FR-30C DARKFOX STARFURY
A special operations interceptor and reconnaissance craft. It is a cross between the Tiger and Nebula Starfuries, in that it has two main propulsive engines on its fuselage as opposed to four mounted on its wings, and an extended fuselage and cockpit. It is armed with two light, rapidfire plaser cannons, a minimal internal ordnance bay, and superior electronics warfare equipment.
IT-12 DEFENDER
As opposed to most CSA fighters, the Defender appears to be of a more conventional aerospace frame with a pair of wings, wide fuselage with some lifting body properties, and a large plasma recombustion engine at its stern. The interceptor is transatmospheric, allowing it to go into orbit to engage approaching vessels. It may not re-enter an atmosphere safely with external ordnance; in will usually dock at a nearby space station or capship, offload its external ordnance for later delivery to the surface, then make atmospheric re-entry. It is armed with two heavy plaser cannons and can carry up to eight plasma concussion dogfight missiles. Its main claim, however, is its ability to carry two capship torpedoes in pylons under the wings. These torpedoes are used for attacking invading ships. The Defender is not meant for use in offensive operations, and in contrast to craft such as the Lightningbolt and Nebula Starfury, must be coordinated from a spaceguard command center for maximum effectiveness.
SBA-98T LIGHTNINGBOLT
Slightly heavier than the Nebula, the 'L-bolt' is a transatmospheric craft designed to perform tactical and operational strikes against capital ships, stations, and hardened targets. To this end, it has a quartet of multi-thruster plasma recombustion engines and a pair of fuel-efficent atmospheric turbothrusters. It is also armed with a heavy rapidfire pulse plasma discharge cannon, sometimes called a 'canopener.' An internal bay and external ordnance points permit it to carry a wide variety of ordnance, often short-range attack missiles, medium general-purpose missiles, and dogfighting missiles. Two larger hardpoints right beneath the atmospheric engines can carry a pair of capship torpedos, but these must be removed or jettissoned prior to atmospheric entry.
SBA-56 TORNADO
The Tornado Starfury is a predecessor to designs such as the Thunderbolt and L-bolt. Harkening back to the Aries and Flying Fox Starfury designs, the Tornado has a pair of propulsive engines and another pair of multi-thruster plasma recombustion engines. It is also armed with two multibarrel sustained rapidfire medium pulse plasma discharge cannons. This gives it effective firepower greater than that of the two 'Bolt' type Starfuries. It also has a generous internal bay, and can carry no less than four capship torpedoes (if carrying little else.) The Tornado design was eventually dropped in favor of the Lightningbolt; the SBA-98T has superior performance at lower cost, and better electronics and stealth suites. In addition, the Lightningbolt is transatmospheric, while the Tornado is not.
SHRIKE
The new generation of BIS/CSA drone weapons, shrikes are inexpensive, deployable devices capable of acting autonomously or under guidance from a command node. Physically, the shrike is about four meters long and half a meter in diameter. Powered by a small fusion reactor and armed with a powerful fusion-lamp-pumped laser in its nose, a small point-defense liquid-fueled/liquid-cooled hyperkinetic gun turret with 1000 HEAP rounds, and four short-range dogfighting missiles, the shrike is designed to supplant fighters in major fleet battles against capital ships and heavily armed targets (such as space fortresses). The hyperkinetic gun is intended to be used in ground support operations; for most spaceborne missions it is replaced by a point-defense laser and an additional power coupling. This reduces the overall speed of the shrike by a very little amount. It can perform transatmospheric operations, and also function as a self-guided recon vehicle or even weapon. Prior to impact, the weapon lamp can be vented safely and the fusion reactor burn itself out in failsafe mode in a last burst of speed, making the shrike a kinetic-kill weapon. Conversely, the lamp and reactor can be set to violently disperse their plasma, re-focussing the laser into the fuel supply, creating a plasma blossom, or to catastrophically fail on impact, causing a twenty-kiloton nuclear explosion. It has a telecommunications guidance and information link with the mother ship on a secure, coded spectrum-shift-keyed phased neutrino band, but can also be directed by active terminal guidance.
A-9 AERODYNE
By far the most versatile small craft in the CSA's inventory, the A-9 aerodyne has numerous standard configurations. Its plasma recombustion engines are capable of high velocity and also of a VTOL mode, enabling the A-9 to land almost anywhere. The most common variant is the A-9D dropship, able to carry a platoon of troops into combat conditions, with one crewmember. Removing the seats makes the craft into a light transport dropship. The A-9G gunship has a crew of two, and has a heavier weapons loadout consiting of a rapidfire hyperkinetic cannon, a light combat laser, and several dogfight missiles. This variant is used to provide tactical firepower support to ground units, though it sometimes assists in spaceborne assaults involving A-9Ds and GosHawk OAVs. It has sometimes been equipped in the field with ASAT (anti-satellite) ordnance, though the A-9S is much more suited to this role. The strikeship variant is also two-place, with some wing surfaces added as well as a pair of fixed hyperkinetic cannons and a generous ordnance bay. These craft are used for tactical strikes against hardened battlefield targets, and to provide air assault and air combat capability to marine units. The A-9S has appaling perfomrance in space. For this reason, and the fact that the Lightningbolt performs both spatial and atmospheric duties equally well, no strikeships have been produced by the CSA yet.
