Wing Commander technology and vehicles

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Like any science fiction series Wing Commander has a wide array of fictional technology, vehicles and vessels, some of which are:


Contents

[edit] Technology

[edit] Engines

In the Wing Commander universe, the gravitational fields of stars and other objects of greater-than-planetary mass create natural wormholes that connect neighboring stars to each other. The points in normal space that are connected by these wormholes are known as "Jump Points". Only by using a Jump Drive can a spacecraft "open" a wormhole at a Jump Point and pass through to the other end.

The Jump Drive (or Akvende Drive, after its creator) functions by creating a beam of anti-gravitons which nullify the gravitational force that normally squeezes the mouth of the wormhole shut like a sphincter. However, due to their short lifespan, anti-gravitons can not be projected beyond a range of about one kilometer from the point where they are generated before decaying. This limits the size of Jump-capable vessels, as all parts of the vessel must be within this radius unless it mounts secondary emitters synchronized with the primary drive.

  • Hopper Drive

After the invention of the Jump Drive, it was discovered that it was possible to create artificial, temporary wormholes by generating powerful focused bursts of gravitons. This led to the development of the Hopper Drive. When engaged, the Hopper Drive creates a wormhole with one end near itself and the other end extended in the desired direction in three-dimensional space. The artificial wormhole lasts just long enough for the vessel generating it to pass through safely, and collapses immediately afterward.

Because faster-than-light travel is not possible in the Wing Commander universe, the Hopper Drive is the only means of quickly traveling to places that are far away from any Jump Points, such as deep interstellar space or those few stars lacking Jump Points. Furthermore, it is possible to Hop across a single solar system, saving hours or days of sublight travel. However, the Hopper Drive has two drawbacks that make the use of Jump Drives preferable whenever possible. First, the wormholes created do not extend over interstellar distances--it requires dozens of successive Hops to travel to a neighboring star. Second, a ship cannot Hop twice in rapid succession--the Drive needs a period of rest before it can be used again. For this reason, ship commanders are discouraged from using a Hop to ambush an enemy by dropping into their midst, as ofttimes Hopping may be the only means of retreat if an engagement turns bad, so it is preferable to save your ship's Hop for emergencies.

Very few vessels carry both Jump and Hopper drives because the two interfere with each other's operation--for either one to operate properly, the other one must be powered down. The time delay involved in switching between the two drives presents a tactical disadvantage since a vessel can neither Jump nor Hop until the required engine is on-line and ready. Besides, there are very few tactically valuable locations that are completely inaccessible to vessels using only Jump drives (deep space, isolated stars).

[edit] Weapons

[edit] Personal

[edit] M-47 Laser Rifle

Standard-issue Confed infantry weapon of 2667. (End Run, p. 170).

[edit] Neutron Minigun

Thirty-kilo anti-personnel weapon with a fire rate of a thousand rounds per minute. Carried by Confed marines during the Vukar Tag campaign. (Ibid.)

[edit] Mass Driver Scattergun

Fires five hundred nail-like fletchettes in one burst. Not related to the Border Worlds Scatter Gun. (Ibid.)

[edit] Stenson Drakon

Popular Terran hunting rifle. Sniper-scoped versions are capable of dropping a Vegan sabre tooth from a mile away. (Ibid.)

