TAF-132 Viper Type: Aerospace Fighter Producer: Taggart Aerospace Firm Introduced: 2573 Mass: 45 tons Engine: 270 Thrust: 8 Overthrust: 12 Fuel: 5 tons Armor: 8 tons of standard armor Nose: 41 Wings: 31 Aft: 21 Weapons: Heatsinks: 10 Nose: 1 Autocannon 5 1 Medium Laser Wings: 1 Medium Laser 1 Machinegun Ammo load 40 rounds of AC-5 ammo 100 rounds of machinegun ammo Overview: The Taurian Concordat developed the TAF-132 Viper as part of an emergency military buildup program shortly before the start of the Reunification war. With war becoming inevitable in the aftermath of the Malagrotta incident, the Concordat needed effective weapons, and they needed them quickly. The Taggart Aerospace Firm (formerly a producer of civilian shuttles and pleasure craft) was one of the first Taurian companies to answer the call. In an amazing feat of design work, they had complete plans for their new Viper aerospace fighter drawn up within three weeks. Prototypes were quickly constructed and rushed through testing soon after, and though a few minor problems were discovered during the abreviated test phases, the craft was nevertheless deemed adequate, and full production began barely three months after the design first appeared on the drawing board. A remarkable achievement. Capabilities: Despite the frantic rush that went into development and production of the Viper, for its day the craft was remarkably formidable. At the time of its introduction it was either the equal or better of any other light fighter in existance. The core of its firepower is a medium bore autocannon mounted in the nose, backed up by a trio of medium lasers. Though many pilots commented on the autocannon's lack of stopping power compared to a large laser or PPC, the vastly lower heat of the cannon gives the fighter a much better sustained rate of fire. The Viper's other armament, a pair of wing mounted machineguns, tends to baffle most people however. The short range of the machineguns limits their effectiveness greatly, so much so that they were generally only rarely fired in combat conditions. In fact, many pilots actually got into the habit of leaving the ammo bay for the machineguns empty, sacrificing a rather dubious pair of weapons in order to avoid carrying any more explosive ammo than they had to. It is likely that, if more time had been spent testing the Viper, the machineguns would have been removed. Though the Viper's armor is rather light, it is comperable to other light fighters of its day. The 270 engine also provides exceptional speed for the craft. The biggest flaw in the Viper is its computer system. Though the system itself functions just fine, the displays have been known to go out on occasion (a result of inadequate quality control during the testing stage), and usually at the worst possible time. This can leave a pilot with few or no instruments to guide him, forcing him to fly entirely by the seat of his pants. In nearly five hundred years of service, nobody has been able to figure out how to permanentely fix this problem without completely replacing the computer. The most effective temporary solution appears to be to vigorously beat on the offending monitor until it starts running again or breaks permanently so it can be replaced. Interestingly enough, many pilots do not mind the problem. In fact, many pilots, mostly old veterans, take a certain comfort in it. The pure neccessity of occasionally having to fly entirely on instinct has given these pilots a knack for handling their craft in some of the most nightmarish conditions imaginable. As one pilot put it, many Viper drivers know their fighters even more intimately than they know their wives, and they'd sooner give up their wife than their Viper. Deployment: The Concordat turned out Vipers as quickly as it could before and during the Reunification war. Nobody is entirely certain of the total number built, but as many as three hundred were still around by the end of the war. Ironically, many of these were captured on the ground at various production facilities across the Concordat, as the production of aerofighters quickly outstripped the supply of trained pilots. These surviving craft were mostly turned over to House Davion after the surrender, and less than a hundred have survived to present day. Most of these surviving fighters are assigned to backwater garrison units in the Federated Suns, though over the centuries small numbers have found their way into other parts of the inner sphere and near periphery. Ironically, the Taurian Concordat currently deploys no Vipers.