OriginalPhoenix
Professor Emeritus
I would think the Bearcat was more likely replaced by the Panther.
BTW, my callsign is P-H-O-E-N-I-X.
Obsolete ships
- Thread starter Ladiesman^
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BTW, my callsign is P-H-O-E-N-I-X.
OriginalPhoenix
Professor Emeritus
With no concrete evidence, I wouldn't be so sure of that, other than the similarity of name. Certainly possible, but I'm thinking more in terms of function. The Hellcat was always sort of a multi-role craft, capable of many missions but master of none. This holds true of the Tigershark, even down to it's F/A designation. The Bearcat, OTOH, is a pure dogfighter, much as the Panther.Originally posted by Napoleon
Sorry I misspelled your name.
And after all, the Tigershark IS noted specifically as being the culmination of the Hellcat's evolutionary path...no mention of the Bearcat.
*Shrug* One of those things that could be argued any which way.
while that is the case, then we seem to have 2 ships which are the continuation of the Hellcat line since the Tigershark is refered to as the newest addition to the line in the WCP book. BTW those 4 light tachyon cannons were not the kinda stuff that a heavy fighter would have, they would be more like a medium fighter
If you want to be REALLY specific, the Tigershark is an early 80s light fighter - light multi-role, not really able to do too much for anything, just nice to have around for a little of everything. Definitely continuing the multirole tradition of earlier craft. Sometimes confused with the much earlier F-5 Tiger.
The Tigercat is a somewhat earlier aircraft than the Bearcat, making progression as in the game inaccurate. Possibly a continuity error on the part of the programmers, or an effort to emphasise the technology jump?
Hmm
Anyway, from WC3 on it looks like the majority of Confed aircraft are built to represent the power/status of the fighter the name is taken from WITHIN THE TIME FRAME THE FIGHTER WAS BUILT. IE the Vamp is a fast, powerfully armed fighter (although im not sure about the structural stability of the original), the Panther is a wicked-looking interceptor with decent anti-ground, and the Devestator is a lumbering, well armored tub. NOTE: there are notable exceptions - especially the Dragon. However, the rule will generally hold true.
Chris Reid - one little question. You claim the red patches on the Dragon are ramscoops, no reason not to believe you there. However, where on capitalships, other than the Durango class, do red patches of an even somewhat similar nature show up? Checked all the ingame models in the Ship Database, noticed none. All of what seem to be Bussard scoops are simply holes in the side of the ship.
The Tigercat is a somewhat earlier aircraft than the Bearcat, making progression as in the game inaccurate. Possibly a continuity error on the part of the programmers, or an effort to emphasise the technology jump?
Hmm
Anyway, from WC3 on it looks like the majority of Confed aircraft are built to represent the power/status of the fighter the name is taken from WITHIN THE TIME FRAME THE FIGHTER WAS BUILT. IE the Vamp is a fast, powerfully armed fighter (although im not sure about the structural stability of the original), the Panther is a wicked-looking interceptor with decent anti-ground, and the Devestator is a lumbering, well armored tub. NOTE: there are notable exceptions - especially the Dragon. However, the rule will generally hold true.
Chris Reid - one little question. You claim the red patches on the Dragon are ramscoops, no reason not to believe you there. However, where on capitalships, other than the Durango class, do red patches of an even somewhat similar nature show up? Checked all the ingame models in the Ship Database, noticed none. All of what seem to be Bussard scoops are simply holes in the side of the ship.
Quarto
Unknown Enemy
Well, if you're going to be that specific, the Tigershark was merely the final version of the F-5 Tiger
. The changes between the previous version and this one were large enough to warrant a reclassification, and the F-5G became the F-20 Tigershark. A reasonably effective fighter, but it had no customers. Everybody preferred the F-16.Not really... the real world Tigercat wasn't used all that much (certainly not as much as the Bearcat) anyway.
OriginalPhoenix
Professor Emeritus
But it shouldn't be. Its armament and its performance are more akin to a medium (dog)fighter.
the F-20 tigershark is basicaly a enhanced F-5 that was a private venture of the F-5 manufacture, but nobody buy it, it was aimed to 2nd word countrys Air forces as a multi-role figters. It was NOT the F-16 competor, that honor belongs to the F-17 that is now the F/A-18 hornet
Wedge009
Rogue Leader
I asked something similar about scoops on Prophecy fighters. The blue scoops are clearly visible on the Piranha, Panther, Devastator, and the Vampire, but I don't think they can be seen on the other fighters. Yet, all-knowing LOAF (IIRC) stated that all the fighters had scoops.
Hmmm, I forgot the reason why they don't have unlimited afterburn then.
Replacement for the Arrow? The Bearcat was pretty much a heavy fighter at the WC4 time. Its armor and shields are as good/better than those of an Excal or T-bolt, it had 8 missiles which was what the peacetime Excals carried, and four guns that deal out about 40 damage are pretty good (and whilce their spacing is whack, the autotracking almost completly makes up for that).
Quarto
Unknown Enemy
No... it was offered to the Air Force, but they prefered their F-16s. It was then offered to the Navy for use in aggressor squadrons, but the Navy also didn't want it. Then, because nobody in the US wanted it, there was no foreign interest either. Consequently, only three Tigersharks were ever built.
You dare to question the experience and judgment of Confed’s engineers, pilots, and military leaders?!
(Next thing you know, you’ll be second-guessing Blair that the Excalibur was a prototype for the Dragon.)My point about the Bearcat’s “class” was simply that the fact it was thought of and accordingly classified (rightly or wrongly) as a heavy fighter tends to undercut the theory that it was also thought of, and thus intended to be, a successor to a medium fighter like the Hellcat.
Rather than as the sum or averaging of various stats such as for armaments, the “heaviness” of the fighters in WC1-4 is probably better explained as a comparative “weighting” of the roles or missions each commonly and successfully undertakes, or is expected to be able to undertake. (WCP tends to prove the point with its abandonment of hybrid fighters in favor of more function-specific designs and classifications.) In this regard, we should keep in mind that the captured Bearcats in WC4 were prototypes.
Continuation of the F-5 line, yes, but with 1 massive engine providing twice the thrust of the original. Engine upgrades are common among military aircraft, but the alteration needed for the engine rework, along with the wing redesign and the internal changes, resulted in an aircraft that was superficially similar to the original F-5, as was the F6F to it's F4F predecessor, and I have heard no comments about the re-classification of the F6F line.