[edit] Fighter

[edit] Guns

  • Laser Cannon: The weakest weapon available in every Wing Commander game, it also has one of the longest ranges, quickest refire rates, and lowest energy-consumptions per shot.
  • Mass driver: a weapon which fires solid-state projectiles using magnetic acceleration. Does average damage at average range, though its projectiles move slower than most. A later model, the charging mass driver, allowed pilots to 'charge' the projectile for increased range and damage, at the cost of energy consumption and the inability to fire other guns. Where the projectiles are stored, and why fighter craft never seem to run out of them, remains unaddressed.
  • Neutron Gun: prior to the development of the Particle Cannon, it was the strongest beam weapon that could be fielded by a fighter. Unfortunately, its range was dismal and its power requirements formidable. It was retired from front-line service by 2665, though it remained the weapon of choice for singleship-mounted defensive emplacements for at least a year afterwards.
  • Particle Cannon: back-engineered from Kilrathi weaponry sometime between 2655 and 2665. Described by game lore as the opposite of the Ion Gun, it fired nuclear particles that ignited molecule-sized nuclear explosions on impact. Its refire rate, damage, range and power consumption were better than the Neutron Gun's, leading to it replacing the latter on almost all mountings. Its only downside is its inability to function in atmospheric conditions.
  • Photon Cannon: a variant of the laser cannon, it does more damage but requires more power and does not fire as fast. This weapon was retired in 2670 following the end of the Terran-Kilrathi War.
  • Ionic Pulse Cannon: More commonly known as an ion cannon, this weapon fires pulses of high-energy ions, which result in energy and radiation damage and cause extreme injuries to pilots. Strangely enough, they are less powerful than the Particle Cannon, have a shorter range, fire more slowly, and require more energy, leading one to wonder why Confederate scientists (and/or Origin Systems personnel) bothered with the weapon in the first place.
    • Reaper Cannon: this weapon improved on the Ion Cannon by halving the energy consuption and doubling the refire rate. Unfortunately the Reaper Cannon was too expensive for post-war deployment and was retired in 2670, though the Ion Cannon remains in service.
    • Scatter Gun: an ion cannon with five focusing lenses instead of one, this weapon fired five pulses at a time, generally in a five-point cross pattern.
  • Meson Blaster: besides imparting impact and energy damage, the Meson Blaster's projectiles decay within the target, emitting radiation. Their low energy consumption and long range is balanced by the fact that energy shielding actually deflects, redirects or otherwise prevents the weapon from dealing about half its damage, which is only average to begin with. This weapon was retired in 2670 following the end of the Terran-Kilrathi War.
  • Tachyon Cannon: highly destructive, with a long range, high damage and an extremely fast-moving projectile. This weapon slows down tachyons, which normally move at faster-than-light velocities, and employs then to devastating potential. Introduced in 2669, it has remained in service since. The Nephilim, first encountered in the 2680s, employ a slightly weaker codenamed "Gorgon."
  • Plasma Gun: quite damaging, which is only logical when one understands that plasma weapons fling around what are essentially miniature stars. This weapon deploys hydrogen gas, electrically charged to a state of near-fusion. It does almost as much damage as the Tachyon Cannon, but at a slower rate, using slower projectiles, and requiring quite a lot more energy. By 2681 it had been almost totally retired, with the sole exception of the Heavy Plasma Cannon mounted on the Devastator heavy bomber; this weapon fired only once every two seconds but could take apart most capital ships with eight or ten well-placed shots. The Nephilim, first encountered in the 2680s, retained the "light" version of the weapon as an anti-fighter weapon.
  • fission Cannon: mounted only on a few Top-Secret black-ops fighters, the Fission Cannon was notable for its ability to charge its projectiles for increased damage. As with the Charging Mass Driver, a single well-aimed burst could totally knock out many ships. When not being charged, the Fission Cannon was an unremarkable weapon known for its slow refire rate.
  • Electron Gun:
  • Flux Cannon:
  • Mass Accelerator Gun:
  • Matter Disruptor:
  • Sonic Accelerator: this gun presumably was useless in the vacuum of space. Little else is known.
  • Fusion Cannon:
  • Leech Gun: this weapon was able to overload the electronic systems of enemy fighter craft, leaving them floating in space for salvage or capture.
  • Stormfire Cannon: essentially a space-going machine gun, this weapon fired solid-state projectiles that were much smaller than Mass Driver rounds. Their enhanced muzzle velocity made up for their lesser mass, however, and in the hands of a sharp pilot (and mounted on a maneuverable fighter), the Stormfire cannon could deliver a surprising amount of damage in long bursts of continuous fire. The Stormfire Mk II, introduced in 2681, had a smaller ammunition pool (400) and a slower refire rate (approx. 3 rounds/sec) but did more damage.
  • Maser: a portmanteau of microwave laser, this weapon was the standard armament for most Nephilim fighter craft. It fired focused beams of microwaves and came in two versions: Light (which was a bit stronger than the standard Confed laser cannon) and Heavy (which equaled the Ion Cannon's power).
  • "Shield Killer": a Nephilim weapon mounted solely by the Lamprey interceptor. Either one large cannon or a set of small ones that fired a ring of whitish bolts, this weapon was described by Confederate technicians as having the effect of totally disrupting fighter-based shielding systems. Pilots wondered just exactly what the technicians were studying: in combat, the weapon had very little practical effect.
  • Quantum Disruptor: a Nephilim weapon mounted solely by the Squid interceptor. This cannon's energy bolts are said to cause minute oscillations in the target ship's molecular structure, leading to the ship essentially shaking itself apart. As such, they were extremely effective against unshielded hull. Fortunately, shielded hull withstood the weapon much better, and the Squid's own characteristics prevented most Nephilim pilots from landing killing shots.
  • Chain Ion Cannon: though based on Ion technology, this weapon is very different than the standard cannon. Introduced in 2681, it fires a rapid stream of slow-moving projectiles. Energy consumption is minimal and damage is significant, though the blasts themselves can be hard to land due to their decreased speed.
  • Cloudburst Emission System: described in WCP:SO lore as an "Electric Discharge Weapon." It fires extremely swift projectiles at a slow refire rate; the projectiles do massive damage but require appropriately large energy inputs.
  • Dust Cannon: a variant on mass driver systems that, like the Chain Ion weapon, results in small, rapid-firing projectiles. It also finally answers the question of where mass drivers get their mass: according to WCP:SO literature, the Dust Cannon obtains mass from "the exhaust filter of the ship's core," whereas normal mass drivers require "ammunition tanks." In practical terms, the Dust Cannon fires so quickly it practically has no refire rate and can drain a ship's gun capacitors dry in one or two seconds of continuous fire--but does so much damage that, in general, a full capacitor is all that is necessary to send just about any foe packing.
  • Pulse Particle Cannon: another modification to yield a rapid-fire cannon, nothing else is known about the Pulse Particle weapon system.

