Difference between revisions of "Starfleet Starfighter Corps"


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''After prolonged study Starfleet decided in 2338 to procure a new craft for advanced warp/impulse pilot and navigational training duties. Initially it was hoped to produce a completely new design, but this proved over-ambitious for such a low priority project and Starfleet was compelled to modify an existing civilian vessel; the Raider-type utility craft was an obvious choice for this role and after a short fly-off between it and the Alganth class, the Raider class was selected.
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{{Military/Starfleet
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|image=[[Image:StarfleetFighters.png|300px]]
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|name=Starfleet Starfighter Corps
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|unit=
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|active=
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|partof=[[Starfleet]]
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|government=United Federation of Planets
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|branch=
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|type=
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|role=*Protecting starships and starbases
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*Acting as backup for capitol ships in battle
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|garrison=
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|flagship=
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|nickname=
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|motto=
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|battles=
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|decorations=
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|cincsf=President of the [[United Federation of Planets]]
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|cossf=[[Fleet Admiral]] Teval
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|cmdtsfmc=
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|dcmdtsfmc=
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|sgtmajsfmc=
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|cosfdept=[[Rear Admiral]] Dalero
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|mcpodept=MCPO Jiro Jolen
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}}
  
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''The initial vessel procured by Starfleet was very similar to the civilian craft, with identical hull and propulsion systems. Changes included a cockpit which featured a master control station for the instructor, an aft compartment fitted with six consoles for navigator trainees, increased life support capacity for the extra personnel, a Starfleet model escape pod system and a more sophisticated computer core. One hundred and twenty of this alpha type were delivered between 2339 and 2342, replacing the older Swift class in Starfleet service. Once the Raider came into regular Starfleet use, the advantages of the design became obvious; although larger than most shuttle craft the Raider was much more suitable for interstellar level missions, and would make an ideal light utility vessel.
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The Starfighter Corps is perhaps one of the youngest military units in the [[Federation]] today.  They were greeted with much approval at the beginning due to the ongoing conflicts with the Borg and the Dominion, however [[Starfleet]] pilots have begun a friendly rivalry with the starfighters, much like the [[SFMC|Marines]] and [[security officer]]s, but far less aggressive. The Starfighter Corps went through a trial by fire during the Dominion War and yet still needs to prove their value.
  
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''By 2345 Starfleet was concerned that it had become over dependant on transporters to land personnel and equipment on planetary surfaces against opposition by threat forces. Such systems were relatively easy to disrupt over wide areas even with relatively low-level technology, while transporters especially can be distinctly twitchy in the face of unusually adverse environmental conditions. To rectify this problem it was decided to produce a new beta type model of the Raider as a medium assault utility craft; the standard equipment of this type would include twin type 4 phaser emitters, photon torpedoes and a shield system considerably more capable than any existing shuttle craft. This would allow the Raider to carry larger loads into more dangerous situations than any existing cargo shuttle was capable of, while the warp capability of the Raider would allow it to operate on a true short to medium range interstellar basis - a considerable advantage over any shuttle craft then in service.
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== History ==
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In the 20th century, fighter aircraft were a large part of war.  They were used in all three world wars, and to great effect during the Eugenics War, when up close and personal contact with a human augment was not a promising prospect.  However, after first contact with the [[Vulcan]]s, humanity no longer used fighters, either in the atmosphere or in the space above.  As the years passed, the United Earth saw no need for it, and neither did the Coalition of Planets nor the [[Federation]] after it was founded.
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<br><br>
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This began to change during the Federation-Cardassian war.  Cardassian fighters proved effective in bypassing the defenses of larger federation vessels, and Starfleet was quick to develop the means to defend against it.  The war ended before any sort of plan could be put in action, and fighter designs were put on the back-burner until resources could be allocated for it. During this time, the Raider Class assault ship was being phased out, although several were used for training.  The first one to show was the Raider-class, though it was more of a troop and cargo transport than a fighter.  It was much smaller than a starship but larger than a shuttle though it could technically fight inside a shuttlebay if needed.
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In 2367 Starfleet introduced the {{Class|Peregrine}} for the Borg threat due to the belief that large capitol ships were not sufficient by themselves.  It was stationed on starbases near the Delta Quadrant, as well as near other major powers such as the [[Klingon]], [[Romulan]], and [[Tholian]], though Deep Space Nine did not have starfighters due to the agreement with the [[Bajoran]]s.  These fighters used mainly {{Class|Akira}} as carriers while other carriers were being developed.
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<br><br>
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Soon Starfleet began to develop other fighters such as the Scorpion Mk I fighter and the {{Class|Viper}}, just as the Dominion War was starting.  The new fighters proved their value during this time, creating holes in shields and allowing the capitol ships to destroy enemy ships much more easily.  The starfighters also went head to head with the Dominion attack ships as they were the same size.  The starfighters did help a good deal in winning the Dominion War as more of the capitol ships would have been destroyed had it not been for the fighter pilots.
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<br><br>
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Shortly after the Dominion War, the Starfleet Starfighter Corps, whose headquarters at Starfleet Starfighter Command on Earth, was founded and the Research and Development department of the [[Corps of Engineers]] began to create more fighter classes and has so far made two, the {{Class|Razor}} and the {{Class|Scorpion MkII}}, and many of the next generation of [[Starfleet]] vessels contain starfighter wings.
  
