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<center>�?© 2003 Daninburg & Kelly</center>
<center>�?© 2003 Daninburg & Kelly</center>


=GENERAL INFORMATION=
=Chapters=
==How To Use This Guide==
This guide contains the following chapters:
This guide is intended as just that; a guide.  This work is not intended to be a compulsory authority on the subject, nor the definitive guide.  It is anticipated that this guide will be updated on an unscheduled, 'as-needed' basis as the need arises.  At first, this will no doubt be the work of the authors in conjunction, perhaps, with others.  Later, others will do that work, as we intend that this work remain the joint property of the authors and the UFOP RPG (see below).


As to how to use itâ�?�¦use it as you will.  If you're a simmer who just wants a cursory treatment of the subject or wishes for some detail to polish off the action, skip everything you don't need and go right to what you do.  If you're a command officer and want to make sure your simmers stay true to practical confines to test their creative mettle, read as much of this folio as serves your purpose.
* [[General Information]]
 
* [[Tactical Spacecraft Generally]]
Our intent was to give of ourselves to one of our favorite subjects, to aid UFOP personnel, and to have fun.  So when using this Guide, have fun.  We hope that reading it for pure pleasure is enjoyable in its own right.
* [[Specific Federation Federation Tactical Craft]]
 
==Ownership of the Content==
The material herein is inspired by the Star Trek properties and the material licensed there under.  This Guide, however, contains not only re-organization and re-treatment of that material, but also original material.  The original material in this guide is the property of the authors and of the non-profit United Federation of Planets Role-Playing Group jointly.  Either of the owners (either by way of their pseudonyms above or under their given names, in the case of the individual authors) may make use this material for any purpose, now or in the future.
 
==First Edition==
This is the first Edition of this Guide.  It may be cited as follows: long Form: Complete Guide to Starfleet Tactical Spacecraft, 1st Ed., Daninburg and Kelly, 2003.  Short form: Fighter Guide, 1st Ed.
 
==Acknowledgement of Copyrighted and Trademark Material==
Star Trek, ship class names (where same are not original), planet names, character names and other material which was first published by Paramount pictures constitute intellectual property of Paramount pictures and appropriate subordinate entities.  Because this is the case, this Guide and any future editions of it are not to be used for any commercial purpose of any kind without the express permission of the authors, the UFOP RPG and Paramount, where applicable.  Improper use of copyrighted and trademarked material is a violation of United States Law.
 
Although the authors are not sure what portions of the Peregrine and Raider were derived by the owners of DITL , grateful mention is made here of the efforts of the operator of that site for their contribution to Star Trek generally, and specifically indirectly to this work.
 
==About the Authors==
The pseudonyms above pertain to real people.  However, as the Guide is intended for the most part as an â�?��?in characterâ�?��?� exposition of the content beginning in section 2.0, the authors refer to their pseudonyms.
 
Captain Rachel Daninburg is the commanding officer of USS PALADIN, stationed out of STARBASE 118 under the 118 Fleet Banner command of Admiral Tristan Wolf.  Captain Daninburg holds dual rank in the Starfleet Marine Corps as a Colonel.
 
Rear Admiral Brian Kelly (Ret./Res.) is the former commanding officer of USS RANGER, USS RANGER-A and USS TITAN.  All vessels were under the Fleet Banner command of Admiral Tristan Wolf.  Admiral Kelly holds dual rank in the Starfleet Marine Corps as a two-star General.  Admiral Kelly is now living in the Arcadia artist colony (DENIER III) with his wife, Commander Alis Hege-Kelly and their two children, Corrine and Alexander.
 
==Use of Content in Simming==
This Guide is intended to consolidate, revise and catalog the typically shorter-range, â�?��?smallâ�?��?� tactical spacecraft which in the 24th century of Star Trek resemble â�?��?fighters,â�?��?� â�?��?gunshipsâ�?��?� and â�?��?assault craft.â�?��?�  These craft do not exist, of course, and so, of necessity, characters in the field, (i.e. during simming) will make ad-hoc adjustments.
 
