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Blade-32 Beta
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Name/Model# : | Blade-32 Beta Superiority Fighter
Designer/Manufacturer : | Tarrvin-on-Kallik
Combat Designation : | Superiority Fighter (NOTE: Designation is speculated)
Scale : | Most likely starfighter
Length : | 18 Metres
Skill : | Unknown
Crew Skill : | Unknown
Crew : | 1 Pilot
Cost of Fighter : | NEW 82,000 Credits USED 46,000 Credits
Nav Computer : | Unknown
Sublight Speed : | 7 squares per action (Attack Speed)
Hyperdrive Rating : | Class 2
Atmospheric Speed : | 900 kph (WEG=None)
Manoeuvrability : | +6 (+2 size, +4 crew)
Cargo Capacity : | 150 kg
Consumables : | 3 Days
Pilot Support Systems : | Life Support Yes / Ejection System Yes
Weapons : |
2 Forward Laser Cannons 2 Aft Laser Cannons 2 Concussion Missile Launchers (8 Missiles each) [Challabae Admits-No-Equal Aerial Eruptive Manufacturing Concern missiles]
OR [After treaty with New Republic]
2 Forward Laser Cannons (Fire-Linked) Attack Bonus: +8 (+2 size, +4 crew, +2 fire control) Range Modifiers: Point Blank -2, Small +0, Medium n/a, Large n/a Damage: 4d10x2 2 Aft Laser Cannons (Fire-Linked) Attack Bonus: +8 (+2 size, +4 crew, +2 fire control) Range Modifiers: Point Blank -2, Small +0, Medium n/a, Large n/a Damage: 4d10x2 2 Forward Proton Torpedo Launchers (8 Torpedoes each) Missile Quality: Ordinary (+10) Damage: 9d10x2
Sensors : | Passive : ? Scan : ? Search : ? Focus : ?
Shields/Armour Rating : |
Shields None. Hull ? (Is more durable than the X-Wing)
OR [After treaty with New Republic]
[Defence 30 (+2 size, +12 armor)] Shields 20 Points (Damage Reduction 3 Points). Hull 160 (Damage Reduction 8 Points).
Note : | WotC incorrectly states that the hyperdrive was added after the treaty with the New Republic - see XWS#9***Pg 48. Non-Adumari pilots must log at least 40 hours in the Blade-32 or simulator or suffer -2 penalty to all actions.
The Blade-32 Beta is a variant of the Blade-32 which was considered to be the preeminent atmospheric superiority fighter on the planet of Adumar nearly ten years after the Battle of Endor. At that time, and even five years after the unification of Adumar, this fighter is still the most top-of-the-line fighter available. Building upon the capabilities of the space flight capable Blade-32 Alpha, the 32 Beta added hyperdrive capability. The closest fighter that the Adumari Blade-32 is comparable to is that of a Y-Wing, albeit a sluggish one at that. This fighter's design is very durable, so much so that it is capable of absorbing more damage or laser hits than a X-Wing can sustain. However, the design cannot survive against a missile hit. Users of this fighter included both private citizens and the militaries of Adumar. Before Adumar's treaty with the hated New Republic, the Blade-32 was only available for sale on the planet of Adumar. This rather large single-man, twin-engine fighter is more at home in the atmosphere rather than in space, as its handling testifies. Keeping in line with the fighter's namesake, the Blade-32's bow ends in a sharp point, while its wings which cross the fuselage just aft of the cockpit are broad at the fuselage, but narrow to a sharp point at the tips, just like a vibroblade. Rear of the cockpit, the Blade-32's fuselage splits into a peculiar duel-tail assembly linked by horizontal bars in the aft. Before the Adumari unification, the dominant colour scheme of the fighter was glossy black, since then it has become crimson in honour of Red Flight led by General Wedge Antilles. Non-Adumari pilots who fly the Blade-32 will suffer penalties unless they have logged at least 40 hours of flight time in the fighter or in a simulator due to the use of Adumari measures on the range and speed meters. Instead of measuring speed by kilometres per Coruscant hour (the standard Imperial measure), it is measured in keps which is a thousand paces (pace length is based on a long dead Cartann perator) per Adumar hour. To convert keps to the Imperial standard, a kep is about 80% of the Imperial measure. The fighter's collision alarm is set to fairly conservative distances. This could be in part due to the fighter's inertial compensators. Unlike Imperial starfighters, the Blade-32's computer cannot handle calculating the precise adjustments (for the inertial compensators) necessary to prevent pilots from experiencing the adverse effects of high-gravity manoeuvres. Data is displayed on the fighter's crystal faced, touch sensitive lightboard (sensor board). Touching icons (representing things such as other fighters) on the lightboard brings up its information. Additionally, the lightboard is microphone equipped, allowing the pilot to highlight specific targets upon command. An example would be commanding the system to highlight Shiva Squadron, which would cause the icons representing members of that squadron to be highlighted. Also situated in the cockpit is the communications board that displays text messages. Damage display diagnostics for this fighter are presented as scrolling text, instead of pictorial form. This makes quick assessments about sustained damage difficult. The Blade-32's sensor system is known as a lightbounce system. It can become confused and its outputs erratic if the fighter enters thick smoke. When this occurs, the system however, is still capable of differentiating the positions, orientations, and visual appearance of detected targets. If targets fly too close together they cannot be differentiated from each other by the lightbounce system. In fact at distance, the lightbounce cannot differentiate individual fighters if they fly close enough together; they appear to be a single signal. This weakness was exploited during the Adumar unification war, where larger craft such as the Scythe-class Bomber and Meteor-class Aerial Fort reprogrammed their transponders and grouped themselves together to make it appear that they were Blade fighter squadrons instead. A target's cross-section determines the distance at which a good lock can be obtained. Larger the cross-section seen by the lightbounce system, greater the distance a good lock can be had. The sensor system does warn the pilot of the probability of being targeted by his foe via emitting an increasing sound for increased probability. An additional note, the user can manually set the proximity fuse distance on their missiles (Challabae manufactured missiles). Regardless, the missiles can loose their target should the target enter a smoke cloud. Furthermore, Adumari missiles lack the destructive power of contemporary proton torpedoes. In the event that the Blade-32 loses its wing the fighter is lost. When the pilot escapes from his doomed fighter in the atmosphere, he employs his Blade Pilot Descent Mechanism, which consists of the pilot hanging from a flat square-metre repulsorlift device that brings the pilot to the ground at a safe velocity. The best analogy is a parachute, but instead of having the chute sheet a primitive repulsorlift device takes its place.
Sources: WotC+Adumar Pilots Wanted - Part 1: The Art of the Duel & Part 2: Four Is Green-Lighted / XWS#9***Pg 23, 24, 48, 65-68, 71, 90, 93, 94, 99, 101, 196-201, 224, 226, 241, 242, 246, 247, 277
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