GOSLING OTV
The Gosling Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) is a personnel transport that is designed strictly for space operations, and cannot enter atmosphere or gravity wells; it is meant to transfer personnel and light, carryon-style cargo between ships in space.
COVENTRY MULTI-ROLE CLOAKHUNTER
These are shuttles based on the Gosling OTV design. Each is equipped with two torpedoes, two particulate dispensers, 12 sensor buoys, a 5-pack flashbomb rack, 25 flashbombs, and a stern defensive laser. Their main use is to enhance and extend the reach of the ship's anti-cloak capabilities. They have significant stealth capabilities, as well, with a small RCS/SCS and some EW gear.
GOSHAWK OAV
The spaceborne counterpart to the dropship, the GosHawk OAV is designed to deliver two squads of space marines to a vessel under combat conditions. It is equipped with a boarding airlock and is based upon the Gosling OTV spaceframe.
CY-80 FRANKLIN COURIER
The Franklin Courier was a design purchased from a small spatial architecture bureau for a relatively small sum. In practive the craft is a high-endurance, non-jump-capable craft that can carry little more than four passengers and some carryon luggage, although its databanks have a very high storage capacity. Stealth systems have been added by the CSA, as well as engine upgrades. The craft is armed with only a single twin plaser turret for defense, not unlike that carried by the CY-1150 light freighter. It is capable of transatmospheric operations and has a very generous fuel supply. It is, however, in stark contrast to the Eagle, a little delicate, and in unlikely to survive a combat engagement.
PBH-100 GLAIVE
One of the newer designs coming into use is the PBA-100 heavy patrol bomber, based off of the CY-80 long-range courier and the TCN 'Broadsword' heavy bomber. It is designed to perform much the same role as the Skipjack picket, which is a higher-endurance but more expensive vessel. The mission parameters are for local-area patrol and combat engagement of hostile forces. The Glaive has the additional advantage of being able to carry a wide variety of mission ordnance, including capship torpedos, bomb busses, attack missiles, and dogfight missiles. Typical loadout is four SRAMs, four dogfight missiles, a pair of medium-range general purpose missiles, and a single capship torpedo on a centerline mount. Like the Defender, the Glaive cannot re-enter atmosphere without first removing all external ordnance. Most of the ordnance, fortunately, is in a pair of internal bays. In addition, it is armed with a pair of forward-facing heavy pulse plasma discharge cannons, a close-in rotary hyperkinetic gun at the stern, and a Sherwood combat laser to port and starboard, usable in both defensive and offensive modes. Bombs are, of course, also loadable; there is little in the CSA ordnance inventory that cannot be loaded onto the Glaive. In addition, it carries a pair of combat drones, each with a Hesperus rapidfire HK cannon and a pair of dogfighting missiles; these drones lack the range and autonomity of standard shrikes but add to the tactical and operational firepower of the Glaive. The Glaive is powered by a pair of large plasma recombustion engines. Unlike most other small craft, it has three crew: pilot, defensive systems operator (DSO or 'eyes'), and the offensive systems operator (OSO, or 'guns.') Currently only one Glaive has been produced, and is undergoing space trials at Star's End.
EAGLE SHUTTLECRAFT
The Eagle has been called a 'transatmospheric brick.' It is not very elegant, and it is just barely capable of performing transatmospheric operations. Nevertheless, it is durable, resiliant, and extraordinarily reliable. No Eagle has had more than one day's downtime for maintenance so far. While not designed with armor, they are nevertheless very tough and can take a great amount of punishment while carrying a great deal of cargo.
KESTREL SHUTTLE
The Kestrel is designed for surface-to-orbit transport. It consists of a large delta lifting body design with three powerful plasma recombustion engines for speedy transfers. It can carry ten passengers and a moderate amount of cargo. It's meant to fill the gap between the Gosling OTV and the Eagle shuttlecraft.
D-10 HEAVY LIFTER
The heavy lifter has seen a great deal of use in the CSA, and has been pressed into service for a variety of roles its original designers never intended. It remains a military fast-drop combat transport, intended for delivery of armored fighting vehicles, votoms, panzers, and combat arachnibots. In this role it excels, yet it is also capable of others. Carrying two crew and equipted with a pair of VTOL-capable plasma recombustion engines, its hold can also carry a load of several standard shrikes or StarLace capship missiles. In this configuration, dubbed the D-10B, it is an integral part of the Skysplitter defense network around Deneb V, carrying shrikes or StarLances to the edge of the atmosphere and launching them against orbiting enemy ships. They are often escorted by Defenders in this role. Following launch, it 'hands off' control of the weapons to a command node. This configuration is also capable of carrying a large bomb load, including a pair of 'Daisy Cutter' fuel-air explosive (FAE) bombs. Another configuration, the D-10E, serves as a mobile early-warning and aerospace control (EWAC) craft for battlefield and battleframe support. This can function as a link to a spaceguard command center, and can effectively coordinate Defender deployment. Only 4 D-10Bs have been configured, and no D-10Es.