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''A further two hundred of these beta type Raiders were procured for this mission; they served during peacetime as general purpose cargo and personnel carriers. The combat debut of the Raider came during the Cardassian war; three of these vessels were used to transfer supplies and personnel to Setlik III during the Cardassian attack of that settlement. The Cardassian war allowed the Raider to operate in its true role for the first time, where the craft proved to be generally successful in service despite a relatively high attrition rate.
 
  
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''The Cardassian war also proved the impetus for the next variant of the Raider class, the gamma type assault craft. For this variant the idea of routine cargo hauling was dropped completely; the design was scaled up to double the size of a standard Raider, at 60 metres long. The aft hold was kept at its original size, but was converted into a troop compartment capable of holding fifty fully armed personnel and two transporter systems. The extra space created behind the troop compartment was used to expand the relative size of the warp core and add extra shields and weapons. The type 4 phasers were replaced with type 5 models and the number of photon torpedoes was increased from six to twelve, while the shields were boosted by some 30%. The gamma type performed widely during the middle and latter part of the war, both in the patrol role and in strikes at targets just across the front lines. This brought the Raider into contact with the Hedeki class patrol craft, and a bitter rivalry quickly developed between the Starfleet crews and their Cardassian counterparts. While lacking the glamour of the big ship engagements, the Raider-Hedeki clash was if anything more furious and intense. The Hedeki is considerably larger and somewhat more heavily armed than the gamma Raider, which is in turn more manoeuvrable and has better sensors. Of ninety seven engagements between the two, fifty eight Hedekis were lost for forty six Raiders - a true testament to the determination of the Starfleet crews. Since the end of the Cardassian war many gamma's have continued to serve on the Cardassian border; others serve as patrol craft in low-threat areas of the Federation, while the remainder were demilitarized and sold into the private market.
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== Organization ==
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''See Also:
  
