REP Scout
Light Assault
| Armor: | 30 HP |
| Build cost: | 35 RU |
| Build time: | 20 sec |
| Maximum speed: | 300 m/s |
| Turning rate: | 105.0 deg/s |
| Squadron firepower: | 23.81 HP/s |
| weapon type | count | RPM | damage | individual firepower | total firepower |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unh_ftsgun | 2 | 129.87 | 6 | 12 | 23.8 |
VTs.III/d "Jiilaak"
In AHL 82 the republic put out a call for a new light fighter design for a fresh wave of modernization. In response the Neldataal design bureau, as one of the imperial development organs that survived the transitional era the most painlessly, was able to reach into it's archives and update a design that had been in service prior to the introduction of the Landfall era 'Fiirkan' scout. While other competing designs were proposed, the Neldataal design was selected and entered service in AHL 86, dubbed Jiilaak by UNH intelligence.
The new design filled a number of objectives, both military and political. The Jiilaak's sensor packages can be quickly replaced to convert it between military reconnaissance and civilian shipping inspection roles, a feature that comes with a small price in mass efficiency but is made up for by advances in weapon optimization. This flexibility allowed it to be aggressively deployed in commerce policing roles, putting a brand new weapon system that harkened back to classic imperial fighters, replacing the far less traditional 'Reetno' fighter that had been in service 43 years, as the face of the republic military as trading relations with the then-new confederation improved. At the same time, it put thousands of brand new fighters on that border that could be war ready in a matter of days, if not hours. It was meant to impress the Confederate citizens with the cultural and technological strength of the republic.
According to intelligence, they didn't notice. Never the less, the Jiilaak is a perfectly serviceable scout fighter that remains popular with pilots to this day. Republic doctrine for use in a combat enviroment is either in small groups for reconisance staying out of range of enemy guns, or in massed swarms to make it difficult for enemy gunners to pick out specific targets. The presence of guided missiles or corvette-class turreted weapons drasticlly shortens survival times, platforms mounting these should be targeted preferential if you are supporting a Jiilaak heavy force.
The Jiilaak's codename is taken from a bird found in marshes in the southern hemisphere of Higaara, an animal known for peering past the water's surface to prey on unaware fish. While kushan culture is fascinated to this day by the wildlife of the homeworld, Taiidani pilots seem to take some umbrage to this particular association, preferring to stick to phoneticizations of the ship's VTs.III armory code.
