SB Nahema

FreeSpace 1 Ships Terran ships Fighters Bombers Transports and freighters Cruisers Capital ships Installations Misc Ships Sentry Guns Cargo Containers Vasudan ships Fighters Bombers Transports and freighters Cruisers Capital ships Misc Ships Sentry Guns Cargo Containers Shivan ships Fighters Bombers Transports and freighters Cruisers Capital ships Sentry Guns Cargo Containers Notable ships of FreeSpace 1

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

The SB Nahema is a Shivan-designed vessel. While it is classified as a bomber, the Nahema is proven to exhibit the speed and maneuverability of a heavy fighter in addition to its bomber-class ordnance. The Shivans are known to have deployed an extremely large number of Nahema bombers against the GTVA during the Second Shivan Incursion and inflicting massive losses on the Alliance using these ships.

The SB Nahema

Description:

FS2 Demo Tech Room Description

Little is currently known about the Shivan Nahema class bomber. It appears to be very maneuverable and carries a large payload. The Nahema seems to be primarily designed as an anti-fighter escort, using its large missile loads to devastate all but our heaviest fighters. Pilots engaged in a dogfight with the Nahema should be aware of its fighter-like speed.

FS2 Tech Room Description

Either the SB Nahema class is a new Shivan bomber design, or the Shivans are finally taking the GTVA seriously and bringing in their best ships. The Nahema is considered to be the Shivan's most dangerous bomber. It has demonstrated the ability to outrun virtually every fighter in the GTVA fleet. Its powerful laser banks and high-capacity missile bays make it a threat to combat craft of all types, as well as to capital ships.

Developer Notes

None

Name origin

Nahema is the name of a princess in the Near Eastern collection of tales known as the One Thousand and One Nights. The name itself means "daughter of fire".

Performance:

Statistics

Type	Bomber
Manufacturer	Unknown
Maneuverability	N/A
Max Velocity	90.0 - 72.0 mps
Max Afterburner Velocity	150.0 mps
Armor	N/A
Hitpoints	300
Shields	900
Length	37.4 m

Armaments

• Gun Mounts

FreeSpace 2
Bank	Guns	Standard Loadout
1st	2	Shivan Light Laser
1st	2	Shivan Heavy Laser

• Missile Banks

FreeSpace 2
Bank	Capacity	Standard Loadout
1st	40	Piranha
2nd	40	Trebuchet
3rd	20	Piranha

Modding Resources

The SB Nahema in the latest MVPs

Retail:

$POF File: bomber2s-02.pof

MediaVPs:

$POF File: nahema.pof

Credits: Rampage

Veteran Comments

Please read the Veteran Comments policy before editing this section.

The Nahema is a true fighter-bomber, and it can give a Myrmidon a run for the GTVA fighter's money in a dogfight if it wants. It is also very fast, making it difficult to intercept before it closes to torpedo range and starts launching. These should be the number-two priority of an interceptor pilot, right after any Seraphim. Be thankful for one small favor, though: the AI never bothers with afterburners because Retail Nahemas actually have identical speed on afterburner and military power.

If you're wondering why the Sekhmet is such a good ship, this is why. The Sekhmet is based on this tough SOB. They're tough, fairly quick, maneuverable, and well-armed. The last commentator had it right. Get rid of these things ASAP. While a Seraphim carries more raw firepower, a Nahema is a threat to anything in the area from the size of an assault fighter on up.

It's fast, and it's good, but, unlike the SB Seraphim and SB Nephilim, this is almost always destroyed by a dual Trebuchet impact, reducing its effectiveness.

With every craft in the FreeSpace universe, the Nahema has a flaw to be exploited. Unlike the other Shivan bombers, which are shaped in the oddest of ways and so harder to hit, the Nahema has a large target profile, giving even the fresh-out-the-box FreeSpace pilots a nice kill. Reducing it to shrapnel at medium range with an old-fashioned barrage of GTW Subach HL-7 makes for a partially easy kill, but be advised, your best bet at wiping it out with primaries alone is while it's on a bombing run. Otherwise, don't hesitate to unload your secondaries at a distance. I've seen the odd dual fire GTM Harpoon take care of this bad boy in one go. All in all, however, the Nahema isn't to be trifled with.

It is also to be noted that the Nahema in the demo had two turrets. As if it weren't bad enough.

For some reason, I find the Nahema to be the weakest of all Shivan bombers, excluding the Shaitan. On the lowest difficulty level, you could kill a Nahema with double Trebuchets; under the same situation, a Nephilim would have its front shields depleted with its hull integrity left at 46%, and a Seraphim would be left with no front shields and 63% hull integrity. That happens all the time. If the Nahema is lucky, it might survive dual Trebuchets, but then it would just take a couple of shots from a GTW UD-8 Kayser to kill it.

It could be used as a heavy assault fighter as well. Actually, it is much better fighter than a Basilisk—not only it is faster, but also has heavier armor. While it is less maneuverable as revealed by its Damp and RotDamp values, most AI assault fighters fly in a straight line anyway, making maneuverability somewhat a moot point when it comes to effectiveness at laying waste to helpless cruisers. However, if a player is piloting a Nahema, the lower maneuverability and the somewhat widely-spaced primary banks makes it less effective. It is also to be noted that the Nahema has a lower secondary bank capacity than the Basilisk (a total of 100 in three banks as opposed to 160 in two). Also, strangely enough, its maximum "overclocked" speed is lower than its normal cruising speed.

Numerically the most common space craft to be found in your crosshairs in the main campaign. A common tactic to take down wings of Nahemas is to fire a pair of Harpoons, then snap off a shot or two at the shield the Harpoons will hit. The Harpoons will punch through the weakened shields and often as not destroy this bomber outright, allowing you to cycle through a wing quickly. If one breaks off and engages you, watch the Piranhas; consecutive hits from either the shockwave or bomblets can easily kill you outright.

Its main feature is that it is the only Shivan bomber in both games to be equipped with an afterburner. You'll have a lot less time to take them out before they can deliver their payload.