It would serve later editions of this Guide and those to whom the task of revision falls if those ad-hoc additions and alterations were to be collected and/or collated for incorporation.  In this way, each design will â�?��?growâ�?��?� into a more realistic, playable type in future editions.
 
The above admonishment aside, the entire purpose of this Guide is to make sure that uniformity prevails with the now wide-spread and common use of tactical fighters pioneered in UFOP simming by the authors in 1997 and onward.  More simply stated, we intend that a FA-150 carried by USS PALADIN is the same as that carried by USS KODIAK, etc.  Simmers being an adaptive bunch by nature, given to ad-hoc adjustments to suit plot, are begged to preserve the â�?��?realismâ�?��?� which is the goal of this Guide by not utterly ignoring the â�?��?limitsâ�?��?� and capabilities of these craft.
 
==Outside the Scope==
There are many things that this Guide could address. However, it is not intended to speak to any more things than those to which it is intended to apply.
 
It is not meant to address shuttlecraft (or at least, vessels which, while they have tactical value (i.e. shields and weapons), are meant for work and travel and general mission profiles rather than tactical operations specifically, such as Runabouts).  Shuttles and the like are more than adequately detailed in Star Trek publications already extant and on information websites such as the Daystrom Technical Institute site.
 
Nor is it meant to deal with ���?Landing Craft���?� and other very mission-specific spacecraft whose use is limited to certain narrow circumstances.
 
It is not meant as a guide to simming, only a guide to the factual limitations and features of one particular simming environment.
 
It is not meant as a signal to UFOP simmers to use these craft ad nauseum.  Like spices to a good meal, the material herein is meant to enrich and decorate simming, not to take the place of it, direct it, or mold it.  The last thing the authors wish to see is over-use of this material so that every mission of every UFOP vessel features these craft.
 
Finally, it is not meant to go beyond the Federationâ�?��?�s use of the craft to which this Guide speaks.  Otherwise, the sheer number, body-composition and variable circumstances of every race in the galaxy would render a discussion of â�?��?tactical spacecraftâ�?�? meaningless.
 
==Use of Terms; Definitions==
The following terms and definitions apply in this Guide:
 
