Apollo Fighter

**Key Features** | »20mm PV-7 *"Sol"* autocannons (x2)»VTOL design allows for rapid deployment»Triple thrust vectors provide maximum manoeuvrability»Hardpoints for additional weapons ("B" model only)»AN/APQ-71 *"Birdhunter"* radar

*"They're in MY airspace?!"*

- Apollo Pilot on intercept

## Tactical Analysis

* **Not a Pound for Air-to-Ground!**: You couldn't point to a more specialised vehicle in the Allied arsenal than the Apollo, which is directly and exclusively suited to its role as an air-superiority fighter. While it cannot retaliate against surface targets, it is fast enough to simply outpace them.

* **The Last Gunfighter**: Unlike more versatile and more expensive aircraft, the Apollo is armed with just one type of weapon. On the plus side, the *"Sol"* can cut through all but the most heavily-armoured enemy aircraft in moments, and can sustain firing constantly without risk of overheating or loss of accuracy.

* **Time to Bug-Out!**: Like some other Allied aircraft, Apollos have an autopilot mechanism that causes them to return to base immediately using an emergency afterburner. This lets the Apollo deftly retreat from dangerous situations or rearm its weapon as quickly as possible.

* **The Best Get Better**: On authority from Allied High Command, some commanders are beginning to field newly-enhanced Apollo Fighters featuring Rattler-2 air-to-air missiles, which supplement the *"Sol"*.

## WWIII Operational History

 File:ApolloArtwork.jpg  In spite of the combined treasuries of Allied nations, ongoing struggles against the Soviet war machine have proven undeniably costly. As a result, the Allies have increasingly sought to fill their military with highly specialised and efficient machines that perform exceedingly well in a given role yet work best as part of a combined-arms strategy. One of the finest results of this philosophy is the **F-11 Apollo Fighter**, born from Stockholm-based Angstrom Defense and now seeing active duty throughout at least a dozen nations. This is one of the world's best, fastest, most dangerous air superiority fighters.

Like other Allied aircraft, the Apollo features a VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) engine configuration, which provides maximum stability and manoeuvrability. This also lets the Apollo operate effectively in urban environments as well as out in the open. The sight of this delta-wing jet slicing through the sky with incredible agility and speed is amazing, yet its triple thrust vectoring nozzles keep the Apollo trim with near-perfect stability - all the better to let the Apollo bring its 20 mm *"Sol"* radar-tracking autocannons to bear on any enemy bandits.

The Sol is a single-barrel weapon yet can spit out 500 rounds of armour-piercing ammunition per minute easily. Moreover, it is extremely accurate for such a weapon, partly due to the Apollo's own targeting systems and manoeuvrability. Once an Apollo has marked an enemy target, there is little the enemy can do to escape the Apollo's withering fire, especially because the Apollo can outpace virtually any other aircraft.

 File:ApolloArt.jpg  The Apollo Fighter is very direct in its design. For better or worse, it is armed with a more-conventional weapons system than some of the latest, more-experimental Allied vehicles (not the least of which are Angstrom Defense's own Athena Cannon). However, a little-known fact is that the Apollo underwent several bids and design iterations before the Allies finally accepted the model currently in use. Predecessors of the F-11 lacked the VTOL engine configuration, which made them far faster in the skies but also far less reliable and, in the end, less survivable or dependable.

The Allies also experimented with fitting a modified version of France's spectrum-dispersion cannon design onto the aircraft, to make it score enemy kills even faster while potentially taking down multiple hostiles in a single brilliant attack. However, the spectrum cannons tended to temporarily blind Apollo test pilots, even through their goggles, which was an unexpected safety concern that Angstrom continues to lament to this day. So this design was ill-conceived, as well as prohibitively expensive. The Apollo model now in use, by comparison, is widely appreciated by for its tried-and-true performance (though the concept of a spectrum armed interceptor was not totally abandoned).

Today, Apollo Fighters are a common sight in Allied military bases, and frequently take point alongside close-support or bomber aircraft such as Cryocopters or Century Bombers. They have proven to be absolutely vital to this role, for their unparalleled ability to defend these mission-critical assets. At the same time, Apollos excel at hunting down Soviet aircraft reckless enough to trespass into Allied airspace.

The sleek angles of these fighter jets, as well as the age-old romantic allure of air combat--not to mention the necessity of having to fight for one's freedom against the ever-present Soviet agenda of a global communist state--have drawn out many brave men to Allied flight schools worldwide in the hopes of one day being the Allies' next famous fighter ace.

## Post-War Operational History

During a recent Allied airshow in the United Kingdom, the Allied Nations unveiled the new F-11B Apollo Fighter, showcasing its capabilities during the airshow. The F-11B sports several improvements over its predecessor, such as improved engines and radar, as well the capability to mount ordnance on two external hardpoints.

These wing pylons are being used to mount the new AAM-8M "Rattler-2" air-to-air missiles, which use infrared sensors to track their targets by the heat they give off. The Rattler-2 is an improvement over the original Rattler, with increased reliability and a smaller size and weight. The F-11Bs have already proven themselves highly effective in engagements over Vietnam, and the Rattler-2 has received praise from Allied pilots.

 File:ApolloVietnam.1.jpg
The Peacekeepers plan to switch over to the new variant of the Apollo as soon as possible. However, as the F-11B has only just entered production, priority for the new fighters is being given to more experienced pilots over less experienced ones, and it will be sometime before the "B" variant fully replaces its predecessor.

## Behind the Scenes

* The Apollo may be based on the J35 Draken (Kite) fighter. It could also be based on the F7U Cutlass fighter.

## Just the Stats

 **Armour Type** | Thin-Skinned

 **Kill Reward** | 8000

 **DPS** | 125

 **DPS** | 150