S45 Sparrow
Spaceships of the Terran Minarchy
(Art by aoiwaffle0608 on deviantart.com)
Starship Index: MIG 107J Supermarine T2 Starfire Fantôme H300 SU-90 Topor
The S45 “Sparrow”
Deep Space Intelligence Gathering Aerospace Fighter — DSIGAF
Oftentimes a plane is built around the engine.
Sometimes the engine is designed from the grounds up to fit a plane.
In the case of S45 Sparrow, the starfighter was built to fit the engine, the expanded fuel tanks, and an overpowered sensor array. Wings and fuselage cast as one from armor-grade megasteel alloy, the ship not just sturdy, but highly capable of withstanding what would otherwise be near impossible for other aircraft atmospheric maneuvers.
Its fuselage about sixteen meters long, four wide, and with a wingspan of fourteen meters, the Sparrow is considered on the small side, even for a scout fighter. However, the small bird was packed full of surprises. Novel features like her compact, robust life-support system, the spacious cockpit, or the ample ration cache, became standard for all Terran scout fighters. These crew comforts allowed the Sparrow to operate far from her base and for quite extended periods of time. This, in turn, made it possible for inquisitive eyes and long-range scanners to be present at hard to reach places of interest, where the S45 acquired priceless intelligence.
Designed by one of the best aerospace engineers of the early 20th century, Lord Caernarvon, and built by Rolls-Royce's Aerospace division, the craft was initially intended to be nothing more than a high-altitude atmospheric interceptor. In case Earth or other terraformed planetary bodies were invaded, wings of S45s would destroy dropships, invasion pods, and otherwise overwhelm dedicated spaceborne starfighters in swift, aerial combat.
However, all plans went out of the airlock when Pirate Lord Mahimm's grand armada swarmed Earth's defenses. The first three reworked prototypes were immediately pressed into combat alongside twelve brand new planes. Fifteen these machines which lacked even space paint, formed a single squadron of S45s called “The Nameless”. Like all things with an engine which could fly into space and carry guns, these planes dove straight into a deadly beyond measure dogfight. As a mater of fact, even vehicles incapable of having weapons or unequipped due to severe time restrains, were still pressed into suicidal combat.
Sporting a single pulse laser cannon, the S45 was lightly armed. However, the ship sported one of the first Terran mass produced plasma engines, which was rather overpowered for its class. Made by Rolls-Royce, the Super 45 (the 45 stands for 45Gw, which is the engine's maximum power output) had been into developmental and testing hell since the late 50s. At one time, the entire prototype testing facility outside Retford, England, nearly turned into a molten crater. Miraculously, all kinks were ironed out a single year before the invasion. Throughout 1968, the Super 45 passed every single test not only with flying colors, the engine set over twelve speed and endurance records.
The second major advantage of the S45 Sparrow was her complex sensor package, capable of long-range detection and multiple target acquisition. As a matter of fact, the system was so powerful that Lord Caernarvon had to redesign his starfighter on the go as a two-seater since even experienced test pilots became overwhelmed by the scan-data output. Fortunately, the S45 Aeronaut, which was the final, mass-produced version of the test S45 variant, rolled out of the assembly lines just in time for the final redesign. The engine was beyond anything pilots and engineers dreamt of. It transformed the Sparrow into a supremely well performing craft, both in outer space and atmo.
Thirdly, just as intended in her original design specs, the S45 easily outmaneuvered pirate starfighters in atmospheric combat. Yet, although her single laser cannon did indeed fire rapidly, the ship was clearly under-gunned. During the battle, elite flight crews of various refitted carriers utilized their experience from the second world war. Flying in and out of combat, the progressively diminishing numbers of S45s were fitted with jerry-rigged combat pods, increasing the ship's armament to three guns. This came with a loss of speed and maneuverability in the air, but at the time Earth burned in plasma fires, millions were being slaughtered and kidnapped into slavery. The pilots compensated for this loss of performance and kept flying and shooting the enemy dead, until their ships melted around them or they themselves fell dead.
Out of fifteen total S45s which fought a doomed battle against swarms of invading ships, six remained... largely intact. Compared with any other Terran starfighter deployed back then, the Sparrow's survivability was beyond miraculous. Though many pilots died from their wounds and were replaced by others, often a single S45 flying over thirty sorties with a different pilot, many fliers would later swear they were only alive because of the S45's wondrous maneuverability.
A testament to the craft's excellent design, reliable engine, and supremely well engineered sensor array, the Sparrow flies force reconnaissance missions to this day. Mass-produced in mindbogglingly to assume numbers, a S45 can be found docked on literally any Colonial Navy starcraft with a hangar. However, today the battle pods come in factory inbuilt, making the S45 Sparrow one of the most heavily armed scout fighters out there. Not even the vaunted armadas of the Taz'aran Imperium would invest the steep cost in resources and field such a heavily armed scout ship.
Cost being one of its major downsides, the Sparrow's otherwise excellent sensor package came with its own drawbacks. The complicated system's multiple sensor arrays are easier to damage than other, much simpler and cheaper scanning systems. Though since its adoption the original factory model included multiple new “hacks”, that issue was never truly remedied. Moreover, the sensors draw almost twice as much power as other systems of the same class and are prone to generating sudden heat spikes during combat.
Yet the S45 has such overwhelming advantages in construction, and her powerful main engine was so reliable, that these issues are considered inconsequential by most, if not all who fly her in battle. Engineers and pilots have developed their own tweaks and crafted various mods in order to remedy most of the aforementioned problems. Pretty much most mechanical issues could be ameliorated to an extent, bar the steep cost of procuring the starcraft and maintaining her complicated sensors.
Though considered to be an excellent combat scout, half of all carrier pilots prefer another starcraft, mainly the American-made MA StarBee.
What would you like me to write about following the MA StarBee article? Post your requests in the comment section below!
A marvel of Terran Engineering.
You just need a schematic and it could go in the TTA books.