StarDate 3/3
John A. Theisen
Record Sheet:
GDF-L4 Gadfly
The smallest and lightest Davion aerospacecraft ever placed in mass production, the GDF-lA Gadfly was designed solely as a local defense interceptor. Despite having only a single operational objective, this hardy little craft has also seen very limited service as an extremely short-range ground attack craft.
Most often deployed in oversized squadrons around large urban areas, key military installations, or industrial complexes, Gadflies are generally found on border worlds that have been secured from active hostilities. The craft is used in quantities to swarm and quickly overwhelm the defenses of raiding DropShips and fighters. Unfortunately, it is incapable of withstanding prolonged action without suffering severely. The Gadfly is currently in wide use among Davion Air Lance garrisons along both Liao and Periphery borders, and in limited use elsewhere.
Capabilities:
The Gadfly has an enormous powerplant for its size, giving it tremendous speed and maneuverability. It is also a remarkably rugged small craft, especially capable of withstanding violent high-G tactical maneuvers. Despite this, it is a skittish and unforgiving craft to fly, requiring a pilot's very delicate touch. One flyer described it by saying, "a sneeze is enough to send the Gadfly into a loop."
It also possesses a surprising amount of armor; this armor - and its excellent agility are the qualities that give its mission of swarming against much larger aerospacecraft any chance at all, On the negative side, the Gadfly has a much smaller-than-average fuel tank, drastically limiting its battlefield performance and severely curtailing its ability to assume any other combat role. Craft of this model have been known to engage enemy units for as little as thirty seconds before breaking off or risking dry tanks.
The annament of two nose-mounted medium lasers give the craft, ton for ton, a surprising punch. This heat-efficient weapon, combined with the standard complement of heat sinks, permits the Gadfly to fire its entire armament close up even while overthrusting to near-maximum velocity.
When used as a short-range ground support craft the Gadfly shows incredible resilience, accepting huge payloads that literally outmass the craft itself. It pays for this talent in maneuverability, as the controls become unwieldy and sluggish. Some pilots refer to the Gadfly, when used in this role, as the "Bumblebee", both for its peculiar silhouette while bearing a large bombload, and because it seems to defy the laws of physics by flying with such a payload at all.
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