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''With a craft as widely available as the Raiders it is inevitable that some will be used for dubious purposes. As mentioned, all Starfleet vessels transferred into the private sector have been demilitarized; however the modifications required to reverse this process are simple once the necessary hardware has been acquired and many bandits have fitted their Raiders with weapons. Several dozen beta type Raiders were operated by the Maquis during their struggle with the Cardassians, along with a handful of gamma types; the large number of civilian Raiders in use for legitimate business made an ideal cover for the terrorists operations. One of the Maquis larger Raiders was lost in 2371 when it was dragged across the galaxy by the being known as "The Caretaker". The ship was subsequently destroyed by the kazon, and its remaining crew was integrated into that of the USS Voyager.2 Almost all of these craft were destroyed by the Jem'Hadar after the Dominion absorbed Cardassia''
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* ''[[Group Commander]]
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* ''[[Wing Commander]]
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* ''[[Squadron Leader]]
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* ''[[Flight Leader]]
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* ''[[Fighter Pilot]]
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* ''[[Tactical Systems Operator]]''
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<br>
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The Starfleet Starfighter Corps is broken down into several unit types, similar to the [[SFMC]].  The smallest unit is the Flight Team (eight fighters), led by a [[Flight Leader]].  This person is usually an [[ensign]] or a [[Lieutenant JG|junior lieutenant]], depending on the ranks of their superiors.  Flight Leaders oversee the condition of 8 fighters and their pilots and, if applicable, their [[tactical systems operator]]s.  The Flight Teams stay in the same barracks, eat together, train together, to form a cohesive unit in the face of the enemy and to eliminate as many human errors as possible due to unfamiliarity.  At times, Flight Leaders will be the most senior [[fighter pilot]] onboard the starship due to the vessel's size and will be a member of the senior staff. More often, however, the Flight Leader reports to the [[Squadron Leader]].
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The Squadron Leader is in charge of one squadron of fighters and their pilots, which breaks down into four Flight Teams or twenty-four fighters and fighter pilots.  Like the Flight Teams, the pilots live and eat together, though they do tend to train in the smaller units.  Often, the Squadron Leader will coordinate with the Flight Leaders to organize training schedules for certain Flight Teams to train together, or for the Squadron to train as a whole so as to provide optimal efficiency. If a Squadron is the largest starfighter unit aboard the starship or starbase, the Squadron Leader reports directly to the [[Commanding Officer]] and the [[Executive Officer]] and is a member of the senior staff.
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However, if the Squadron is part of a larger group, called a Wing, the Squadron Leader reports to the [[Wing Commander]].  A Fighter Wing is comprised of two to three Squadrons, or forty-eight to seventy-two starfighters.  Though the Squadrons live together in one barrack, it is hard to find room for an entire wing of starfighters aboard a starship and so the different Squadrons live in separate barracks.  The [[Wing Commander]] deals mostly with the Squadron Leaders and at times the Flight Leaders, though rarely will they interact with the pilots that are not on their flight or squadron.  The Wing Commander must make decisions such as what fighters to fix first, who goes to training when, and what squadron gets the best shower times.  This is in many ways similar to being a Commanding Officer, though all the crewmen are pilots.  Wings are often the most populous unit onboard a starship though most stop at Squadrons.  The Wing Commander in these cases is a member of the senior staff and and reports to the CO and XO, though if it is onboard a starbase, they report to the Group Commander.
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<br><br>
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Air Groups are the largest of the spaceborne units in the Starfighter Corps and are stationed on starbases such as the {{Class|Ethereal}} and the {{Class|Stardock}}, the {{Class|Regula}} being too small for an Air Group. Air Groups are comprised of somewhere between 96 and 240 starfighters, possibly more, and are commanded by the [[Group Commander]], also called Commander of the Air Group (CAG).  There may be two or three wings in the Air Group, and the senior most Wing Commander is the executive officer of the unit, the Group Commander being the commander of the unit.  Onboard a starbase, the Group Commander reports to the Commanding Officer and Executive Officer of the starbase and is part of the senior staff.
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<br><br>
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Holding the Air Groups together is the Starfleet Starfighter Corps itself, coordinating with [[Starfleet Operations]] to send this [[fighter pilot]] here, or this Flight Team there, all to the best benefit of [[Starfleet]] as a whole.
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== Credits ==
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Pegasus Fleet would like to thank Kevin Dearman for his instrumental assistance in the creation of the history for this article.

Latest revision as of 23:34, 15 June 2014

Starfleet Starfighter Corps
StarfleetFighters.png
Part Of:

Starfleet

Allegiance:

United Federation of Planets

Role:
  • Protecting starships and starbases
  • Acting as backup for capitol ships in battle
Command Staff
Commander-in-Chief of the Federation Starfleet:

President of the United Federation of Planets

Chief of Staff of Starfleet:

Fleet Admiral Teval

Chief of Starfleet Department:

Rear Admiral Dalero

Master Chief Petty Officer of Department:

MCPO Jiro Jolen

Source


The Starfighter Corps is perhaps one of the youngest military units in the Federation today. They were greeted with much approval at the beginning due to the ongoing conflicts with the Borg and the Dominion, however Starfleet pilots have begun a friendly rivalry with the starfighters, much like the Marines and security officers, but far less aggressive. The Starfighter Corps went through a trial by fire during the Dominion War and yet still needs to prove their value.

History

In the 20th century, fighter aircraft were a large part of war. They were used in all three world wars, and to great effect during the Eugenics War, when up close and personal contact with a human augment was not a promising prospect. However, after first contact with the Vulcans, humanity no longer used fighters, either in the atmosphere or in the space above. As the years passed, the United Earth saw no need for it, and neither did the Coalition of Planets nor the Federation after it was founded.

This began to change during the Federation-Cardassian war. Cardassian fighters proved effective in bypassing the defenses of larger federation vessels, and Starfleet was quick to develop the means to defend against it. The war ended before any sort of plan could be put in action, and fighter designs were put on the back-burner until resources could be allocated for it. During this time, the Raider Class assault ship was being phased out, although several were used for training. The first one to show was the Raider-class, though it was more of a troop and cargo transport than a fighter. It was much smaller than a starship but larger than a shuttle though it could technically fight inside a shuttlebay if needed.

