Class: SF-27 Superiority Fighter
Mass: 40 tons
Produced in: 3063
Engine: GM 320 XL
Safe Thrust: 10
Maximum Thrust: 15
Control Systems: Diplan 3000
Heatsinks: 10 Double (20 heat)
Fuel: 3 tons (240 pts)
Structural Integrity: 10
Armor: Kraus Advanced Ferro Aluminum
Armor Tonnage: 12 (215 pts)
Fore: 71
L/R: 51
Aft: 42
Armament:
Guardian ECM Nose
Targetting Computer Nose
Large Pulse Laser Nose
The Blackbird has become the premier fighter of the Dragon's Teeth Mercenary Unit and the symbol of their aerospace forces. The Dragon's Teeth have always felt that the greatest advantages to a pilot is his speed and skill. As such, the Blackbird is easily one of the fastest aerospace fighters ever designed. Normally this would be its great defensive advantage, to outfly an opponent to use its deadly weaponry. However most designs utilizing such a method use extremely light armor, putting the warriors within at extreme risk. In contrast the Dragon's Teeth, utilize an astounding amount of armor, 12 tons of Ferro Aluminum to provide enough armor for the plane to survive the heaviest barrages. The Guardian ECM system works to keep these barrages to a minimum.
The cost for this high speed and armor was in its weaponry, only a minimal amount could be added. The designers decided to bank on the relative fragility of fighters over mechs and equipped it with only a single weapon, sinking 7 of the 9 total tons into a Large Pulse Laser (upgraded to a Large X-Pulse in 3069 on the SF-27C model). The limits of a single weapon were in a large part overcome by the addition of the new Targetting Computer. This allowed the pilot to fire a single powerful blast with pinpoint accuracy at a single point, allowing it to do sever damage to an already weakened location while also having a high probablity of damaging a vital piece of equipment with each blast. Its 10 Double Strength Heatsinks even prevent the unit from suffering heat problems should it lose one of its wings and all the included engine components.
Since its creation the Blackbird has proved itself time and again in the hands of an ace, allowing the pilots to decimate enemy forces in record time. Like the BF-109 of the 20th century the Blackbird has a reputation as a deadly machine in the hands of an expert but also deadly to an inexperienced pilot. Making proper education and training of their pilots a priority.
In a recent engagement a Blackbird found itself battling the recently produced Dagger aerospace fighter in the service of Katherine loyalist forces. The dogfight between the two was tight quarters and vicious, lasting just over five minutes. The high manueverabilty and accuracy in the end allowed the Blackbird to soundly defeat the Dagger, allowing the Blackbird to assist in the destruction of an Eisensturm fighter in the same area.
