By Gonzalo218
04/03/2024 - 15:37:01
Type: Spaceship
Rating: 1.73 (Not rated)
Tags: 2nd-gen, crathervan empire, fighter, forward-swept wings, gonzalo218, new cratherva, second generation
Description
The history of Anea has been marked by a peculiar trend; in every time and era, aerospace fighters have remained a staple of military doctrine.
The very concept of an aerospace fighter - one capable of operating in both space and atmosphere - is an exercise in compromise. The ideal fighter is one that is fast, well-armed, and agile, competent in either medium of combat. Any one of these attributes is easy enough to achieve in isolation; fitting them all into one frame is next to impossible. Fast fighters tend to possess plus-sized reactors which hinder maneuverability, while those with ample armament suffer from inferior protection and range. The simple truth is that in the absence of advanced technology and without adequate funding, reality gets in the way of the starfighter ideal.
The Crathervan Empire, however, was hardly short on funds. And in order to protect their interests, they put their funds to use by creating what was, at the time, the closest thing to the perfect fighter: The SLX-1, a machine with no compromise. Created at the twilight of the Empire?s reign, this fighter stands as a testament to the collective might of the Crathervan people, as well as a grim reminder of the conflict which brought an end to the previous galactic era.
The original SLX-1 was a monster of a craft, flaunting three primary fusion thrusters, a pair of integrated atmospheric ramjets, and the most powerful RCS suite of its time. It was also the first aerospace craft to feature a glassless, CELL cockpit - as found in its Block 2 incarnation. The combination of such features among others quickly endeared it to its pilots, who found themselves elated at its flawless allround performance. These features also made the craft prohibitively expensive - an expense the Imperial military, for the most part, was willing and able to foot.
On the other hand, the Empire?s successor state, the New Crathervan Republic, did not possess the same breadth of resources. While the new government and its leadership narrowly avoided total destruction after the Great Galactic War, managing to secure the SLX-1?s original blueprints in the process, they did not yet possess the means to actually put the craft into operational service; the running costs were simply beyond impractical.
Eventually, New Crathervan engineers would find a way to produce a modified version of the SLX-1 using cheaper means, while retaining a certain amount of its original performance. The NCR Space Force would continue to field modified SLX-1s for the next few centuries, each closer in performance to the original, culminating in the model shown here - referred to as SLX-1 bis by Ziravian military intelligence. The bis model makes practical concessions in the propulsion department in order to curb costs, but makes up through the application of modern technologies and fabrication methods. The result is a fighter equal to the original SLX-1 in performance yet costing only a fraction as much to operate.
The SLX-1 bis is a mid-35th century design, contemporary with the humans? Z10 fighter and the Finbari?s FF800; the latter was made using this craft as a benchmark. SLX-1 bis models would serve during the first half of the Celestial War before their eventual replacement by the next-generation SLX-2.
By GLANTH
very cool sleak lines.
By T_B_II
I took it apart and found the design to be more complex than assumed, holy cow, nice one!
By T_B_II
I think what is most remarkable about these two is found in the execution. Proving that brilliant design can be achieved through simpler arrangements. That to me is possibly more impressive than extreme embellishment. R
By TheCreator978
I have made gift: http://www.spore.com/sporepedia#qry=sast-501112615846
By TheCreator978
Both of these are beautiful in a way that few craft in Spore can achieve. I like the paint on this one a tad more, but R for both