Fighter

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Fighter: Using a 10-ton hull, the fighter is capable of 6-G acceleration, carries 1 ton of fuel, and has a crew of one. [1] Small craft are boats of interplanetary (though not interstellar) capability. Fighters are characterized as small spacecraft usually without jump capability.

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Please refer to the following AAB Library Data for more information:
Starship:

Description (Specifications)

It includes a computer Model/1 and can mount only one type of weapon: one laser, up to three missile racks, or up to three sandcasters. It has one ton of excess space, and typically costs MCr18. [1]

The lack of a jump drive and its accompanying fuel storage, enables designers of these ships to focus more on putting heavier weapon systems and better in-systems drives. This characteristic makes them more of a threat on a ton per ton basis than similar ships with a jump capability.

The Fighter is a small, highly manoeuvrable, armed small craft, usually capable of at least 4 Gs acceleration, carrying one or two crew, and displacing around 10 tons. Fighters generally have a small fuel tank (usually less than twelve hours' fuel), and no cargo capacity.

Fighters are invariably armed; usually with the heaviest armament the small craft can bear in a non-turret mount. Generally beam weapons are preferred because they are intended to operate at close range. In some cases a missile launch rack may be installed as well.

Strategy & Tactics (Doctrine)

The primary role of these craft is in-system offense and defense. Their primary operational area is space, but a number have been configured or have variants suitable to for in atmospheric operations.

Although the role these ships are normally employed in is a system defense role, the shipborne fighters with their ability to be transported in jump capable carriers makes them an ideal addition for convoy duties, as well as scouting and reconnaissance. Once launched at their destination they can keep in-system defense busy and at bay while other ships complete their missions.

On the other hand, based fighters are ideal vessels to control vital areas of a system such as gas giants, asteroid belts, and orbital installations. Their speed and weapon loads make them strong threats to most hostile vessels and few can ignore them with impunity. Because these vessels don't have jump capability and have very modest resource requirements even poorer system can afford to have them to protect their essential space assets.

Supraclass Roles

TBDs typically serve the following roles:

  • TBD

Supraclass Archtypes

Mission Basing Types: There are two broad divisions with this ship type:

Shipborne fighters
Characterized by features to enable the easy storage, maintenance, launch and retrieval by tenders and carriers.
Based fighters
Although base type fighters are very similar they lack features which make them more difficult to use in the confined spaces of carriers.

A number of manufacturers do offer mod kits which support conversion of ships between the two types, and many of these craft are produced in both variants.

Fighter Classifications by Capability

Fighters are named by their capabilities:

  • Fighter is a generic term encompassing all types of flying combat small craft.
  • Spacefighters are limited to operations in open space or the vacuum and are systemic craft not capable of opening a transition to jumpspace.
  • Starfighters are limited to operations in open space or the vacuum and are systemic craft, but are capable of opening a transition to jumpspace. Craft large enough to carry jump drives are generally pushing the definition of a fighter.
  • Interface Fighters, are typically non-jump fighters, capable of operating in open space or within the atmosphere of a planet. They often have physical streamlining or the grav equivalent.
  • Air Fighters are non-jump fighters only capable of operating within the atmosphere of a planet. They often have physical streamlining or the grav equivalent. As grav technology becomes more advanced, there is little difference between an aircraft and a grav vehicle. In fact, composites of the two are often called grav speeders.

Note: G-Carriers are advanced grav craft capable of achieving limited spaceflight. Despite the similarity of capabilities, a G-Carrier is not a fighter.

Fighter Classifications by Size

Most Common Standardized Smallcraft Types

  1. Cutter (50-ton)
  2. Fighter (10-ton)
  3. Launch (20-ton)
  4. Pinnace (40-ton)
  5. Ship's Boat (30-ton)
  6. Shuttle (95-ton)
  7. Slow Boat (30-ton)
  8. Slow Pinnace (40-ton)

History & Background (Dossier)

Fighters serve a variety of combat roles and come in a variety of sizes although the more standard 10-ton models are often the most useful in their indicated roles. It has become one of the eight most popular and commonly encountered smallcraft designs found within Charted Space.

Representative Classes

0 Representative Heavy Fighter (PA) Classes
No results


0 Representative Light Fighter (PL) Classes
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References & Contributors (Sources)

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.
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