GTB Medusa

The GTB Medusa is a class of heavy bomber which was developed during the Great War. The main strength of the Medusa is that it was the only bomber at the time of its development which was capable of mounting the Tsunami anti-cruiser bomb. It is a hyperbole to say that the Medusa won against the Hammer of Light or achieved outstandingly against the Shivans, but the development and the success of this class inspired Terran scientists and technicians to develop a more advanced version: the GTB Ursa.

During the Reconstruction period, the appearance of the GTB Zeus and the GTB Artemis made the Medusa nearly out-of-date. During the Neo-Terra Front rebellion, the rebels used Medusas in large numbers, while the GTVA preferred to use newer technology, the aforementioned Artemis.

The Medusa was poorly armed with Primary weapons, having only two laser guns and a single turret, but as heavy bombers should be, it had a tremendous bay for Secondary weapons, being capable of carrying up to 13 Cyclops torpedoes. In dogfights, the Medusa was occassionally eliminated due to its low maneuverability.

File:Medusa

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FreeSpace 2 Ships Terran ships Fighters Bombers Transports and freighters Cruisers and corvettes Capital ships Installations Misc ships Sentry Guns Cargo Containers Vasudan ships Fighters Bombers Transports and freighters Cruisers and corvettes Capital ships Misc ships Sentry Guns Cargo Containers Shivan ships Fighters Bombers Transports and freighters Cruisers and corvettes Capital ships Misc ships Sentry Guns Cargo Containers Notable ships of FreeSpace 2

Bomber Statistics

• Type - Heavy Bomber
• Manufacturer - Han-Roland Corp.
• Manuverability - Poor
  • Rotation Damping - 0.55
  • Max Velocity - 0.0, 0.0, 50.0
  • Max Oclk Speed - 65.0
  • Rotation Time - 5.0, 4.5, 5.0
  • Rear Velocity - 0.0
  • Forward Acceleration - 4.0
  • Forward Deceleration - 2.0
  • Slide Acceleration - 0.0
  • Slide Deceleration - 0.0
• Afterburner Equiped
  • Max Afterburner Velocity - 0.0, 0.0, 100.0
  • Afterburner Fuel - 300.0
  • Afterburner Burn Rate - 50.0
  • Afterburner Recharge Rate - 25.0
• Armor - Heavy
  • Hitpoints - 350
  • Shields - 700
• Power Output - 4.0
• Length - 36 m

Bomber Armaments

• Gun Mounts - 2
  • Allowed FS1 Primaries - "ML-16 Laser" "Avenger" "Prometheus" "Leech Cannon" "S-Breaker"
  • Allowed FS2 Primaries - "Subach HL-7" "Prometheus S" "Prometheus R" "Lamprey" "Circe" "Maxim"
  • Default FS1 Primaries - "Avenger"
  • Default FS2 Primaries - "Prometheus R"
  • Max Weapon Energy - 100.0
• Missile Banks - 3
  • Allowed FS1 Secondaries - "MX-50" "Hornet" "Phoenix V" "Stiletto" "Synaptic" "Tsunami" "EM Pulse" "Cluster Bomb"
  • Allowed FS2 Secondaires - "Rockeye" "Hornet" "Tornado" "Trebuchet" "Stiletto II" "Piranha" "Cyclops" "EMP Adv." "Infyrno"
  • Default FS1 Secondaries - "Hornet" "MX-50" "Tsunami
  • Default FS2 Secondaries - "Hornet" "Cyclops" "Cyclops"
  • Secondary Capacity - 40, 80, 80
• Countermeasures - 35

FS1 Tech Room Description

The Medusa is the standard attack bomber in the GTA. Its strong shielding and large secondary capacity make it the favored attack craft against cruiser class targets. As the first bomber to carry the Tsunami bomb, the Medusa is considered the staple of any bomber pilots career.

FS2 Tech Room Description

The GTB Medusa is the workhorse of the GTVA's bomber fleet. Its large bomb capacity enables it to take out cruiser-class warships, while its strong shielding ensures it can get close enough to deliver the punch. The first bomber to carry the potent Cyclops bomb, the Medusa is sure to be one of the highlights of a bomber pilot's career.

Developer Notes

Suitable for any size target. Carries most missile types, but few cannons. Armed with defensive turret, but still requires escort.

Veteran Comments

This bomber can be pretty useful, even in FreeSpace 2. Not only can it be mounted with a large number of FS2-era weapons, but its shield and hull strength did not get obsolete during the long years of the Reconstruction period. The main setback of this bomber is its lack of useful anti-fight missile compatibility, not even the Tempest or the Harpoon can be armed on the Medusa. To balance out this weakness, more anti-cruiser bombs can be mounted on it. The turret on the top of the bomber cannot be used for much (as it is typical in FreeSpace), but having only two monodirectional laser guns has the advantage of a basically low energy demand.

Pilots who prefer a balance between strength, firepower and maneuverability will prefer this kind of bomber or the slightly better maneuverable and less powerful GTB Artemis.