GTF Ares
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| The GTF Ares |
The 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.
Contents
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
Veteran Comments
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.
When using this fighter, think mobile sentry gun if you're going to go attack other fighters. It is truly atrocious in handling, and will be a severe detriment in dogfighting, so if you want to, try and sit still and take out fighters with harpoons. However, the good firepower, great missile capacity, and armour makes this good for attacking warships.
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 cripled survivors with GTW UD-8 Kaysers. In most respects however the Ares is actaully more a light bomber than a fighter.
Performance:
Statistics
| Type | Strategic Assault |
| Manufacturer | Nankam Aeronautical |
| Manuverability | Poor |
| Max Velocity | 50.0 - 62.0 mps |
| Max Afterburner Velocity | 120.0 mps |
| Armor | Ultra Heavy |
| Hitpoints | 425 |
| Shields | 650 |
| Length | 20 m |
Armaments
| 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 | ||
| Freespace 2 | ||
| Bank | Capacity | Standard Loadout |
| 1st | 90 | Harpoon |
| 2nd | 100 | Hornet |
| Compatible Secondaries | ||
| MX-64, Emp. Adv, Harpoon, Tempest, Hornet, Tornado, Trebuchet, Infyrno | ||
