STATISTICS
| Mass: 20 tons | Movement Type: Needle Aerodyne |
| Power Plant: TME 360 2eXtraLight | Armor Type: TME 3000 Standard |
| Comm Systems: TME MicrowaveComm | Cruising Accel/Airspeed: 10G, 3200 kph |
| Targeting/Tracking Systems:
TME 3050 Flying Ace |
Maximum Accel/Airspeed: 15G, 5400 kph |
| Airframe: RevEng SD-LASF "Dart" | |
| Armament: 2 TME/BTSTS-ML:3000 "ZapEmGood" Medium Lasers |
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OVERVIEW
The TME-130 Dart is directly based on the light fighter of the same name used in the Silent Death S/TS. A highly advanced aircraft, the Dart is the fastest military craft in military service; it also has the steepest acceleration curve. Capable of ten gravities of acceleration in "easy" constant flight and pushing fifteen gravities in a pinch, the Dart could easily crush its occupant if it were not for its cockpit's advanced inertial dampening system, which is very classified. The power seen in the Dart's Dust Churner engines, which take up half of the ship's tonnage and produce nearly six million newtons of thrust, is of a type commonly seen only on assault-class fighters.
Because it is able to go over Mach 4.5 at sea level, the Dart's standard crystal-steel armor is coated in an advanced silicide composite capable of absorbing the massive amounts of friction-generated heat that flight at such speeds can produce. The ionization caused by such high amounts of friction requires that the Dart use a special microwave laser (maser) communications system during atmospheric flight. The Dart has below-average maneuverability in the atmosphere due to its needle-thin wings; this and its practical inability to maneuver at low speed (low-speed flight is achieved by tilting the Dart at greater and greater angles of attack, forcing the engines to provide lift the wings cannot; to land on a planetary surface the Dart comes in almost to the vertical and then must cut the engines and dip the nose using thrusters--very tricky) cause most smart Dart pilots to avoid atmospheric combat if they can.
CAPABILITIES
The Dart is armed with two medium lasers, which gives it a noticible punch because it can easily scream into range and then out again in fast with little fear of retaliation. This is good, as the Dart sacrifices armor for its blinding speed. Entire portions of the craft are exposed to the elements; only the cockpit has enough armor (and that is only because of its integral nature!).
DEPLOYMENT
The Dart is very popular with "speed freak" pilots. As it can fly through standard atmospheres at upwards of 5,400 kilometers per hour, speed freaks are very happy with the Dart.
VARIANTS
The TME-130-A replaces the 360 XXL with a 300 XL engine, lowering the Dart's safe acceleration to 7.5G and the maximum acceleration to 11.5G--still really, really fast--and an additional 1.5 tons of armor.
TME-130 Dart Light Fast Attack Aerospace Fighter |
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| 20 tons | Aerospace Fighter | Safe Thrust: 20 (10G; 3,600kph) | Max Thrust: 30 (15G; 5,400kph) |
| Engine: 360 XXL Fusion | Engine Mass: 11 t | Cockpit Mass: 3 t | 10 (20) Double Heat Sinks |
| Fuel Capacity: 45 (240) | Structure Integ: 20 | Armor Mass: 1 t | Armor Points: 16+10 |
ARMOR (Aerotech) |
EQUIPMENT |
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| Nose: | 4 |
2 Medium Lasers | Nose |
| Left/Right Wing: | 3 / 3 |
The TME-130-A has a Safe Thrust of 15, a Max Thrust of 23, and 24 more points of armor: AT1: Nose 10, Wings 8 each, Fuselage 8, Cockpit 10, Engine 6 AT2: Nose 22, Wings 10 each, Engine 8 |
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| Fuselage: | 3 |
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| Cockpit: | 10 |
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| Engine: | 3 |
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ARMOR (Aerotech 2) |
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| Nose: | 15 |
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| Left/Right Wing: | 4 / 4 |
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| Rear: | 3 |
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DESIGNER'S NOTE: It be a "Dart" Fighter, copyright Iron Crown Enterprises. They went Chapter 11 recently, but I still give them credit for coming up with a way-too-fast fighter.