GTF Ares

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The Galactic Terran Fighter (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.

The GTF Ares

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.

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.

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.

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 Tornados, 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.

When you can use it—do so. Loading the Ares with a low-power primary on the first bank (I prefer the GTW Subach HL-7) and a high-power primary on the second bank (I prefer the Kayser). Yes, it handles horribly. Yes, it is very slow. Yes, it has an excess of shields and hull. And yes, it's a bomber's worst nightmare. Load up secondaries with only the GTM Trebuchet and be ready to take on some AI enemies. Fighters or bombers beware: the Ares is the sniper of the GTVA. Even against fighters on Hard or higher difficulty, it was very possible to take out 80% of fighters and 90% of bombers (except for the Nephilim and Seraphim, which will require more than just two Trebs to kill). If anything survives, it's probably badly damaged and can be finished off quickly with primaries. The AI doesn't seem to know how to use this fighter properly, so you're probably better off loading it with a configuration adjusted for the AI—use high-power primaries, shorter-range secondaries, and be ready to order coordinated attacks.

The Ares has exceptional primary energy recharge, greater than any other craft including the Terran Mara. Its reserves are slightly below the Terran Mara's, but equal to or better than anything else.

In my experience, an Ares armed with the Maxim can be just as damaging to cruisers as a bomber or two, if not moreso, and the Morning Star in the other bank allows it to shoot down enemy bombs with ease. That said, its handling does leave something to be desired, although it's no Ursa...

As has been previously stated, the Ares cannot hold its own against fighters on Hard/Insane difficulties. If you're skilled, you can probably dogfight on Very Easy/Medium. However, this thing tears cruisers apart like lunch meat. If you load a Maxim cannon and a Kayser onto an Ares, along with an Infyrno or two, and maybe some Trebs, you will rip through a Cain, Fenris, Mentu, Leviathan, and even a Lilith in seconds.