SF Dragon
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| The SF Dragon |
The SF Dragon was the smallest and most rarely used Shivan fighter. The Dragon was armed with three primary cannons and a low-capacity secondary bank. Despite its low armament and firepower, it was the smallest of all Shivan fighters and as such were extremely hard to hit for less maneuverable craft, making it a very powerful adversary of even an interceptor fighter.
The Shivans made limited use of the Dragon, deploying them in small numbers.
The first Shivan fighter to have ever been captured by the Terrans and the Vasudans was a Dragon class designated Arjuna 1. Through the capture of this Shivan fighter, the joint Terran-Vasudan forces learned much about Shivan technology, especially fighter systems. Arjuna 1 was later used in a high-risk reconnaissance mission, shortly before the Destruction of Vasuda Prime.
Contents
Description:
FS1 Tech Room Description
The Shivan Dragon is easily the most impressive fightercraft we have yet seen. Its maneuverability is unmatched, and it has quite a few other advantages, including a good top speed, powerful afterburners, and strong shields. It is the only Shivan fighter we have been able to study up close, and we have learned a great deal about Shivan engineering from it.
It seems that the Shivan shield systems are extremely strong, but their hulls are far weaker than our own. They also rely on primary weapons far more then secondaries, as evidenced by the Dragon's small capacity.
The GTA considers the Dragon as a Class A threat.
FS2 Tech Room Description
The Shivan fighter class SF Dragon is a fast, extremely agile craft. Its twin lasers pack a deadly punch. The Dragon's weakness seems to be a thin hull. The trouble is that their speed and maneuverability make them extremely difficult to hit.
Developer Notes
None
Veteran Comments
The Dragon is widely considered the best Shivan fighter ever (though my personal opinion leans towards the Mara in that regard). It is small, well-armed with lasers though deficent in secondary weaponry, quick, and insanely maneuverable. On higher difficulty levels the Dragon borders on unkillable, and even on lower ones it can be a surprisingly nasty opponent. If at all possible, destroy Dragons at range with missiles rather then getting into a dogfight.
Really hard to hit with guns and really hard to lock on to with missiles. It has thick shielding, and will run circles around nearly every fighter you fly, save for the Horus interceptor. Even then, this ship has more shielding than the Horus, and it still has better maneuverability.
It is to be noted that the version of the Dragon you fly in FS1's Playing Judas is much, much weaker then the genuine article.
Hell in space. A wing of them show up in the last mission of the main FS2 campaign. If you're flying an Ares, you're screwed.
A nasty piece of work, to be sure, that'll rip you to ribbons if you're not careful. Best policy? Harpoon 'em at range and try and keep your distance(!) as best possible. Once in close contact, do not succumb to target fixation; the Dragon can keep you distracted from other dangers. The only real way to take one down at close range is to make exactly the right counter-turn at exactly the right time, then open fire. Try and get all your wingmates on one at a time; isolate and obliterate.
Performance:
Statistics
| Type | Space Superiority (?) |
| Manufacturer | Unknown |
| Manuverability | N/A |
| Max Velocity | 75.0 - 90.0 mps |
| Max Afterburner Velocity | 150.0 mps |
| Armor | N/A |
| Hitpoints | 100 |
| Shields | 700 |
| Length | 16 m |
Armaments
| Freespace 1 | Freespace 2 | ||
| Bank | Guns | Standard Loadout | Standard Loadout |
| 1st | 2 | Shivan Heavy Laser | Shivan Heavy Laser |
| 2nd | 3 | Shivan Heavy Laser | Shivan Heavy Laser |
| Freespace 1 | Freespace 2 | ||
| Bank | Capacity | Standard Loadout | Standard Loadout |
| 1st | 20 | Interceptor | Harpoon |
