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During the Reconstruction period, the appearance of the GTB Zeus and the GTB Artemis made the Medusa nearly out of date.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.

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File:Medusa320X240.jpg
The GTB Medusa

Description:

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.

Name origin

The gorgon Medusa (name meaning guardian or protectress) was a mythic monstrous female individual, who could turn anyone who looked at her to stone. She was killed by the human hero Perseus, who used her head as a sort of weapon before he gave it to Athena.

Performance:

Statistics

Type	Heavy Bomber
Manufacturer	Han-Roland Corp.
Maneuverability	Poor
Yaw, Pitch, Roll	50.0 - 65.0 s
Max Velocity	100.0 ms-1
Max Afterburner Velocity	Heavy ms-1
Armor	350
Hitpoints	700
Shields	36
Length	{{{10}}} m

Armaments

• Gun Mounts

Freespace 1			Freespace 2
Bank	Guns	Standard Loadout	Standard Loadout
1st	2	Avenger	Prometheus R
Compatible Primaries			Compatible Primaries
ML-16 Laser, Avenger, Prometheus, Leech Cannon, S-Breaker			Subach HL-7, Prometheus R, Prometheus S, Circe, Lamprey, Maxim

• Missile Banks

Freespace 1			Freespace 2
Bank	Capacity	Standard Loadout	Standard Loadout
1st	40	Hornet	Hornet
2nd	80	MX-50	Cyclops
3rd	80	Tsunami	Cyclops
Compatible Secondaries			Compatible Secondaries
MX-50, Hornet, Phoenix V, Synaptic, Stiletto, Tsunami, EM Pulse, Cluster Bomb			MX-64, Emp. Adv, Hornet, Tornado, Trebuchet, Piranha, Stiletto II, Infyrno, Cyclops, Rebel Bomb

• Turrets

Freespace 1		Freespace 2
Turret Type	Amount	Turret Type	Amount
Avenger	1	Prometheus R	1

Veteran Comments

Please read the Veteran Comments policy before editing this section.

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 become obsolete during the long years of the Reconstruction period. The main setback of this bomber is its lack of useful anti-fighter missile compatibility, not even the Tempest or the Harpoon can be mounted 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.

The Medusa is a solid medium bomber, offering no exceptional attributes or extreme weaknesses. As a bomber, it dogfights poorly and functions best with escort. Beyond that, it fits exactly with what might be expected from its type.

On higher difficulty levels, any kind of bomber is lethal when armed with a full load of Pirahnas because of better friendly and enemy AI. I can load my wingmen as Medusas with full Pirahna banks, and they're actually much more effective at dogfighting than they are in a fighter.

When playing on Insane difficulty, these seem to be the only bombers (besides the Bakha) that try to evade your primary fire. Luckily, they're not especially maneuverable.