* '''''Air Superiority (Space Superiority)''''' is the goal of every battle in which flight craft take part, whether their use is the main feature of the battle or just a part.  Since the earliest use of fixed wing biplanes on Terra and analogs of that type on other worlds, the clear need for such control has always been evident.  He who controls the â�?��?high groundâ�?��?� eventually wins the battle â�?��?? and the war.
* '''''Air Wing refers''''' to the entire group of fighters or other tactical craft assigned to an installation or a capital ship. The craft are typically grouped into flights of four ships (two pairs of wingmen). The flights are in turn typically grouped into squadrons of four flights each, making a squadron 16 tactical craft each. The size of an air wing can vary, based on the size of the housing facility, be it a capital ship or a base. Wings are numbered, as are the squadrons that make them up, by the command that authorized their formation. Squadrons typically select names for themselves, often hearkening back to historical references that are important to their charter members. As an example, let us take a squadron that has named itself the ���?Wild Cards��? and uses the names of specific Terran playing cards as call signs. Referring to a specific fighter might then be ���?Ace of Spades, 403rd Fighter Squadron (Wild Cards), 3rd Carrier Air Wing, SARATOGA��?.
* '''''CAG (Carrier Air Group Commander)''''' is an old holdover from Terran naval days.  The CAG was the senior officer of the aviators on a ship.  Although most Federation capital ships are not â�?��?carriers,â�?��?� they do carry tactical spacecraft.  And although this officer might hold any rank from Ensign to Captain, she is still the â�?��?CAGâ�?��?� in common parlance.  In other words, although the acronym uses the word â�?��?commander,â�?��?� the CAG is a job, not a rank.
* '''''Craft Designation Tags (e.g. â�?��?F-, FA-, GS, FSâ�?�?)''''' are used to denote the general mission profile of a ship type.  This is not a rigid classification of a shipâ�?��?�s capabilities or mission, only a general one.  Thus â�?��?Fâ�?��?� designations apply to fighters, â�?��?FAâ�?��?� to fighter-attack craft, â�?��?GSâ�?��?� to Ground-Space (local non-warp) fighters, â�?��?FSâ�?��?� to fighter-shuttles and â�?��?IEâ�?��?� to Indo-Exo (e.g., specially designed for use in atmosphere and space).
* '''''Fighter''''' applies to craft whose design and main mission capabilities are vehicle to vehicle combat and local â�?��?spaceâ�?��?� or â�?��?airâ�?��?� superiority in a particular tactical theater.  They tend to be one or two person craft and are heavy on weapons and armor, light on engines except for thruster and impulse capability.  Most do not have warp engines.
* '''''Gunship''''' applies to craft that are heavily armored, sometimes warp capable, and meant to engage smaller capital craft singly or larger capital craft as part of a â�?��?wing.â�?��?�  These ships are not as maneuverable as fighters, and slower to accelerate at impulse and especially at thrust, but they are usually bear heavier armor and heavier weapons.  They sometimes carry one or sometimes two squads of troops or other passengers.
* '''''Sortie (Strike)''''' is a term meaning the launching of a tactical craft for a specific purpose, though â�?��?sortieâ�?��?� can mean any purpose (not necessarily military) while â�?��?strikeâ�?��?� has an obvious, more narrow meaning.  Note that â�?��?strikeâ�?��?� is a noun in this context, i.e., â�?��?Mr. Connor, launch the strike on the Cardassian base.â�?�?  Though the speaker seems to be talking about the â�?��?strikeâ�?��?� in terms of the action, the noun is actually refers to the ships involved.
* '''''Strategic''''' generally applies to long term or wide range descriptions, e.g. goals, (sometimes used to describe political goals).  In a battle for a star system, the strategic goal would be conquest or occupation of the system.  The tactical goals would be interim steps to that strategic goal; a â�?��?strategyâ�?��?� is successfully brought about by good use of â�?��?tactics.â�?��?�
* '''''Support Requirements''''' generally speaks to a variety of issues, summarized herein for the sake of convenience, which pertain to, for lack of a better general term, the â�?��?care and feedingâ�?��?� of tactical spacecraft.  As a rule of thumb, tactical spacecraft need more of everything (hangar space, personnel, fuel, repairs, parts, and skilled crew, etc) than do shuttles.
* '''''Tactical''''' applies generally to â�?��?localâ�?��?� or short-term descriptions and goals.  In the battle for a star system, tactical goals might include destruction of key orbital batteries, support for ground units, establishing a mobile command center, etc.  All of these tactical goals support the strategic one; â�?��?tacticsâ�?��?� effectuate a â�?��?strategy.â�?��?�
* '''''Tactical Theater''''' is a term used to describe the â�?��?localâ�?��?� environment in which an engagement takes place.  The term can be used to describe only the environment in which the craft operate, or it can describe the larger area of battle in which other forces, e.g. ground units, might be operating.  Given that some ships herein (and all capital ships) are capable of three types of maneuvering (thruster, impulse and warp), the term â�?��?localâ�?��?� becomes very relative.  All the same, this term almost always applies to areas no larger than a star system, and in most cases, no larger than an area of engagement described in AUs , fractions thereof, or km.
 
==A Note About the Starfleet Marines and Deployable Infantry==
From time to time herein mention will be made of these two uniformed services.
 
While the history of Starfleet Marine Corps (SFMC) and the Deployable Infantry (SFDI) as applied to the UFOP RPG is not the intention of this subsection, a brief summary will be helpful.
 
