Raptor Strike Craft

=Background Information=
==Development==
The Raptor was meant to replace the aging Osprey as its limitations and flaws became apparent during the Reclaimation War with its light armour. The Osprey, though an effective strike-craft, was simply too vulnerable to perform its role and many were shot down during the war before they could effectively engage their chosen target. The Osprey also did not have the ability to store enough ammunition due to its compact size making them ineffective at supporting ground forces for extended periods of time when its most required, especially during the fighting in the cities of Moscow where Northern Federation forces who were surrounded only had the support of the airforce during the long months of the war.
Creating an aircraft from the ground-up to be a fast, effective gunship compared to the Osprey, the Raptor would undergo development by 95AF as economies began to recover and new ideas and technology was traded between the Northern Federation and its allies in the NEDA. The most notable innovations were sophisticated recoil dampaners and distribution systems allowing the aircraft to carry autocannons that seemed too large for its size.
By the time it was unvieled in 97AF, the Raptor instantly became the chosen strike-craft compared to the Osprey. In almost all aspects it suceeded its predecessor including range, armour, firepower, and more stable. The only disadvatange was that it was slightly slower than the Osprey and larger. Immediately after trials were complete, the Raptor was go for production with it being the most produced Federation vehicle for a full year as the military was trying to replace all Osprey's, but a military of their size would take longer to requip.
Raptors have begun to fill the ranks of the Northern Federation's airforce with the old Ospreies being returned to their duty of patrol craft over Vortuka. By 103AF, Raptors replaced all militarized Osprey craft.
==Role==
The Raptor fulfills the same role it's predecessor did; a strike craft designed to give ground forces valuable fire support from the air at high speeds and deliver devastating air strikes and do deadly strafe runs. With new and improved armaments, and increased maximum range, and more armour, the Raptor does this role more effectively than the Osprey did.
That said, the general role remains the same, and the Raptor is meant for use as a support aircraft, not a direct combat one and should support ground advances. Fly over, deliver it's payload, and fly back to base to re-fuel or re-arm.
==Weaponry==
The Raptor is armed with two twin-linked 40mm Autocannons as it's main weapon systems, providing devastating firepower to enemy targets from above. It also has a nose-mounted 30mm grenade launcher armed with high explosive grenades to devastate forces in the blast area.
Under the wings, the Raptor has slots for four missiles. There are several missile varieties that can go here depending on what is needed. Hellstorm Missiles are the standard, and are a cluster missile that becomes several smaller missiles once the outer shell is removed after a certain distance and these smaller missiles cover a wide ares delivering devastating firepower.
Whip Missiles act as a concussive anti-armour missile. These missiles, while not delivering the most explosive damage, are very precise and deliver a ton of force when impact is made, causing some knockback in some cases, which make Whip Missiles incredibly effective against HMVs.
Incendiary Missiles are missiles loaded with thermite, napalm, and plasma fuel, and deliver a devastating fire effect after impact that can spread like wildfire very quickly. The comination of plasma, napalm, and thermite make incendiary missiles incredibly volatile and flammable, and the flames caused by the detonation are extremely hot. Incendiary Missiles are incredibly effective in Scorch and Burn runs and clearing areas.
Haywire Missiles are missiles that detonate with an EMP blast when impact is made. Unlike most missiles, instead of detonating with explosive energy Haywire Missiles, when detonated, let out small, localized lightning storms which can fry infantry and short out electronic devices in the area of detonation. This makes them incredibly effective at taking out key support structures or units and can work effectively as an anti-armour missile.
==Speed and Defenses==
The Raptor can hit a top speed of 600 Km/h, slightly slower when compared to the Osprey, this is made up for with more armour, however, allowing the Raptor to be able to take more hits than the Osprey could and get out alive after taking fire more easily. It also comes equipped with countermeasure systems.
Pilots are free to service their aircraft and add more armour or remove some, however, few do as the combination of armour and speed as it is standard makes it able to get out of most situations alive.
==Service and Repair==
Being relatively cheap with parts readily available, the Raptor is relatively easy and inexpensive to repair. The propellers and engines were designed to be much more easy to repair than the Osprey, and the computer systems, while advanced enough to do its job is also simple enough to understand and run diagnostics, and very easy to fix should there be a problem with it.
Category:Vehicles
Category:Vehicles