F-302 fighter-interceptor



The F-302 fighter-interceptor is the production model of the X-302 fighter, an air and space superiority vehicle operated by the Federation.

Overview
A space-worthy fighter-interceptor aircraft reverse-engineered from Goa'uld technology but entirely human-built, unlike its predecessor, the X-301 Interceptor. When the experimental X-302 was added to the fleet, it became officially known as the F-302 fighter-interceptor. Earth now commands a fleet of F-302s. The Prometheus and Daedalus-class warships such as the Odyssey carry one and two squadrons of these vessels respectively. The USS Intrepid-A carries two squadrons of these vessels respectively. In 2385 Colonel John Sheppard ordered that all other fighters be replaced with F-302s on the USS Intrepid-A. The ships have been used in the defense of the planet, and they have also been stationed at off-world bases such as the Icarus Base. F-302s can seat up to two pilots and are most often used in aerial combat situations, but they are also capable of transporting and deploying objects such as satellites into orbit. They are one of the most valuable assets at the Federation's disposal - they can stand toe to toe with 2-3 Xindi fighters or Romulan fighters and win. Their main advantage is their torpedoes, which are better in dogfights than the forward firing energy weapons of its enemies.

Features
After the largely successful testing of the X-302, the craft entered production with only slight modifications. The hyperdrive, which had originally been intended to allow interstellar travel, was altered to provide only short intra-system hops. Also, the two jet exhausts were modified so as to function as rockets in outer-atmosphere combat. F-302s do not require a very long runway, possibly having STOL capabilities, making them easy to adapt to various locations. Even with their limited warp capability, the F-302s have proven their usefulness in battle situations and are stationed both on Earth and at off-world bases, such as Starbase Atlantis. The X-302 reached the hypersonic speed of Mach 6 inside Earth's atmosphere at an altitude of 30 kilometers. The interceptor uses the modified impulse engines in high altitudes. These capabilities were most likely inherited by the F-302. Along with inertial dampeners, the F-302 also has the maneuverability of a Flyer class shuttle. In addition to standard landing gear, it possesses three grappling cables that allow it to latch onto another object. The cables are able to withstand considerable strain, enabling the craft to tow objects far larger than the fighter itself. It also possesses a small cargo or bomb bay. The F-302 has hundreds of safety mechanisms to compensate for anything that could go wrong. It also has an autopilot which cuts in to ensure safety. When a F-302 is destroyed, its inertial dampeners emit an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) which can easily interfere with electrical and communications signals. This was discovered during the clean-up following the battle with the Xindi. The phenomenon was studied by scientists at the SGC and was determined to be caused by the concussive force of the craft's destruction interfering with the artificial gravity field generated by the inertial dampeners. F-302s are armed with highly effective dual phaser cannons and photon torpedoes. The warheads on said torpedoes have been enhanced with naquadah and are capable of inflicting heavy damage to the warp drive of a Xindi warship. The F-302 can also carry quantum torpedoes. This is not a normal feature of the craft, but they can be retrofitted with them. The F-302 has also been shown to be equipped with a payload bay on the underside of the craft, used to carry additional weapons remains to be seen.

History
The F-302 saw its first use against the attacking forces of the Xindi during the Federation-Xindi war in 2379. Since then, it has handled itself well in combat against both the Goa'uld Death Glider and Xindi fighters. Both the BC-303 and the 304-classes have been outfitted with a complement of F-302 fighter-interceptors. The Prometheus, the only BC-303 constructed, was outfitted with a squadron of eight F-302s. Additionally, every 304 carries twice as many fighters as the Prometheus. The 304 Korolev carried a compliment of F-302s. The F-302s have since been used actively by the Federation fleet and have participated in most major battles of the Xindi war. In 2381, David Telford engaged the fleet attacking Icarus Base in an F-302 along with other 302s from the base and from the Daedalus. In 2384 during the Xindi attack on Earth, Colonel Sheppard and Captain Kira decided to launch a first strike against a Xindi warship with a squadron of F-302s that were on standby with Earth Defense. Sheppard had them equipped with quantum torpedoes to make them more effective and hopefully powerful enough to take out the Xindi warship. The squadron was successfully fitted with quantum torpedoes, but were deployed instead to cover Earth from a Xindi attack. All of the squadron except Sheppard's 302 were destroyed in the skirmish. In a last desperate move, Sheppard flew his 302 into orbit and once the Xindi warship got close enough, blasted his way through the shuttlebay doors with a torpedo. He then landed his F-302 in the shuttlebay and prepared to detonate the torpedo the fighter was retrofitted with. After being stopped by McKay, the torpedo was rigged with a remote detonator and the F-302 was left by itself and apparently was never detected. Ultimately Sheppard remote detonated his F-302's torpedo, destroying the Xindi warship.