The Starfleet Marines are an outgrowth of the Terran uniformed service of the same name (and also attributable to many nations of the 18th through 22nd centuries), just as the Starfleet takes its shape and traditions from the Terran naval service.  The Corpsâ�?��?� main missions include colonial defense, fast deployment to developing theaters where larger scale conflict is anticipated (â�?��?First to Fightâ�?��?�) and escort/guard duty for Starfleet Embassies, Installations, Capital Ships and personnel.  Just as the Terran navy and marine corps had their own separate vessels,  the SFMC has its own ships and â�?��?air wingsâ�?��?� suited to its particular needs (e.g. USSM CORAL SEA, USSM WAKE ISLAND, USSM MIDWAY).
 
The Deployable Infantry (SFDI) are an outgrowth of the Terran â�?��?regularâ�?��?� army and serve as the primary armed cavalry, ground and armored force meant to take and hold ground (just as necessary in 24th century warfare as in the 20th and 21st).  The DI generally does not have a separate wing of tactical craft, and tend to rely on other services for close support of that type.
 
==Conflicts Between More than One Source==
When conflict arises between this Guide and other sources, such as technical websites given over to celebration of Star Trek subjects, or worse, between other parts of UFOP, we will not say "use this Guide first and other sources second."  The primacy of this resource over (and, perforce, therefore, exclusive to) other sources is not for the authors, but for the governing bodies of UFOP, to decide.  Pending such a decision by them, if a conflict does arise, by all means, pick one or the other and settle the matter.  We can imagine no greater source of irritation, inter-vessel embarrassment and general confusion than differing sets of statistics for the same type of craft.  If this Guide is to accomplish one of its main missions, then let it be that all FA-150's have the same capabilities (subject to variations of circumstance rather than design) no matter from where the statistics come.  Uniformity is as important regarding this subject as it is on other matters.
 
=TACTICAL SPACECRAFT GENERALLY=
==The 'Real' History==
From the earliest days of manned flight, it quickly became clear that armed conflict had gone from two dimensions to three.  He who controlled the 'high ground' had a gradually more significant advantage over an adversary who did not.
Air balloons used primarily for spotting enemy formations were particularly vulnerable to attack, as they were slow, when maneuverable at all.  Biplanes, used for the same purpose, were shot at by other such planes with guns, necessitating that planes dedicated to fighting escort the spotter planes.  Small improvements in speed, climbing, gunnery and fuselage durability became significant, and as the twentieth century came to a close, tactical aircraft were critical to control of any battle environment.
 
The first salient point conveyed by the above is that as the ''pace of technological improvement accelerates, small changes become significant''.  A slight edge in speed, armor or weapon range will mean ''something'' to the people whose job it is to ''plan doctrine for the exploitation of those ''advantages''.  Only a fool would fail to make use of a longer weapon range for ship A when engaging ship B.  If the pilot of A is doing her job, she should be flying her craft to continually open the range between she and her enemy.
 
In Terra's WWI, for example, the moment that German engineers managed to develop a better drive to weight ratio for their aircraft than allied biplanes (the drive to weight ratio determines how fast a plane can pull its weight in a climb), the German tactics ''changed to take advantage''. German pilots would continually seek to drive their enemy into diving contests, the better to bleed away the Allied plane's altitude.  Then the Germans would climb above the enemy andâ�?�¦well, it was pretty grim there, for a while.
 
The second important lesson conveyed by the first paragraph is that, resources being generally equal, developers and deployers of tactical craft will ''immediately begin to find counters to any advantage''.
 
This point ''cannot'' be understated.  'Countermeasures' are a ''religion'' to military planners and designers, and again, the pace of technology dictates the response time of countermeasures.  UFOP simmers must repeat this mantra ''every time the clever character 'improves' something so that advantage is gained''.  If it is a 'true' improvement that will change the relationships upon which the improvement touches, ''countermeasures will follow quickly and the advantage will disappear''.
 