[edit] Missiles

  • Dumbfire: the LAU-81 "Dart" DF missile is, simply, an unguided rocket. They can be hard to hit with, but since there's no tracking equipment, technicians filled the empty space with much more boom, and as a result they are always one of the most powerful missile munitions in a Confed pilot's armory. The vagaries of Phase Shielding technology render them sometimes useful, sometimes useless against capital ships, but against capships that can be damaged by non-torpedo attacks, Dumbfires are a bomber captain's best friend.
  • Heat-Seeker: the AIM-15 "Javelin" HS is a rear-aspect infrared homing missile. It tracks the target's heat signature and, as such, cannot lock onto anything but a target's engines and can be evaded simply by turning 90 degrees. They are the best option for those times when the guns are out of juice and you need a missile to finish something off.
  • Friend-or-Foe: the AIM-31 "Pilum" FF is an all-aspect fire-and-forget missile. It does not need to be "locked on" to a target (and in fact cannot be) and can be launched at any time. Utilizing the radio signals sent by Identification Friend or Foe transponders, these missiles will home in on the nearest enemy, wherever or whatever it happens to be. If it's 40 million klicks away, the FF missile will chase it. If it's behind you, the FF missile will chase it. If, because your ship's IFF transponder is destroyed, it's you... The FF missile will chase it. Fortunately, electronic counter-measures decoys "spoof" them with regularity.
  • Image Recognition: the AIM-42 "Spiculum" is an all-aspect guided missile. It requires a several-second lock period, during which it "memorizes" the silhouette, electromagnetic silhouette, infrared signature, etc. of the target. If it overshoots, it will circle around and continue to attempt impact, until it either 1) hits, 2) runs out of fuel and self-destructs, or 3) is thrown off by ECM decoys.
  • Imaging/Friend or Foe: in 2667, just prior to the Battle of Earth, the Kilrathi came up with a nasty invention: essentially the combination of FF and IR technology. The resulting missile, dubbed IFF, is fire-and-forget, but cannot be fooled by deactivation of the IFF beacon. Fortunately, James "Paladin" Taggart was able to provide an effective countermeasure by reprogramming standard ECM decoys to transmit the radar signatures of a small capital ship. What became of these new missiles after the Battle of Earth is unknown.
  • Mine: the MP-51 "Porcupine" mine does exactly what you'd expect it to. It can be carried and dropped by most fighter craft, and will lie dormant until it can creep up on an enemy ship and detonate. Depending on the era, they may or may not show up on radar.
  • Leech: the ADM-74 "Leech" missile creates a temporary electronic overload in the target, shutting it down cold. It works on capital ships, but they tend to recover after only a few moments; fighters, on the other hand, are incapacitated more-or-less permanently.
  • Dragonfly: "Dragonfly" Rocket Pods are essentially miniature Dumbfire missiles. These unguided munitions can be fired rapidly, have a very short fuel duration (3 seconds) and do not do very much damage; however, they are quite a bit faster than dumbfires, not to mention quite a bit more prolific (the average fighter carries 32 of them), and a pilot with a sharp eye can employ them effectively in just about any situation.
    • Mosquito: "Mosquito" Enhanced Rocket Pods are modified Dragonflies that carry FF homing technology. However, the seeker heads seem to have suffered during their miniaturization, as Mosquitos are not particularly accurate; and if one misses on its first pass it will not make another pass, as if realizing (quite rightly) that it doesn't have enough fuel to come around again. While a wonderful idea on paper, the Mosquito is far less practical in the field.
  • Swarmer Pod: Swarmer pods are not single munitions, but rather a large launcher that expels eight missiles at once. Fielded solely by the Wasp dedicated interceptor, these missiles have a significant locking time and require constant radar guidance via a laser designator on the Wasp's nose--in other words, any pilot attempting to employ a Swarmer pod must remain on the target's tail until all missiles impact. The results when all of them do, however, are often worth the trouble, and the direct laser lock renders these missiles ECM-proof as well.
  • Tracker MIRV: an unguided rocket that, after several seconds of travel, breaks into four separate FF rounds. Despite the propensity of these missiles to lock onto the same target, their ability to quickly attack--or at least instill severe panic in--enemy targets is rivaled only by the Wasp's Swarmers. The unguided rocket does not cause damage if it impacts with a target prematurely, a disappointment to many pilots.
  • Torpedo: the premiere anti-capital ship weapon. Somewhere between 2655 and 2665, Phase-Shielding technology made the necessary leaps and became, essentially, totally impervious to fighter-based beam weaponry (in 2669 fighter-based weapons regained the upper hand, only to lose it again by 2673). Previously, all capital ships could be destroyed solely by 'small arms' fire, but after the revolution, a dedicated weapon, the torpedo, was needed. Torpedoes are able, by technological secrets that are still classified, to bypass Phase Shielding entirely, detonating directly on the capital ship's hull. Unfortunately, this electromagnetic sleight-of-hand requires 20 seconds of locking time, during which the launching fighter must fly straight towards the targeted capital ship, unable to make evasive maneuvers and vulnerable to whatever ship-based weapons can be pointed at it--not to mention any remaining fighter cover. Fortunately, the results are worth the effort... And hopefully worth the inevitable casualties.

