The Kilrathi Drakhri fighter was the lightest "medium" fighter in the Kilrathi Fleet with many considering the fighter to be a light fighter in reality. Some consider the fighter to be a smaller "cub" of the Dralthi III fighter and to have been developed from the other fighter. The fighter is lightly armed and armored but still can be a very dangerous opponent due to the fighters agility and top speed. Main weaponry are three forward firing laser cannons which have the virtue of excellent range even if less powerful than an array of neutron cannons, particle cannons, or mass drivers. Backing up the fighters lasers, the Drakhri has a total of four hard points for missiles. Shields are on par with those of the Ferret and Epee but are far weaker than those carried on later models of the Rapier. Armor is also on par with Confederation light fighters.

Common attacks with the Drakhri fighter are swarm attacks of four to six fighters attacking a single Confederation fighter. In single combat, the fighter will find itself outmatched by modern Confederation medium fighters. The fighter is ideal for reconnaissance due to its speed and maneuverability and it makes an excellent scout craft. Most Drakhri fighters have been retired from front line combat and the Dralthi IV medium attack fighter performs the role of the Drakhri in front line units. It is still believed that there is a large number of Drakhri class medium fighters in reserve and performing secondary roles.

Notes of game conversion:

Because of the nature of the Video Game series "Wing Commander" and the needs to put the fighter into game mechanics, the fighter has several modification compared to the Video Game. The most important change it to change top speed to acceleration. Like fighters in Star Wars and original Battlestar Galactica, the fighters appear to act as if they are in the atmosphere even when they operating in space. This is incorrect. The Television series Babylon 5 and the new Battlestar Galactic are good series to watch to get a clearer idea on how space vehicles would probably maneuver although still not a perfect perspective. The fighter has been modified to uses my revised phase world starship rules and can hold their own against most C.A.F and Kreeghor fighters. See Revised Starship Rules for Phase World for more details.

Model Type: Drakhri medium Starfighter
Vehicle Type: Medium Starfighter
Crew: One

M.D.C. By Location:

	Laser Cannons (3):	40 each
	Missile Hard Points (4):	10 each
	[1] Engines (2):	110 each
	Landing Struts (3):	10 each
	[2] Main Body:	250
	Reinforced Pilots Cockpit:	90
	[3] Variable Force Field:	55 per side (330 total)

Notes:
[1] Loss of an engine will reduce performance of fighter by one half and loss of two engines will prevent fighter from performing beyond 5% of normal (This is using maneuvering thrusters and gravitic propulsion). Due to gravitic propulsion systems, fighter will not crash in an atmosphere even if both engines are destroyed.
[2] Depleting the MDC of the main body will put the fighter out of commission. All internal systems will shut down, including life support and internal gravity. The ship itself will be an unsalvageable floating wreck. In an atmosphere, the fighter will crash.
[3] Shields positions can be varied and all could be combined in one shield. Shields regenerate at the rate of 5% (17 MDC) per melee.

Speed:
Driving on the Ground: Not Possible.
Sublight: Has a special sublight engine that allows the ship to travel up to 40 percent of the speed of light. Fighter can accelerate/decelerate at the rate of 0.8 percent of light per melee maximum. Fighter has auxiliary thrusters which can be used a maximum of 15 minutes before fuel is exhausted. On auxiliary thrusters, the fighter has a maximum acceleration of 1.62 percent of light per melee maximum.
Atmospheric Propulsion: The fighter is fairly aerodynamic and is quite capable in an atmosphere. As a result, the fighter can achieve escape velocity (Mach 32.6 / 25,053 mph / 40,320 kph) but normally operates at Mach 6.54 (4,846.7 mph / 7,800 kph) or less. The fighter also has Gravitic propulsion systems enabling it to leave an atmosphere even at low velocities.
Maximum Range: Effectively unlimited by internal fuel (10 year duration) although auxiliary thruster range is limited to approximately 15 minutes. Fighter uses a very small fusion cell system for power systems. The fighter carries one week of consumables for fighter's crew.

Statistical Data:
Length: 38.39 feet (11.7 meters)
Height: 22.64 feet (6.9 meters)
Width: 52.82 feet (16.1 meters)
Weight: 15.43 tons (14.0 metric tons) unloaded
Power System: Fusion power supply with a 10 year duration.
Cargo: Small Storage Space, 1.5 ft x 1.5 ft x 2 ft. Used for emergency equipment and weapons.
Market Cost: 20.24 million credits

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

1. Triple Laser Cannons: These cannons are mounted on the sides of the nose of the starfighter. While extremely long ranged, the damage of the weapons is less than most other Confederation and Kilrathi weapons. When compared to Phase World weaponry, the lasers inflict less damage than those on most C.A.F. Starfighters but have a much longer range. The cannons can be fire individually or in pairs.
   Maximum Effective Range: 3,106.8 miles (5,000 km) in space and 15.5 miles (25 km) in an atmosphere.
   Mega Damage: 1D6x10 per cannon and 3D6x10 for all three cannons
   Rate of Fire: Equal to pilots hand to hand (Usually 4 or 5).
   Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
2. Missile Pylons (4): On the fighter are four missile racks that allows the fighter to carry missiles. Individual pylons must carry all the same type ordnance but each pylon may carry different types of ordnance. Medium Range Missiles has a top speed of Mach 15 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 6% of light per turn. Since starships will no longer engage at rock throwing distances, whether weapons can be shot down is calculated from the speed of target, launcher, and missile. When drive goes dead, missile will still cruise unless set to self destruct but has very low odds of hitting starships (Great for hitting bases and planets because target does not move and missile when dead at -25% to detect.) Missiles can be launched on multiple targets simultaneously and all missiles are normally considered smart missiles.
   Maximum Effective Range: Medium Range Missiles range is 160 miles (257.5 km) in an atmosphere and 80,000 miles (128,750 km/0.43 light seconds).
   Mega-Damage & Properties: Varies with medium range missile types (See Revised Phase World Missile tables).
   Rate of Fire: One at a time or in volleys of two or four.
   Payload: One medium range missile per hard point

COMBAT BONUSES: The Drakhri Medium Starfighter is very maneuverable and very accurate. Use the Phase World Starfighter combat (Elite or Basic) skill.

+2 to dodge

[ Phase World TM, Kreeghor TM, and CAF TM are trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]
[ Rifts® is a registered trademark owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc.]
[ Wing Commander copyright © Origin Productions]

By Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

Rifts Conversion Copyright © 2004, Kitsune. All rights reserved.