Imperial Tech Restricted Ship Aquilae-class Assault Starfighter

[Mr. Teatime]

AQUILIAE ASSAULT STARFIGHTER

AFFILIATION
Sith Empire

MANUFACTURER
Drommund Kalakar Shipyards

CLASS
Anaxes War College System
Starfighter/starbomber

ROLE
Aerospace superiority/escort/light starbomber

COMPOSITION
Titanium and transparisteel.

DIMENSIONS
16m length

CREW
1 pilot, 1 co-pilot

PASSENGER CAPACITY
N/Aa

CARGO CAPACITY
100kg

HANGAR CAPACITY
N/A

CONSUMABLES
1 standard week

SPEED/MANEUVERABILITY
The Aquilae Assault Starfighter has a top speed of 90 MGLT and has decent maneuvering characteristics

ARMAMENT

• 1x dual medium laser cannon turret, dorsal, fire-linked
• 2x medium laser cannon turret, ventral wing mount, fire-linked
• 1x retractable rotating triple-barrel light blaster cannon turret, ventral cockpit
• 6x variable hard points, each armed with a single torpedo, missile, bomb, or similar. 3 per wing.
• 1x dual-tube warhead launcher, 8x projectile in magazine, torpedoes or missiles

EQUIPMENT

• 1x class 1 hyperdrive.
• 1x internal astromech socket.
• 1x medium deflector screen generator.
• 1x escape cockpit module
• 1x high-resolution, long-range sensor suite.

DESCRIPTION​

A starfighter design concept pioneered by the Drommund Kalakar engineering teams, the Aquilae-class is highly unusual. Favouring turreted cannons rather than fixed, the Aquilae is the answer to the question no one asked: How small can we build a gunship? Built for forward assault, its versatile armament allows it to take on enemy craft big and small.

Similar to the Impetus it has a narrow, swooping vertical profile that makes head-on targeting more difficult, the cockpit also features an unobstructed view of the surroundings and a series of sensor readouts. The cockpit is somewhat adjustable to accommodate different sizes, heights, and species as pilots, with windows made of reinforced transparisteel. Two seats, one pilot and one co-pilot, sit front-to-back.

Armed with three individual fire-linked turrets, an Aquilae's cannons are capable of tracking targets faster, more accurately, and at more variable angles than fixed cannons. In a dogfight one pilot focuses on flying while the other works weapons, firing at targets within the ship's wide arc of fire. While firing at a single target in front of an Aquilae is ideal it can also track targets above, below, to the sides, and behind. Turrets can be controlled separately by the two pilots if needed against different hostile craft. For buzzing ground targets, a rotating laser cannon lowers from beneath the cockpit module. In addition to internal warhead tubes, external wing hardpoints mount missiles, torpedoes, or bombs, allowing it to carry even oversized ordinance depending on combat requirements.

Powered by a new kind of ion reactor, the vessel features a single glowing rear thruster when powered. Rather than S-foils, a cooling system linked to radiators in the wings bleed off excess heat from the engines and weapons systems. Magnetic vector fins and strips around the rear thruster control thrust direction. An internally-socketed astromech handles astrogation for the class 1 hyperdrive. In the event of emergency, the entire cockpit module breaks free as an escape pod. Long range sensor systems, combined with its fast hyperdrive, allow it to serve in a scout and patrol role in wing-pairs of only two fighters.

Maintenance and repair isn't as simple as its Impetus cousin. However, the ship is still designed for modular parts replacement in a sufficiently equipped hangar or repair bay. Their proprietary design, while making for excellent manufacture, also has the downside of making them impossible to significantly modify. Every spare space has been used.

In large battles it commonly functions as an assault craft guarded by interceptors, using its turrets and unusually heavy shields to ward off enemy craft and deliver ordinance to larger ships. No slouch in a dogfight, pilots who underestimate an Aquilae for its size are liable to regret it.

Although less common than the Impetus due to its higher cost, the power and versatility afforded by it design are quickly gaining popularity in the Sith Empire's fleets. Gone are the days of mass-produced TIE variants, with well-trained pilots in reliable fighters much preferred.

LEGALITY​

Restricted. As a starfighter, they are subject to extra licensing requirements and increased scrutiny by authorities. Additionally, they're specific to the Sith Empire and draw attention for that alone.

INTENT​

To bring a new kind of starfighter to the Sith Empire and the forum.

RESTRICTIONS​

These assault starfighters are exclusive to the Sith Empire faction. Aquilae cannot be modified with after-market modifications to weapons, shields, engines, or hyperdrive.

 

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Approved.

 

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For balance reasons due to the amount of ordinance this craft can carry, as well as its having a turret, I have reduced the top speed of this craft to 90 MGLT.