Vendetta Assault Fighter
Manufacturer
Custom Built
Model
Vendetta Assault Fighter
Class
Starfighter
Cost
300,000 credits (Build cost)
Max Space Speed
100 MGLT
Hyperdrive rating
Class 1.5
Armament
2x Heavy Laser Cannon (fire-linked)
2x Multi-Warhead Launcher (fire-linked)
1x Dual Heavy Laser Cannon Turret
Crew
2 (Pilot and Gunner)
Minimum crew
1
Passengers
1 (In place of Gunner)
Cargo capacity
450 Kilograms
Role(s)
Assault Fighter
Fighter-Bomber
Contents
Background and History
The primary heavy attack fighter for the Array Consortium, the Vendetta was conceptualized as a superior strike fighter to such ships as the BTL-series of Y-Wing fighter and T-65 X-Wing fighter; in reality, it is a behemoth of a ship that mixes the capabilities of the Y-Wing and X-wing while having greater firepower and flexibility of both. Designed by Qadira Suuryet, the Vendetta assault fighter is a fast, well-protected and heavily-armed vessel meant to bring heavy firepower against anything from snub fighters to capital vessels.
As powerful as they are, however, they are also large targets; the Vendetta looks more like a small shuttle or gunship than a starfighter, as to achieve the speeds required of the design necessitate inclusion of components meant for transports rather than those usually slated for small combat craft. Nevertheless, its toughness and withering firepower make it a major threat in nearly all theaters of combat.
Mission
Designed primarily as a heavy strike/assault fighter, the Vendetta takes up the place in the Consortium's flight group that ships like the X-wing, Y-wing, and B-wing alike filled in the Alliance and New Republic militaries. It is a flexible craft, capable of delivering withering firepower against naval targets of up to capital class as well as reinforced surface targets, while still nimble enough to defend itself against starfighters. It is not a dogfighter, however - it simply cannot dance with much faster and maneuverable ships like modern interceptors, instead electing to dispatch them at a distance with its powerful cannon and warhead launchers. It is also more than capable of escorting slower ships like transports and landing craft.
Armament
The Vendetta mounts a pair of Arakyd CL-7 heavy laser cannon along the front 'tines' of the spaceframe, as well as an Arakyd CL-9 double heavy laser mount on a dorsal turret; if the pilot wears a Consortium-built flightsuit, its sensor-integration hardware and virtualized holographic helmet interface allows them to operate the turret via a special reticle built into the helmet interface without need for a gunner. If this suit is absent, however, a gunner is required for using the turret in anything other than a locked-forward position. The turret allows the ship to provide heavy forward fire as well as to provide cover against pursuers or to even fire upon targets of opportunity during an attack runs. Of special utility are the linked pair of Wayward-engineered copies of the Sienar Fleet Systems M-g-2 general purpose warhead launchers used in the TIE Avenger; thanks to these flexible weapons systems, the Vendetta can load and fire anything from concussion missiles and proton torpedoes to much more powerful unguided proton rockets and even heavy capital-killer bombs.
Defenses
Like other heavy fighters and fighter-bomber designs, the Vendetta's hull is armored with reinforced titanium plating suitable to provide a protection rating of 40 RU, making it equal to the BTL-series Y-wing but not as heavily armored as the old Alliance A/SF-01. The Chempat 'Stalwart' shield generator provide a protection level of 75 SBD, also equivalent to the BTL-series.
The Vendetta utilizes modern military-grade equipment, including the Subpro TLn combat avionics package common on many modern starfighters along with a Fabritech BLs-1 full-spectrum transciever and phased tachyon detection array for decent sensor range and resolution in the field. Navigational assistance for the vessel's hyperdrive is provided by a TalStar Cq.22 navicomputer.
Powerplant, Engines and Hyperdrive
Creating a fightercraft as heavily armored and protected as the Vendetta while providing its required speed provided many engineering challenges. In order to provide the vessel with sufficient speed and power to carry out its mission, the Vendetta design integrates hardware seen on small transports rather than starfighters. Eschewing traditional rechargeable power cells entirely, the ship's powerplant consists of a dedicated Novaldex F7 ionization reactor, which provides all the energy necessary for its systems. The ship's engines are not the standard fusial thrust engines used on larger fighters but a pair of Chaldyne HM250 ioniztion engines, which provide an incredible 450 KTU; designed to be used in in-system sprint shuttles, the engines dominate the ship's silhouette, and provide the necessary power to carry the assault craft at an astonishing 100 MGLT, matching the speed of the T-65 X-Wing and nearly matching the T-70 model. Compared to the 80 MGLT of the BTL-series and the 91 of the A/SF-01, these engines provide the Vendetta with alarming speed for its size. However, the volume of power generated by the ship's powerful reactor also means that it cannot be stealthy in any respect; the moment a Vendetta launches or enters a system, it will appear on all but the least sensitive long-range scans unless power is cut entirely. Even then, their relative size and mass may still cause them to show up on active scanning.
The Vendetta is also furnished with a hyperdrive; while a class 1.5 unit the motivator is slower than many ships, power requirements and the ship's mission profile allows for a slower travel speed.
Crew and Life Support
The Vendetta is nominally a two-seater, though a pilot using an Array flightsuit can fly the ship on their own with no hampering of ship functions and thus allow for a passenger. In the case of large-bodied pilots, the gunnery seat can be removed and replaced with an extended-form set and console, but the sensor-integration technology of the Array suit is absolutely required in this case for the ship to be able to be properly flown. The cockpit is also pressurized and heated.
