UEB Lapith
| The following information has not been confirmed by Volition and is therefore not canon for the FreeSpace universe. |
|---|
Contents
Description:
|
|---|
| The UEB Lapith |
Blue Planet: War in Heaven Tech Description
The UEB Lapith was introduced in the later stages of the civil war in Sol in response to increasing casualties among Durga and Vajradhara squadrons. The GTVA's response to a UEF bomber deployment was to send in Trebuchet-armed hunter-killers to saturate the battlespace with bomber-killing ordnance. This tactic was so effective that it would soon nullify any remaining anti-capital ship advantage the UEF possessed. The Lapith is a fast Jackhammer and Sledgehammer delivery platform designed to jump in, deliver her payload and exfiltrate to safety in the minimum amount of time. The improved profile and speed of what is essentially an oversized fighter has increased the survival rates of UEF bomber pilots fourfold since deployment.
Developer Notes
N/A
Name Origin
In Ancient Greek legend, the Lapiths (Ancient Greek: Λαπίθαι) were a tribe of horsemen in Thessaly, descendants of Lapithes, a son of Apollo and brother of Centaurus, who was the progenitor of the Centaurs. The Lapiths are famous for their battle against the Centaurs in the Centauromachy, which some philosophers have interpreted as symbolic of the inner struggle between civilized behavior and barbarism.
Performance:
Statistics
| Name | UEB Lapith | |
| Type | Strike Bomber | |
| Manufacturer | Kaswell Systems | |
| Maneuverability | Medium | |
| Yaw, Pitch, Roll | 4.5, 4.4, 4.5 s | |
| Max Velocity | 80 - 95 ms-1 | |
| Max Afterburner Velocity | 150 ms-1 | |
| Max Afterburner Duration | 5.67 s | |
| Armor | Medium | |
| Hitpoints | 340 pts | |
| Shields | 400 pts | |
| Length | 36 m | |
| Weaponry | ||
| Primary weapons | ||
| 1st bank | 2 guns | |
| 2nd bank | 3 guns | |
| Secondary weapons | ||
| 1st bank capacity | 20 | |
| 2nd bank capacity | 40 | |
| 3rd bank capacity | 40 | |
| 4th bank capacity | 40 | |
| Countermeasures | ||
| Countermeasure capacity | 30 countermeasures | |
Armaments
| Default Statistics | ||
| Bank | Guns | Standard Loadout |
| 1st | 2 | Scalpel |
| 2nd | 3 | Redeemer |
| Compatible Primaries | ||
| 1st | Maul, Vulcan, Rapier, Gattler, Scalpel, Sidhe, UX Accelerator | |
| 2nd | Maul, Vulcan, Rapier, Gattler, Scalpel, Sidhe, Redeemer, UX Accelerator | |
| Default Statistics | ||
| Bank | Capacity | Standard Loadout |
| 1st | 20 | Sledgehammer |
| 2nd | 40 | Jackhammer |
| 3rd | 40 | Warhammer |
| 4th | 40 | Warhammer |
| Compatible Secondaries | ||
| 1st | Sledgehammer, Shrike, Jackhammer, Warhammer, Slammer, Grimler, Paveway, Hellfire, Dirk, Javelin, Dart | |
| 2nd | Shrike, Jackhammer, Warhammer, Slammer, Grimler, Paveway, Hellfire, Dirk, Javelin, Dart | |
| 3rd | Hellfire, Dirk, Javelin, Dart, Warhammer | |
| 4th | Hellfire, Dirk, Javelin, Dart, Warhammer | |
Gallery
A UES Aranyaka repairs a damaged Lapith.
Veteran Comments
The Lapith pretty much handles as advertised. It has faster burners than the Perseus, better turn rate than an Artemis, but falls short in term of survivability: it has a huge target profile, for a hull and shields similar to the much smaller Rhea. Much like the Zeus, don't expect this ship to handle its own for long in a knife fight against Tev crafts. Which matches its intended role, since it's supposed to jump in while enemy fighters are busy, drop warheads, and bug out. Don't hesitate to abuse countermeasures, and the support ship to repair your thin hull in prolonged fights. Triple Redeemer gives it a hell of a punch (the Durga carries 4), its secondary capacity is just smaller than that of the Artemis (140 compared to Artemis' 160), and it can carry all the UEF bombs, although not in all of its banks. It is in my opinion superior to its Tev competitors Rhea and Artemis, and fills the much needed light bomber gap in the UEF tech tree. But if you're going in for a long fight with many hostile fighters involved and insufficient cover, take an Uriel or an Izra'il instead if available, as they can also carry some bombs and are definitely more survivable.
When flying against it as a Tev pilot, the Lapith is an absolute glass cannon. It's heavily armed and fast, but just doesn't have the durability of the Durga. In Behold a White Horse, they go down quickly to Kayser fire, but if you don't move fast, they'll torch your capital ships.
To emulate the above strategy for letting a strike squadrons of Lapiths work in FRED, have whatever is in the field of engagement perform fighter suppression and anti-capital SEAD, then let the Lapiths drop in, and give them some time via letting them depart via the "has-arrived-delay" SEXP or making them leave as soon as their target is destroyed.
