GTB Zeus
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| File:Zeus320x240.jpg |
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| The GTB Zeus |
Contents
Description:
FS1 Tech Room Description
Another product of GTI R&D, the Zeus strike bomber is a worthy successor to the Athena. Its balanced design and increased reactor capacity give it remarkable speed for a bomber, yet still remains capable of carrying the powerful Tsunami bombs. These features will make the Zeus a versatile and effective weapon against capital ships.
FS2 Tech Room Description
The GTB Zeus is the fastest of all currently active GTVA bombers. It replaced the fleet's old Athena bombers as they were mothballed during the years following the Great War. Though slightly slower than the Athena, the Zeus's heavier armor and armament give it a much better battlezone survivability rate. Many of the Zeus wings in the GTVA fleet defected to the NTF during the initial stages of the rebellion.
Developer Notes
Excellent for hit-and-run bombing. Can carry Tsunamis. Good afterburner supply.
Veteran Comments
The Zeus just can't hack it. The decrease in speed, shields, and maneuverability, and the increase in its thickness and hence target profile are all apparently minor, but they all magnify each other. In the end, it turns out that the Zeus is significantly less survivable then the Athena. If you really want a bomber and don't need too much muscle, you're probably going to be safer in a Medusa. (By the time FS2 rolls around, just plain forget the Zeus exists and grab that Artemis. It's godly in comparison.) If you're an Athena veteran and used to flying it as if it were a fighter, don't get a Zeus.
The Zeus offers good maneuverability, relatively high speed and four primary weapons which make it ideal against fighters if you do not need a large amount of bombs. Its warhead capacity is the lowest of all Second Great War-era craft, but as compensation, aiming with its laser guns is easy and the ability to take Tempests and Harpoons make it even more effective. Against flak fire, it does not hold out for long. The Zeus is practically a tactical bomber, which can defend itself until it releases all its Trebuchets or Stilettoes, eliminating turrets on hostile warships and pave the way for heavier bombers to deliver their heavy bombs.
As for compatibility, the Zeus is a good choice as well: The Prometheus S and the UD-8 can be chosen as well as anti-fighter warheads, Trebuchets, Stilettoes and Infyrnos.
I very much disagree with the first commenter: the Zeus is excellent for what it was designed for. It's a strike bomber, which means that it's used for tactical as opposed to destructive bombing. If you need to take out a few capships, obviously the Medusa or Ursa would be a better choice. But if you need to knock out subsystems or you need to be able to dogfight as well as drop a few bombs here and there, the Zeus is the way to go. Summary: The Medusa is better for destroying lots of ships, but you wouldn't want to dogfight in it. The Athena is better for dogfighting, but it can't carry the Tsunami. Ergo the Zeus fills an important vacancy in the FS1 bomber lineup.
As the developers noted, it has a good afterburner supply. Press that tab or whatever and you will be flying at high speed for a while. However, the max afterburner velocity isn't that good (okay for a bomber), but it works when you're speeding up just before you launch your bomb, and want to have enough energy to pull away from the impact. It also recharges a bit slowly.
The key to understanding the Zeus is to realise its role: the Athena is a superior dogfighter to its replacement, but both are really intended as fast strike bombers rather than dogfighters and The Zeus significantly improves on the Athena as a bomber. In a real sense it is the forerunner to the GTB Artemis and the GVB Bakha, however by FS2 these newer ships are clearly preferable
Performance:
Statistics
| Type | Stealth Bomber/Strike Bomber (FS1/FS2) |
| Manufacturer | Dynamic Metamer |
| Maneuverability | Poor/Average |
| Yaw, Pitch, Roll | 55.0 - 75.0 s |
| Max Velocity | 110.0 ms-1 |
| Max Afterburner Velocity | High/Medium ms-1 |
| Armor | 200 |
| Hitpoints | 450 |
| Shields | 20 |
| Length | {{{10}}} m |
Armaments
| Freespace 1 | Freespace 2 | ||
| Bank | Guns | Standard Loadout | Standard Loadout |
| 1st | 2 | Avenger | Prometheus R |
| 2nd | 2 | Flail | Prometheus R |
| Compatible Primaries | Compatible Primaries | ||
| ML-16 Laser, Disruptor, Avenger, Flail, Prometheus, Leech Cannon, S-Breaker | Subach HL-7, Akheton SDG, Prometheus R, Prometheus S, Morning Star, Circe, Lamprey, Maxim | ||
| Freespace 1 | Freespace 2 | ||
| Bank | Capacity | Standard Loadout | Standard Loadout |
| 1st | 40 | Phoenix V | Trebuchet |
| 2nd | 40 | Stiletto | Stiletto II |
| 3rd | 40 | Synaptic | Piranha |
| Compatible Secondaries | Compatible Secondaries | ||
| D-Missile, Fury, Hornet, Interceptor, Phoenix V, Synaptic, Stiletto, Tsunami, EM Pulse, Cluster Bomb | Emp. Adv, Tempest, Hornet, Harpoon, Trebuchet, Piranha, Stiletto II, Infyrno, Cyclops | ||