To make this point crystal clear, we once more return to Terra's WW I.  Continuing with the example of drive to weight, the immediate response from the allies (besides getting shot down more) was to derive not just an engine that was as ''good as the German one'', but ''better''.  The result: Advantage, allies.
 
Here is another example from the late 20th century.  As soon as radar-guided missiles were deployed, the ''countermeasure'' was 'chaff,' dispensers, which shot out of the plane's rear aluminum strips to create a false radar signal.
 
This paradigm continues, obviously, in the 24th century, as a product of the intervening years.  And since, one presumes, the 'technological' wave front resulting from the combined efforts of all the races in the galaxy pollinating the ideas of all the others means incredibly fast development times, the countermeasures should follow almost immediately.
 
==The "Inferred" History==
While the earlier part of the 21st century did not see a significant jump in airframe performance for tactical aircraft, this changed during the middle part of the century, just before WWIII.
 
As Terra's nation states squabbled over increasingly diminishing fossil fuel reserves and living space , warfare in ''and above'' Terra's skies once more became common. The 'triumph' of pre-holocaust tactical aviation was the Bergmen-Hsang Conglomerate's IE-5 'Indo-Exo' Atmospheric Attack Plane ('Avenger').  Using hydrogen cells to provide maneuvering thrust in ultra-thin air and in near space, the IE-5 saw heavy action in anti-satellite (ASAT) operations.
 
By the time other nations had craft to fight off the IE-5 and her variants  in order to protect the few satellite networks remaining, it was too late. An advance in tactical craft had altered the course of world events because that advance was an advantage that first one, and then all, nations exploited, to their mutual regret.
 
After the reconstruction and the advent of the Warp era, tactical spacecraft development, at least on and by Terra (and then eventually by her growing circle of allies) stagnated.  The principal reason for this was the character of early Starfleet contacts and policy.  Not much more need be said of this than that the Romulan Wars were fought with capital ships almost exclusively; armor, shields and energy weapons were still primitive, heavy and costly (from every angle: space required, resource, energy, logistics, etc), and could not be effectively utilized on tactical craft. When it was realized that capital ships could not enter atmosphere, ''but troops and landing craft could'', the dedicated planetary defense tactical craft created were not terribly evolved from the IE-5 design.
 
During the latter part of the 22nd century (after the birth of the Federation) and the early part of the 23rd, tactical spacecraft were still essentially weakly armed variants of shuttles.  Although they were called by various and sometimes ambitious names , the issue was still that the things that made a ship capable in a battle (armor, shields, weapons) were still too 'bulky,' costly and just plain 'big' to fit on small ships.  Nonetheless, just as the advent of the transistor (and then the microchip) had revolutionized Terran technology in one bold jump, tactical spacecraft were to see their true Renaissance in the 24th century as a result of a similar technological epiphany.
 
The same advances that made the 'next generation' of shield generators, phaser power cells and armor tiling possible in capital ships after 2355 also made it possible for Federation R&D personnel to begin to 'think small' once more.
 
The result was the 'modern line' of tactical spacecraft with which this ''Guide'' is principally concerned.
 
==The Care and Feeding of Tactical Craft==
As was previously offered above, one does not deploy tactical craft to a location unless one feels they are the best option for the need, as tactical craft are in all respects more 'costly' than their more versatile and reliable shuttle forbears and cousins.  This section, rather than highlighting the actual list of things one needs to have, do and supply for such craft, will point out the differences between the needs for tactical craft and their non-specialized kin.  In the discussion of the ''differences'' will lie the lesson.
 
Everything comes down to space and cost.  For example, take hangar space, for starters.  A typical large capital ship such as a SOVEREIGN or GALAXY will have an assortment of support craft suited to its particular mission or its general variant-hull mission profile. This comes with the obvious acknowledgement that wartime or times of extreme crisis will result in re-allocation of all resources, including what small craft capital ships carry.  These support craft might include shuttles of various types (from thruster only to warp capable), worker pods and the like.  Each of these craft, by virtue of its type, takes a certain amount of space.
 
