GTF Ares

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File:Ares320x240.jpg
The GTF Ares

The GTF Ares is a heavy fighter class during the Second Shivan Incursion. It is an upgraded version of the GTF Hercules Mark II with more missiles and thicker armoring. The Ares's production was limited because of its high specifications and maintenance cost.

Description:

FS2 Tech Room Description

The GTF Ares class of fighters is a radical upgrade of the Hercules II fighter. The power plant has been completely replaced with the newer, more powerful Nankam NA-27f model. Depleted uranium shielding has been added atop critical subsystems, making the Ares harder to incapacitate. Two primary weapon banks have been added, for greater firepower than the Herc II. This greater punch and protection come at a cost, however, as the Ares handles like a potato.

Developer Notes

None

Name origin

In Greek mythology, Ares is the god of war, slaughter, and bloodlust. He is the son of Zeus and Hera. Ares's half-sister is Athena, who is also considered to be a war deity. While Athena was more like a strategist and relied to precise calculations, Ares preferred more straightforward methods of warfare. The roman for ares is mars.

Performance:

Statistics

Type	Strategic Assault
Manufacturer	Nankam Aeronautical
Maneuverability	Poor
Yaw, Pitch, Roll	50.0 - 62.0 s
Max Velocity	120.0 ms-1
Max Afterburner Velocity	Ultra Heavy ms-1
Armor	425
Hitpoints	650
Shields	20
Length	{{{10}}} m

Armaments

• Gun Mounts

Freespace 2
Bank	Guns	Standard Loadout
1st	2	Subach HL-7
2st	4	Prometheus R
Compatible Primaries
Subach HL-7, Akheton SDG, Prometheus R, Prometheus S, Morning Star, UD-8 Kayser, Lamprey, Circe, Maxim

• Missile Banks

Freespace 2
Bank	Capacity	Standard Loadout
1st	90	Harpoon
2nd	100	Hornet
Compatible Secondaries
MX-64, Emp. Adv, Harpoon, Tempest, Hornet, Tornado, Trebuchet, Infyrno

Veteran Comments

Please read the Veteran Comments policy before editing this section.

Despite the bad rap everyone gives this fighter i find it effective loaded with a Circe-Maxim Combo against anything larger than a manticore (The dragon is an exception to this rule).

The Ares is for those times when you just want to sit back and lob missiles at people. It also makes a decent bomber substitute against heavily defended convoys of transports and cruisers. Standard usage of an Ares defensively is to load up with GTM Trebuchets, park next to what you're defending, and blow people away with paired hits at maximum range. Never try to dogfight; it is an exercise in futility.

This fighter is ideal for those who need firepower instead of maneuverability and speed. It can be armed with more missiles and is much tougher than the GTF Hercules Mark II. In fact, this fighter is tough enough to survive a glancing hit from the main beam of a Fenris at lower difficulties. Being a heavy attack fighter, it is vulnerable against faster-moving fighters. The Ares needs fighter escorts otherwise they are easily destroyed by more agile opponents.

The Ares is compatible with a wide range of weapons, including the most destructive GTW Maxim and GTW UD-8 Kayser.

Don't choose this one for the final missions. You almost always never make it to the node, and the sluggishness is just too much. You're constantly rearming with Trebutchets... no fun. :(

This fighter is essentially tailor-made for the final missions of the main FS2 Campaign, where large numbers of bomber waves predominate, as these missions are more-or less written for the player to respond to nearly everything with massed GTM Trebuchet fire and finish off the crippled survivors with GTW UD-8 Kaysers. In most respects however the Ares is actually more a light bomber than a fighter.

Excellent against Bombers (especially Seraphim and Nephilim) and Cruisers, but never, NEVER dogfight with this 'Fighter'. The Ares handles like a log of wood and can easily be outmaneuvered by any real fighter.

This fighter feels like a Herc MKI, in fact, it is a Herc MKI with better shields and armor. If you liked the Herc MKI but hated the Herc MKII, you will love this fighter.

There is something special about this fighter,first of all, its .pof file is called Bonus... second of all, You only get it if you complete the Into the Lion's Den SOC Mission (which probably everyone has done).

You can defend a ship against almost unlimited numbers of bombers in this ship. Hit B, lock on, fire Trebuchets, hit B again, lock on, fire, repeat until everybody dies. Forget interceptors, this is a bomber's worst nightmare.

Although it handles like a log, the sheer shielding, armor and firepower more than make up for it. This ship is death incarnate in the right hands - nothing can stand before you. Six GTW UD-8 Kaysers will turn any enemy into space dust. If you're not a good shot and have trouble with faster fighters, it's generous secondary capacity will solve the problem. Either way, the best fighter in-game for me.

Though I'm not overly fond of the Ares for my own use, it is a brilliant ship to give a CPU controlled wing. Set them up with Maxim guns and Kaysers, and give them lots of Tornadoes, then point them at cruisers and corvettes. They'll survive longer than almost any other fighter in that situation, and longer than most bombers, since they aren't quite so vulnerable to enemy fighters.

Its role is hard to describe. It has a massive amount of armour and shielding, and yet without the total lack of mobility that the Ursa displays, nor the bombs that the latter has. I guess its more of a super heavy assault fighter, because it is capable of engaging fighters better than many bombers, while being able to take on the heaviest ships.

On the easiest difficulty level, three such fighters can defend two Argoes, a Hippocrates and a Triton from over thirty Nahemas, twenty Maras and a Cain with few problems. With a little help from a GVCv Sobek, they could even take out a damaged Moloch-class corvette! That's how powerful the Ares is. It is true that the Ares lacks maneuverability and speed, but its shielding, armor and firepower compensates these drawbacks very well. Once I got my hands on the Ares in the main campaign, I kept using it, even in the last mission.