CTE-HF "Kingfisher" Civilian Heavy Fighter

Crafted by a group of enterprising Zoner engineers seeking to innovate the next generation of deep space escort vessels; the Kingfisher sought to address many of the perceived issues that plagued the lauded Eagle which dominated the heavy escort market. Unfortunately the results of this endeavor fell short of expectations.

The vessel's five overpowered engines, designed to meet the sluggish responses imposed by her equally overpowered generator core, competed to ultimately starve the vessel's weapon grid in turn warding off more than the most casual interest by Zoner or Core military interests and dooming the vessel to live within the shadow of the far more efficient Eagle. However, her simple borderworld design and civilian power rating attracted a show of interest within a number of manufacturers seeking to attract roaming freelancers and showboat daredevils.

Performance

Review without version number

Review A paragon of tactics and finesse amidst barbaric jousts, the Kingfisher is a sport craft for innovative daredevils. The ship's small, sleek, and aesthetically pleasing frame packs the strongest punch of any Heavy Fighter. This outweighs the ship's underwhelming maneuverability and armor rating. Ultimately, the Kingfisher is an instrument in the hands of an artist: the ever more talented and audacious the artist, the ever more beautiful and grotesque the expression. If you are a maverick looking for challenge, thrill, and success, this ship will never disappoint you. As a physicist, it is only proper that I thoroughly evaluate the vessel. Mechanically speaking, the Kingfisher turns and strafes a little better than the Eagle. The shield and hull hitboxes are far smaller than those of the Eagle. As the old saying goes, it isn't about size: it's about how you use it. Indeed, potency and versatility are no strangers to the Kingfisher. While it only possesses a standard Heavy Fighter power plant, the six class 9 mounts enable a masterful pilot to deal heavy damage in a small interval. Whatever the individual's choice, it can accommodate any variety of the most powerful fighter weapons available, with the exception of codenames, Paralyzers, and Sidewinders. Aesthetically speaking, the Kingfisher's exterior is annealed, providing a slick, metallic appearance. The four auxiliary engine pods have an organic shape and, altogether, the propulsion system emits a beautiful blue trail. This is easily complemented via customization of the ship's lighting fixtures. These qualities come together in a compact, functional package that is, simply put, a pleasure to fly. To be blunt, putting six hullbusters on this ship and expecting it to work is ignorant. It is not a Sabre. In order to gain the upper hand in a dogfight with this ship, it is highly advisable to make use of a pulse cannon such as the Debilitator. With three or four pulse weapons, you will be able to quickly drop your opponent's shield. Once his shield is down, continue on to his hull with the pulse cannons to eradicate his powerplant and gain a crucial energy advantage. To wear down your opponent's hull, use missiles, a torpedo, or a couple of hullbusters. For master pilots only. Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination Review by [Ingenious]

Review without version number

Review The Kingfisher is a strong and durable craft and can take quite a bit of a beating before it has to go in for repairs or is destroyed. The Kingfisher is a nice and slick looking craft besides its durable construction, and its looks does reflect its quality. The Kingfisher is powerful and in the right hands can destroy most very heavy fighters and bombers. Below is a more detailed analysis of the Kingfisher's strengths and weaknesses. Manoeuvrability The Kingfisher is not made to be an acrobatic craft to do stunning manoeuvres. Its turning speed is slow which results in the fact that the Kingfisher cannot 'joust' an opponent's craft that is faster or more agile than itself. Here, if a Kingfisher is opposing a fast turning fighter, its turning rate puts it at a disadvantage. This disadvantage can be put to good use if the pilot is experienced, by not attempting to joust but to use the environment and situation control to dogfight the opponent. The multiple engines that was put on this craft perform efficiently and well, giving the pilot the ability to use the thrusters during combat to compensate for the sluggish turning of this vessel. Firepower and Equipment The strength of the Kingfisher - CTE-HF Civilian Heavy Fighter is in its firepower. This craft has 6 slots for Class 9 Guns which gives the pilot a fantastic array of powerful weaponry. This gives the Kingfisher the ability to damage the shields and the hull of an opponent with relative ease. In my experiences as an LPI personnel, equipping this craft with 5 Magma Hammer Mk V plasma guns and 1 Imp. Debilitator Mk II provides enough firepower to take out a rival heavy fighter in a matter of minutes, and successfully destroy a very heavy fighter if dogfighting tactics are employed. The key in using the firepower to the vessels advantage is to use the weapons wisely, thus if the pilot is inexperienced it is of the author's advice that the pilot trains with the vessels weapons systems before jumping into combat. To top that off with honey, as the saying goes, the vessel also has a slot for a T-96 "Sunslayer" Torpedo Launcher, a Mini Razor or Countermeasures. Having countermeasures is important depending on what you are going to use this vessel for. If the pilot is intending to use this vessel for military or law enforcement purposes, the Countermeasure is recommended. However if the pilot understands that he will be engaging in combat often with such a craft, say in a more dangerous sector of Sirius, the torpedo launcher or the mini razor does a devastating affect on the opponent's vessel. Added with the fantastic firepower offered by the guns this is really the cherry on top, giving the pilot the ability to destroy every type of fighter, including the Sabre if the pilot uses the craft well. Again, use the weapons wisely by conserving power and not being trigger-happy. Adding a Nuclear Mine or a Screamer Mine depending on your preference, the Firepower and Equipment of this vessel is fantastic. Conclusion The Kingfisher - CTE-HF Civilian Heavy Fighter is a very sexy looking, powerful vessel in terms of firepower and the ability to dish out punishment against opponent's, however its manoeuvrability gives it a disadvantage which requires adaptability and smarter use of the vessel in order to be victorious in combat. The craft does require the pilot to dogfight the opponent instead of jousting thus creating an enhanced dimension of strategy and hence the pilot must train in the craft and not just infer that this craft can be utilised to its potential instead of its disadvantage. Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination Review by Vladimir Law

Hardpoints

• 6 Class 9 Guns
• 1 Cruise Disruptor OR Fighter Torpedo

Purchase Includes

Spoiler:
1 Deep Scanner ($14,750) 1 Protector H. F. Shield ($53,550)

Availability

Spoiler: Buying Locations
Base Owner System Location Planet Manhattan Liberty Police, Inc. New York Liberty