Tactical craft of the same 'size' (and that only pertains to the smallest tactical craft) take more.  The reason is simple: support.
 
Tactical craft require more frequent maintenance, more personnel to perform it, more support equipment and more room to store and use it.  As well, tactical craft are far more complex than shuttles (shuttles are to tactical craft what biplanes were to jets), which means in almost every case ''dedicated flight crews must be posted to the vessel (or installation) and housed, fed, and otherwise cared for''.
 
''This is also true of the support people''.  No offense to the engineering corps, but a typical starship engineer's mate can repair and maintain a shuttle.  Only specially trained support crews suited by ''type of tactical craft'' can care for and maintain a fighter or gunship.  It's not that the engineers can't do in a pinch, but after time and use, the difference will tell, sooner rather than later.  Of course, once again, this means more space for them ('them' being the support crews) and less for everything else a starship has to carry, most importantly, people.
 
For the larger tactical craft (and almost all of them are larger than even the larger shuttles), all of the above is true ''plus'' the need for more actual space to park the things.
 
In addition, and as a corollary to the above, tactical craft require more energy and parts to operate, maintain and repair.  While most shuttle parts can be replicated, many are stored.  Storing parts for tactical craft is more common, because replicated parts, while all right for the tolerances of variation for shuttle systems operation, will not work in the high performance world of tactical craft.  So again, more space.
 
Lastly, money might have gone out of use, but that's just the ''paper currency'' or whatever other mode of exchange was being used.  ''Medium of exchange'' (in terms of convenient shorthand expression of a person or government's 'wealth') is still the name of the game.  When Starfleet builds a hull, an economic process is as involved in 2381 as was the case when the Phoenicians laid their first keels on Terra almost 3400 years ago.
 
The ''materials'', for example, come from ''somewhere''.  The labor must be paid in credits or whatever other media of exchange represents the value of their skilled work and its corresponding ability to be used by those workers for other things elsewhere.  And of course, given that the Federation must account for each of these costs for each of the hulls (large or small) that it builds, there is a cost factor as concerns tactical craft, as well.
 
It 'costs' from between twice as much (in the case of the simplest short range fighters) ''to ten times as much'' (for the FA-150) to build a tactical fighter as it does to build a type seven shuttle.  Combined with the 'cost' in terms of space for the vessels and their flight and support crews, the reason why all capital ships are not running around with fighter wings becomes clear.
 
Of course, space and cost work the other way, too.  For example, the years 2368-2378 were not very good ones for the Federation.  Successive Borg incursions, the short Klingon conflict and then the Dominion War (followed by ''another'' Borg incursion) were, in short, a flat disaster for the various fleets stationed around Federation space.  Although certain hull designs suffered more than others as a result of each of those conflicts, the bottom line was that the Federation lost about nearly 70% of it's capital fleet in a span of just about a decade.  Had not other local powers suffered proportionate losses, this ''Guide'' might well have been written in Romulan, Breen, Cardassian, etc.
 
That having been said, the Federation still needed to defend its colonies, constituent worlds and allied non-member worlds, as well as resume its mandate, exploration.  Lastly, it needed to be able to project power over a suddenly rather large, empty area of claimed space.  Tactical craft fill this niche nicely.
 
==Tactical Craft In 2380: Current Mission Profiles and Uses==
While a discussion and breakdown of specific tactical craft follows later, general observations about overall differences will serve at this point.
 
As has been noted, tactical craft are costly, but only relative to shuttles and other craft of like size.  Tactical craft are a 'bargain and a half,' as the Ferengi would say, in relation to ''capital ships''.
 