In 2367 Starfleet introduced the Peregrine-class for the Borg threat due to the belief that large capitol ships were not sufficient by themselves. It was stationed on starbases near the Delta Quadrant, as well as near other major powers such as the Klingon, Romulan, and Tholian, though Deep Space Nine did not have starfighters due to the agreement with the Bajorans. These fighters used mainly Akira-class as carriers while other carriers were being developed.

Soon Starfleet began to develop other fighters such as the Scorpion Mk I fighter and the Viper-class, just as the Dominion War was starting. The new fighters proved their value during this time, creating holes in shields and allowing the capitol ships to destroy enemy ships much more easily. The starfighters also went head to head with the Dominion attack ships as they were the same size. The starfighters did help a good deal in winning the Dominion War as more of the capitol ships would have been destroyed had it not been for the fighter pilots.

Shortly after the Dominion War, the Starfleet Starfighter Corps, whose headquarters at Starfleet Starfighter Command on Earth, was founded and the Research and Development department of the Corps of Engineers began to create more fighter classes and has so far made two, the Razor-class and the Scorpion MkII-class, and many of the next generation of Starfleet vessels contain starfighter wings.


Organization

See Also:


The Starfleet Starfighter Corps is broken down into several unit types, similar to the SFMC. The smallest unit is the Flight Team (eight fighters), led by a Flight Leader. This person is usually an ensign or a junior lieutenant, depending on the ranks of their superiors. Flight Leaders oversee the condition of 8 fighters and their pilots and, if applicable, their tactical systems operators. The Flight Teams stay in the same barracks, eat together, train together, to form a cohesive unit in the face of the enemy and to eliminate as many human errors as possible due to unfamiliarity. At times, Flight Leaders will be the most senior fighter pilot onboard the starship due to the vessel's size and will be a member of the senior staff. More often, however, the Flight Leader reports to the Squadron Leader.

The Squadron Leader is in charge of one squadron of fighters and their pilots, which breaks down into four Flight Teams or twenty-four fighters and fighter pilots. Like the Flight Teams, the pilots live and eat together, though they do tend to train in the smaller units. Often, the Squadron Leader will coordinate with the Flight Leaders to organize training schedules for certain Flight Teams to train together, or for the Squadron to train as a whole so as to provide optimal efficiency. If a Squadron is the largest starfighter unit aboard the starship or starbase, the Squadron Leader reports directly to the Commanding Officer and the Executive Officer and is a member of the senior staff.

However, if the Squadron is part of a larger group, called a Wing, the Squadron Leader reports to the Wing Commander. A Fighter Wing is comprised of two to three Squadrons, or forty-eight to seventy-two starfighters. Though the Squadrons live together in one barrack, it is hard to find room for an entire wing of starfighters aboard a starship and so the different Squadrons live in separate barracks. The Wing Commander deals mostly with the Squadron Leaders and at times the Flight Leaders, though rarely will they interact with the pilots that are not on their flight or squadron. The Wing Commander must make decisions such as what fighters to fix first, who goes to training when, and what squadron gets the best shower times. This is in many ways similar to being a Commanding Officer, though all the crewmen are pilots. Wings are often the most populous unit onboard a starship though most stop at Squadrons. The Wing Commander in these cases is a member of the senior staff and and reports to the CO and XO, though if it is onboard a starbase, they report to the Group Commander.

Air Groups are the largest of the spaceborne units in the Starfighter Corps and are stationed on starbases such as the Ethereal-class and the Stardock-class, the Regula-class being too small for an Air Group. Air Groups are comprised of somewhere between 96 and 240 starfighters, possibly more, and are commanded by the Group Commander, also called Commander of the Air Group (CAG). There may be two or three wings in the Air Group, and the senior most Wing Commander is the executive officer of the unit, the Group Commander being the commander of the unit. Onboard a starbase, the Group Commander reports to the Commanding Officer and Executive Officer of the starbase and is part of the senior staff.

Holding the Air Groups together is the Starfleet Starfighter Corps itself, coordinating with Starfleet Operations to send this fighter pilot here, or this Flight Team there, all to the best benefit of Starfleet as a whole.

Credits

Pegasus Fleet would like to thank Kevin Dearman for his instrumental assistance in the creation of the history for this article.

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