GTB Medusa
The GTB Medusa is a class of heavy bomber which was developed during the Great War. The main strength of the Medusa is that it was the only bomber at the time of its development which was capable of mounting the Tsunami anti-cruiser bomb. It is a hyperbole to say that the Medusa won against the Hammer of Light or achieved outstandingly against the Shivans, but the development and the success of this class inspired Terran scientists and technicians to develop a more advanced version: the GTB Ursa.
During the Reconstruction period, the appearance of the GTB Zeus and the GTB Artemis made the Medusa nearly out-of-date. During the Neo-Terra Front rebellion, the rebels used Medusas in large numbers, while the GTVA preferred to use newer technology, the aforementioned Artemis.
The Medusa was poorly armed with Primary weapons, having only two laser guns and a single turret, but as heavy bombers should be, it had a tremendous bay for Secondary weapons, being capable of carrying up to 13 Cyclops torpedoes. In dogfights, the Medusa was occassionally eliminated due to its low maneuverability.
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| The GTB Medusa |
Contents
Description:
FS1 Tech Room Description
The Medusa is the standard attack bomber in the GTA. Its strong shielding and large secondary capacity make it the favored attack craft against cruiser class targets. As the first bomber to carry the Tsunami bomb, the Medusa is considered the staple of any bomber pilots career.
FS2 Tech Room Description
The GTB Medusa is the workhorse of the GTVA's bomber fleet. Its large bomb capacity enables it to take out cruiser-class warships, while its strong shielding ensures it can get close enough to deliver the punch. The first bomber to carry the potent Cyclops bomb, the Medusa is sure to be one of the highlights of a bomber pilot's career.
Developer Notes
Suitable for any size target. Carries most missile types, but few cannons. Armed with defensive turret, but still requires escort.
Veteran Comments
This bomber can be pretty useful, even in FreeSpace 2. Not only can it be mounted with a large number of FS2-era weapons, but its shield and hull strength did not get obsolete during the long years of the Reconstruction period. The main setback of this bomber is its lack of useful anti-fight missile compatibility, not even the Tempest or the Harpoon can be armed on the Medusa. To balance out this weakness, more anti-cruiser bombs can be mounted on it. The turret on the top of the bomber cannot be used for much (as it is typical in FreeSpace), but having only two monodirectional laser guns has the advantage of a basically low energy demand.
Pilots who prefer a balance between strength, firepower and maneuverability will prefer this kind of bomber or the slightly better maneuverable and less powerful GTB Artemis.
The Medusa is a solid medium bomber, offering no exceptional attributes or extreme weaknesses. As a bomber, it dogfights poorly and functions best with escort. Beyond that, it fits exactly with what might be expected from its type.
On higher difficulty levels, any kind of bomber is lethal when armed with a full load of Pirahna because of better friendly and enemy AI. I can load my wingmen as Medusas with full Pirahna banks, and they're actually much more effective at dogfighting than they are in a fighter.
Performance:
Statistics
| Type | Heavy Bomber |
| Manufacturer | Han-Roland Corp. |
| Manuverability | Poor |
| Max Velocity | 50.0 - 65.0 mps |
| Max Afterburner Velocity | 100.0 mps |
| Armor | Heavy |
| Hitpoints | 350 |
| Shields | 700 |
| Length | 36 m |
Armaments
| Freespace 1 | Freespace 2 | ||
| Bank | Guns | Standard Loadout | Standard Loadout |
| 1st | 2 | Avenger | Prometheus R |
| Compatible Primaries | Compatible Primaries | ||
| ML-16 Laser, Avenger, Prometheus, Leech Cannon, S-Breaker | Subach HL-7, Prometheus R, Prometheus S, Circe, Lamprey, Maxim | ||
| Freespace 1 | Freespace 2 | ||
| Bank | Capacity | Standard Loadout | Standard Loadout |
| 1st | 40 | Hornet | Hornet |
| 2nd | 80 | MX-50 | Cyclops |
| 3rd | 80 | Tsunami | Cyclops |
| Compatible Secondaries | Compatible Secondaries | ||
| MX-50, Hornet, Phoenix V, Synaptic, Stiletto, Tsunami, EM Pulse, Cluster Bomb | MX-64, Emp. Adv, Hornet, Tornado, Trebuchet, Piranha, Stiletto II, Infyrno, Cyclops, Rebel Bomb | ||
| Freespace 1 | Freespace 2 | ||
| Turret Type | Amount | Turret Type | Amount |
| Avenger | 1 | Prometheus R | 1 |