It "costs" in resources (of all types) from ''ten times as much'' (in the case of small, unsophisticated capital ships) to ''fifty times as much'' (in the cases of 'top of the line' hull types to build a capital ship as it does to build a wing of FA-150's.  Given that a wing of those gunships is more than a match for a small capital ship, the cost issue becomes obvious.  Of course, while you can have the same tactical capability in your FA-150 wing as you can with your NOVA class, you can't do much deep space exploring with the gunships. Nor can you do about a hundred other things NOVA classes can do by virtue of their range, size, versatility, etc.
 
But if your goal is protecting a colony world for the next ten years until the fleet is back to a semblance of its former self, you can protect (or at least patrol) ten systems with gunships or you can protect ''one'' (at a time, at least) with your NOVA.  Wouldn't one want a starship exploring the stars, where it belongs, anyway?
 
Thus now and for the foreseeable future, starships are still rare where they used to be thicker 'on the ground,' as the saying goes.  But planets, installations and even high-traffic trade routes have the bases, space and people to provide the proper care and feeding to tactical craft, and so these 'few trick ponies' thrive in the new military-strategic niche provided them.
 
==Personnel Associated With A Tactical Air Wing==
This section is not meant as a rigid rule, but it does provide a good basis to sim NPC's  and the like.
 
Let's name our squadron the "Devil Rays" (thus their typical designations would be "Devil Ray Lead," "Devil Ray Two," etc).  Let's say they're attached to the USS IWO JIMA, a marine corps NEBULA attack cruiser.  The unit also needs a number designation, usually (and believe it or not, randomly) assigned by command when the unit is created.  So let's call them the 27th.  And since we need to know ''what'' kind of ships we're dealing with, let's say they're state of the art, FA-150's.
 
So the formal name for our squadron is: "The IWO-JIMA 27th Assault Squadron (Devil Rays)."
 
The squadron is four flights of four gunships each.  As you'll learn later herein, these are the largest tactical spacecraft which can claim the name before we start getting into strange "in between" places where ships are neither tactical nor strategic (capital), like DEFIANT, for example.  But we digress.
 
Being large, FA-150's, also affectionately called "Mauls" (the same way modern F-15's are called Eagles, for example), need lots of people to keep them flying, as well as lots of space (in fact, a capital ship can house between 3 to 5 shuttles for ''each'' FA-150 it doesn't carry).
 
Assuming the Maul is not going to carry a boarding party, special ops team or other passengers, the Maul needs at least a pilot and a "TSO," or "Tactical Systems Officer."  This is a partial holdover from Terran aviation's Weapon Systems Officers (also known as "Wizzos"); the name has been changed over the years, however, to reflect the increased responsibilities of this officer or enlisted-person (the title not withstanding, it can be either).  The TSO is a second seat who navigates for the pilot, releases complex ordinance and weapons, deals with the craft's defensive systems and, when necessary, coordinates communication between the Maul and other craft in the area.  About half of all tactical craft need a pair of operators, though they can all be flown by one in a pinch. This is different from a shuttle, which requires one person, and sometimes, not even her.
 
In addition to requiring 10 more people for each of its four flights (four flight teams and one backup) than shuttles would (since no special training is needed to fly a shuttle), the 27th also requires support personnel to fuel it, care for the gunships and conduct launch operations.  The caretakers usually number between 5-7 specially trained crew per flight which do nothing else.  The launch operations people usually number another 2-3 (again, per flight) to coordinate the operations of the often hectic hangar deck which services tactical craft in combat.  A computer, on the other hand, can control a hangar deck that services only shuttles.
 
So the 27th Squadron costs IWO JIMA an extra 68-80 people who need to be housed, cared for and the rest.  Space in space, as the saying goes, is at a premium.  So one can see where a capital ship could make lots better use of that space if she had shuttles instead of fighters.  And unless there's a war on, or her mission profile is martial in nature, she's liable to put that crew, deck and storage space to better use.  Captains creating their ships should bear this in mind.


[[Category:Academy Library]]
[[Category:Academy Library]]
[[Category:The Fighter Guide]]
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