Overview:       The Vrak'Tar is a new KessRithian design currently under consideration for use by the Commonwealth/Renegade forces.. The result of one very odd brainstorm, the Vrak'Tar is perhaps the most radical attempt at increasing the firepower available to fighters. Borrowing a page from capital ships, it is the only fighter in existence to sport a spinal mount.       After the design of the Na'Ctka Moquka, the KessRith engineers were having difficulty improving the hitting power of their heavy fighters. The quickly realized that there was a limit to how much punch multiple weapon systems could achieve. Tests in bundled lasers and sophisticated targeting devices in an effort to better group weapon impacts (thereby increasing relative damage) were ultimately proving unsuccessful simply due to the overwhelming complexity of all the systems involved. By chance, several engineers working on the project stumbled upon some plans for a new capital ship, each noticing the spinal mount and each coming to the same conclusion at once. Why not on a fighter?       The Vrak'Tar is still a classic example of KessRith design. Graceful and elegant, it's design hides the firepower and strength contained within. Capabilities:       The backbone of this fighter lies in it's unique spinal mount. A single capital scale 15/15 laser runs the length of the ship, poking its nose out the front. The laser actually rests alongside the spine, allowing the one-pilot cockpit to remain on the centreline. Secondary weapons were not ignored, and consist of two 7.5/2 lasers mounted in the craft's stubby wings. A single hardpoint mounted on the underside rounds out the weapons complement. Shield values are very high, with an astounding rating of 80 on the front. A 70 rated shield protects the stern, while 60 shields are mounted to the sides. Armour is also very high, with 10 tons per side, the maximum possible. Despite the heavy energy drain and the weight of the laser spinal, the Vrak'tar still manages to maintain a 5g acceleration.       The Vrak'Tar is designed to head straight in and simply hole TOG fighters. The 15/15 is well hidden, being mounted internally, and the Vrak'Tar has often managed to surprise its opponents who see what appears to be a very lightly armed ship. Furthermore, the laser has a far greater range than the 7.5 series, giving the Vrak'Tar another nasty surprise and a very big advantage. In a dogfight, especially in conjunction with the secondary lasers, the Vrak'Tar can sometimes disable an opponent with a single shot, the laser often passing right through the unfortunate target.       No form of atmospheric controls were added to this craft, though this is not seen as a disadvantage. While the spinal mount performs very well in its intended role, its high power consumption makes it unsuitable for strafing runs, and the Vrak'Tar simply does not have enough secondary weapons to make it a viable strafer. Deployment:       The Vrak'Tar is still under development, though there have amazingly been few problems, perhaps due to the 'off the shelf' use of a standard leviathan 15/15. If the testing continues at its current rate, Commonwealth forces could begin seeing this fighter deployed in a few years. Despite it's unusual design and the spinal mount, the Vrak'Tar remains within the same price bracket as the Na'Ctka Moquka. Though rejection is unlikely to be needed, this will certainly help in tipping the scales towards acceptance. Several units with in the CAF and Renegade forces have expressed interest in combat testing this design, and this new fighter could see it's first TOG kill within a year.

Class: Heavy Fighter - Experimental Mass: 245 Tons Cost: $4,750,500 (when in production) Rating Power Mass Cost Right Engine 850 850 9 850000 Cntre Engine 800 800 8 800000 Left Engine 850 850 9 850000 Links 2 2 2 400000 Thrust: 5 Shields Rating Front 80 96 2 40000 Right 60 24 2 30000 Left 60 24 2 30000 Stern 70 48 2 35000 Armour Points Front 100 0 10 500 Right 100 0 10 500 Left 100 0 10 500 Stern 100 0 10 500 Weapons Location 7.5/2 Left Wing 12 12 120000 7.5/2 Right Wing 12 12 120000 Spinal 15/15 Bow 70 140 1462500 Hardpoint Bow 0 3 0 Crew and Cockpit Cockpit 1 1 1 10000 Crew 1 1 1 1000 Accel Comp 0 0 0 0 Power Mass Cost Totals: 290 245 $4,750,500 Excess Power: 2210 Weapon Data: 1 2-3 4-6 7-10 11-15 16-20 8 7 6 5 4 3 15/15 23 22 21 20 19 18

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