Tiercel Terran Fighter
The Tiercel-class Terran Fighter has been ARMOR’s standard design Terran
Fighter for more than a half century. Terran Fighters are ARMOR’s designation
for any fighter designed specifically for combat in and outside of Earth’s
Atmosphere. Terran Fighters typically feature wider wingspans and heavier armor
than fighters designed for other atmospheres. The Tiercel is a fully loaded
air-superiority fighter, featuring pulse lasers, an internal missile bay, and a
forward facing forcefield. To help keep track of the radar and the onboard
systems, the Tiercel also carries a Radar Operator. The Rifts Earth edition of
the Tiercel has proved itself an able fighter, outclassing most other fighters
it has encountered. Even in the failed attack on Columbia, the Tiercels were
more than a match for anything Columbia or Baltimore had to throw against them.
Losing roughly 70 Tiercels compared to more than 300 Baltimorean and Columbian
fighters shot down, the Terran Fighter more than proved its superiority. If
there is a weakness the Tiercel has, it is to ground fire. As out of the 70
fighters lost, 40 were to the anti-aircraft defense systems. Since then, ARMOR
has taken steps to rectify that problem. The most basic solution they have come
up with is to make one out of every ten Tiercels a Wild Weasel model. The Wild
Weasel Tiercel is essentially the same as the standard Tiercel. The only
difference is that the Wild Weasel Tiercel carries 8 Cruise Missiles/Bombs on
wing pylons, has two Anti-Missile systems that completely negate smart missile
bonuses, and has the forcefield extended to completely cover the entire body.
The Wild Weasel does give up some of its maneuverability, cutting its combat
bonuses in half, and while the shield does cover the entire body, its strength
is cut by half (200 MDC). Over all though, the Tiercel Terran Fighter has more than
proved itself capable of handling anything Rifts Earth has to throw at
it.
Model Type: TF-15-RE Tiercel Terran Fighter.
Vehicle Type: Aerospace Fighter.
Crew: Two, Pilot and Radar Operator.
M.D.C. by Location:
| [1] Wings (2) |
125 each |
| [2] Tail Fins (2) |
60 each |
| Pulse Laser Mounts (4) |
50 each |
| Missile Bay |
175 |
| [3] Canopy |
90 |
| Pilot's Compartment |
110 |
| [4] Engines (2) |
175 each |
| Landing Gear (3) |
25 each |
| [5] Main Body |
400 |
| Anti-Gravity Pods (3) |
50 each |
| Forcefield |
400 |
Notes:
[1] Destroying a Wing will cause the fighter to crash.
[2] Destruction of one tail fin will still allow the fighter to be controlled
by the varying of power levels of the engines but the fighter has a penalty of
-5 to dodge, and a -15% penalty to all pilloting rolls. Destruction of both of
the tail fins will leave the plane nearly uncontrollable; only the most
experienced pilots will be able to keep the fighter in the air. The fighter will
have a -12 penalty to dodge, and a -40% penalty to all piloting skill rolls.
[3] Destroying the canopy will expose the pilot to harm. Because it is such a
hard target to hit, there is a -5 penalty to hit it on a called shot.
[4] The destruction of one engine will reduce the fighter's top speed by half
and give the pilot a -2 penalty to dodge as well as giving a 10% penalty to
piloting. Destruction of both engines will cause the aircraft to crash. The
pilot may attempt an emergency landing or they can choose to eject.
[5] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will shut the aircraft down
completely, rendering it useless and causing it to crash if in flight.
Speed:
Driving on Ground (Taxiing): Only possible for take-offs and landings as
well as for parking and storage. Speed is 40 mph (64 kph) when traveling and not
on take off or landing.
Hover: The Terran Fighter has anti-gravity modules used for limited
hovering and short take-offs and landings. Hover height is limited to 20
feet.
