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YA-432 Broadsword Fighter; Obsolete Erineos Fighter
Topic Started: Apr 17 2017, 10:00 AM (9 Views)
Wheeljack
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Yakaiev YA-432 Space Superiority Fighter

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Viper Mk V from Battlestar Galactica


Name: Broadsword
Designation: YA-432
Manufacturer/Designer: Yakaiev Design Bureau

Operator: Committee for State Security
Erineos Republic Navy (Historical)
Thyserian Defense Force (Reaper War Only)
Empire of Pax Vitus

Availability: No longer in production

Year Built:
2110-Prototype
2113-IOC in the Erineos Republic Navy
2115-Regular Production begins
2130-Regular Production ceased, some sporadic orders for the CSS
2175-Production halted, spare parts made as needed

Classification: Space Superiority Fighter
Features:
Thyserian Armor Plating
Military-grade Kinetic Barriers
Advanced Thyserian Avionics

Production Cost: 13 million Syshule (2110)
Propulsion: 3 sublight antiproton engines

Armament:
-[3] 30mm Autocannons
-[8] Missile Hardpoints per wing

Advantages:
High maneuverability
Hardpoints for 16 missiles
Addition of a third gun
Average atmospheric handling

Disadvantages:
Lack of top visibility due to canopy design
Avionics Layout is primarily forward facing
Advanced for its time, though now dated
Meant as a stopgap fighter to bridge the gap between the Scimitar and Zero

Description:
The Broadsword is a visible shift in the design of Yakaiev’s iconic line of fighters, the bridge between the modern Zero and earlier models. Taking a cue from A’tai-Varyevic’s recently introduced Ardat, it was time for Yakaiev to up the ante with their traditional fighters.

The 432 bought several advantages like advanced avionics. Part of the reason the 432 came to be was to test avionics that would eventually be fitted into the Zero and work out the issues with their implementation. The Zero’s design also began to take shape: the addition of another 30mm autocannon and the sleek form typical of Asari, but without departing too much from the Rapier’s base.

One of the biggest complaints of the Broadsword is the canopy design. Unlike the Scimitar which afforded upper visibility, the canopy had a large metal piece which blocked any upward vision for the pilots. While supplementing the Super Scimitars in service, the Broadsword was never widely accepted in the Erineos Republic Navy. It was promptly retired in 2197 when the Zero entered mass production.

The Committee for State Security however continued using the Broadsword for the time being, allowing the fighter to serve alongside the Zero, Scimitar, Super Scimitar, and Ardat. Fighting against the Oculus in space, the Broadsword proved to be as potent a fighter as the Rapier’s frame could be. Even in atmospheric conditions on Thysera, it proved deadly, prompting the Army and Cadet Air Patrol to acquire Broadswords from storage to fight the Reaper threat. It earned the fighter a place of honor in Thyserian history, alongside the Rapier, as one of the fighters to serve in defense of the homefront.

The Broadsword found an unexpected buyer for the remaining Broadswords in stock, a company in the Hierarchy known as Invictus Heavy Industry. IHI desired to buy the remaining Navy stocks of the Broadsword under a payment plan. Yakaiev Design Bureau approved the purchase in 2203 and the sale was approved a month before vassalization under the Krogan Empire by the Triumvirate. The Empire of Pax Vitus, which acquired the Broadsword through the owner of Invictus Heavy Industry in 2214, is currently the only active operator outside of Erineos’ CSS to operate the fighter in 2615. In the CSS, it finds use on the various colonies that have come under Thyserian control in recent years and on the Aeia scientific colony as a scout fighter. Most other examples are in museums on Thysera and Dai.

Seen as the last “true” development of the Rapier, the Broadsword shows the genius of these Terminus based Asari who can take the original frame, refine it over centuries, and continue to make it work. Like even the antiquated Rapier, it is not a fighter to be underestimated despite its age.

Credits:
Battlestar Galactica for the Colonial Viper design
Edited by Wheeljack, May 11 2017, 10:14 AM.
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