Vehicle:Imperial Starfighter

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An Imperial Starfighter is a generic term used to describe various small space craft used by the Imperial Grand Navy. Each example of a "starfighter" is a small, one-man craft that are carried, transported and deployed by larger class vessels.

Introduction
Welcome to the Imperial Codex! This entry will provide detailed data on: small starfighter-class vessels utilized by the Imperial Grand Navy. Reminder: For service listing and historical service records, please consult historical data-files.

History
The starfighter-class of spacecraft was amongst the first produced by the Paingler Imperium's Imperial Shipyards after test-run spacecraft were successfully launched. These kinds of ships were produced en mass to complement larger vessels being produced, capital ships, specifically.

When these kinds of ships were first produced, there were no variation in design and the initial product was made ro compensate in different kinds of areas. As a result, the beginning ships were larger, bulkier and had an assortment of weaponry to fill in different roles. It wasn't until months into the First Contact War that differing designs were drafted and then produced.

The basic starfighter has light armor and weaponry and is designed to assault other starfighters, smaller class vessels and defend larger vessels from smaller threats. They are also used in shuttle escorts and ambushes, and make up the largest portion of the Navy, with basic starfighter numbers in the thousands. A specialized variation in design is called the Interceptor. Interceptors have more powerful engines than basic starfighters for increased speed. Interceptors were created and specifically deployed to combat and destroy opposing starfighters. The other variation is the Bomber. Bombers have heavier weaponry and armor than interceptors and starfighters, but are also slower. Bombers are used in surface bombardments, attacks on space stations and larger vessels.

The three variations of starfighters are still used by the Imperium today, after each has proven to be a success after the First Contact War.

Starfighter
Starfighters are the bulk of any fleet and are much more numerous than any large scale craft. They are small targets, unable to be effectively targeted by large-scale weaponry such as capital ship cannons. They possess light armor and shielding, and light weaponry which consists of a pair of repeating blaster cannons located towards the front of the craft. A standard missile emplacement is placed high on the rear of the starfighter.

A starfighter's, much like the interceptor's, most powerful feature is it's large engines, located between the pair of folding wings on the sides of the craft. These propel the vessel at great speeds, making the ships very agile and swift. Unlike larger class vessels, however, starfighters of any kind lack warp-propulsion drives, making them reliable on larger vessel for interstellar travel.

The basic starfighter can be used for a myriad of roles, such as attack craft, escorts and ambushers.

Unlike larger vessels, they can enter a planet's atmosphere and land on the planet's surface.

Interceptors
Interceptors are similar to the basic starfighter. They possess similar weaponry; repeating blaster cannons are weapons found on both kinds of vessels. However, interceptors lack missiles and have lighter armor and shielding than standard starfighters. Instead, the reduced weight of the craft aids in it's speed, making an interceptor much faster than a standard starfighter.

Interceptors were made in response to the threat of enemy starfighters. They are deployed and used exclusively in starfighter-to-starfighter combat.

Like basic starfighters, interceptors lack warp-propulsion drives and they can enter a planet's atmosphere and land on it's surface.

Bomber
The bombers were made for one purpose: destruction of the enemy. They have heavier weaponry, armor and shielding than starfighters and interceptors, but are slower by comparison. They are typically deployed to attack, cripple and/or destroy larger enemy vessels, such as cruisers, or space stations/satellites. If need be, bombers could also be deployed on surface bombardment runs to raze land-based targets, such as military installations, to the ground. Due to their lack of speed, bombers are often deployed with starfighter or interceptor escort.

Like basic starfighters and interceptors, bombers lack warp-propulsion drives. They can enter a planet's atmosphere and land on a planet's surface.

Complement
The only crew needed for any of the starfighter variations is a single pilot.

Trivia

 * The picture used for this page is that of a basic starfighter. Interceptors and bombers look slightly different, with the variation only being their weaponry.