the Nephilim. The addition of an unguided rocket pod to the Thud’s arsenal gives it a little more sting, but this doesn’t make up for the severely limited armor protection of the older fighter. Also, the single torpedo from the earlier variants has been replaced with three light torpedo hardpoints, increasing the heavy fighters strike capability. The Thunderbolt can’t compete with the newer Panthers or even the Tigershark, but its effectiveness in combat has never been questioned since its introduction.
C-ya
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