Flying: In normal atmospheric flight, the Terran Fighter can reach a top
speed of Mach 4.5 on full afterburner. The fighter's normal cruise is about Mach
1 (965.4 kph) but varies on the situation. The fighter has a maximum non-boosted
altitude of 155,000 feet (48,750 meters). When on the fusion Ion Drive, the
fighter has no maximum height and is fully capable of independent space
flight.
Maximum Range: Unlimited. Fusion reactor powers Ram-Drives for
atmospheric flight and Ion Drives for space flight.
Dimensions:
Height: 13.5 feet
Wingspan: 32 feet
Length: 44.5 feet
Weight: 42.5 tons, fully loaded.
Cargo: Minimal (Storage for small equipment and hand weapons).
Power System: Fusion Reactor has an estimated life of 25 years before
needing refueling.
WEAPON SYSTEMS
1. Shield Generator: Generates a defensive forcefield that projects from
the front of the aircraft during flight maneuvers. Normally used to block
micro-meteors in space and aid in reducing friction while in an atmosphere, the
forcefield is equally capable of protecting the forward section of the fighter
from moderate damage. The forcefield completely covers the canopy and the
wing-root pulse lasers, and deflects damage coming from the forward arc. The
total MDC for the forcefield is 450 MDC. The forcefield can regenerate its MDC
at a rate of 60 MDC per hour.
2. Missile Bay: Mounted in the belly of the Terran Fighter is a recessed
missile bay. These medium range missiles can be launched by the either the pilot
or the radar operator. The bay is usually outfitted with High Explosive (HE),
Fragmentation, or Plasma missiles. The missiles can engage air and ground
targets. The Terran Fighter uses an automatic loading system for reloads.
Maximum Effective Range: Usually 50 miles.
Damage: Varies by missile type.
Rate of Fire: One at a time, or in volleys of 2, 4, 8, or 10.
Payload: 50 missiles; 10 ready to launch, plus 40 more in
the internal automatic reloader.
3. Pulse Laser Mounts (4): Mounted beside the pilot’s compartment and on
the wingtips of the fighter are four pulse lasers. They can be used against
other fighters or ground targets. The lasers are focused to fire on a single
target, combining their damage.
Maximum Effective Range: 1 mile (2,100 meters)
Mega-Damage: 4D6x10 per Quad pulse.
Rate of Fire: Equal to hand to hand attacks of pilot.
Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
4. Special Equipment: The TF-15-RE carries all of the standard equipment
that robot vehicles carry (not including loudspeaker and microphone) plus the
following extra systems:
APR-257R Radar: Long range actively scanned array radar capable of
tracking both air targets and ground targets. The radar system also has terrain
following capacity. The fighter can track up to 90 targets simultaneously and
can target and fire on up to 12 targets simultaneously. Range: 240 miles (220
nautical miles/ 442.2 km)
E.S.M.: Radar Detector, Passively detects other radars being operated.
FLIR: Forward Looking Infrared. Allows pilot to get visuals on targets at
night.
Anti-Missile Chaff/Flare Dispenser (1): Use the same effects as the TRIAX
model. However, each time the system is engaged, the system fires off one chaff
and 1D4 flares. ARMOR decoy systems will operate against Phase World missiles
due to similarities in technology. Reduce effects by 10% against smart missiles
(Add +10% to rolls for smart missiles.) Effects:
01-60 Enemy missile or missile volley detonates in chaff cloud - Missiles are
all destroyed
61-80 Enemy missile or missile volley loses track of real target and veers
away in wrong direction (May lock onto another target).
81-00 No effect, missiles are still on target
Also note that the chaff cloud will also blind monsters that fly through the
cloud. They will suffer the following penalties: reduce melee attacks/actions,
combat bonuses, and speed by half. Duration: 1D4 melee rounds.
Payload: 20 chaff and 40 flares. Each time the system is engaged, it will
fire off one chaff and 1D4 flares.
Combat Bonuses:
+4 to Strike with Pulse Lasers.
+4 to dodge
+6 to dodge while traveling over 350 mph