[edit] Capital Ship

[edit] Special

  • Particle Accelerator Gun
  • Phase Transit Cannon: The Phase Transit cannon was a massive Capital ship weapon used primarily to combat other capital ships. Used only on the Concordia in Wing Commander II, whatever capital ship it was fired at usually was destroyed on impact.


  • Steltek Gun
  • Temblor Bomb
  • Genselect Bioweapon
  • Nephilim Plasma Weapon

[edit] Vehicles

[edit] Ground Vehicles

[edit] Confed Assault Walker

Large, mech-like all-terrain vehicles that are as well armed and armored as a corvette. They are carried to planet surfaces by heavy-weapon landers. Walkers played a prominent role in the Confederation assault on Vukar Tag. (End Run, page 125).

[edit] Kilrathi Drill Tank

Kilrathi marines used these unusual, ungainly-looking vehicles during the Battle of Repleetah. Literally tanks with large drills instead of turrets, they proved useful in breaking through Terran trenches but proved vulnerable to demolition explosives issued to Confed marines. (Wing Commander Academy, Episode 4: Word of Honor).

[edit] Kilrathi Medium Tank

Used to defend Vukar Tag in 2667. (End Run, p. 126).

[edit] Unidentified WCIII Kilrathi Tank

Used to defend various Kilrathi planets. (Wing Commander III, various planetary missions).

[edit] Unidentified WCIV Tank

These dual-cannon hovertanks were used during the Circe V civil war of 2673. (Wing Commander IV, Circe Thread Introduction).

[edit] Starships

All Confederation starship names are preceded with "TCS" (Terran Confederation Ship). All Kilrathi starship names are preceded with "KIS" (Kilrathi Imperial Ship). All Border Worlds Union starship names are preceded with "BWS" (Border Worlds Ship). The Nephilim do not seem to have a name prefix or even individual names for their starships.

This is not by any means an exhaustive list. It is currently being reorganized so that it lists by class with notable examples rather than by individual ships.

[edit] Capital Ships

[edit] Battleships

[edit] Carriers

[edit] Corvettes
  • TCS Venture

[edit] Cruisers

[edit] Destroyers

[edit] Dreadnoughts

[edit] Starfighters

Since Wing Commander is a game about starfighters, it would make sense that such craft are quite heavily represented; and indeed they are, usually between ten and twenty types per game, including four to six pilotable ones.

[edit] Pre-2650s

[edit] Confederation

[edit] Kilrathi Empire


[edit] 2650s era Starfighters

[edit] Confederation

[edit] Kilrathi

[edit] 2660s era Starfighters

[edit] Confederation

(Wing Commander II)

(Wing Commander Armada)

(Wing Commander Privateer)

(Wing Commander III)

[edit] Kilrathi

(Wing Commander II)

(Wing Commander Armada)

  • Dralthi III light fighter
  • Shok'lar medium stealth fighter
  • Jrathek medium fighter
  • Kor'larh heavy fighter
  • Goran fighter-bomber

(Wing Commander Privateer)

(Wing Commander III)

[edit] Civilian

[edit] 2670s era Starfighters

(Wing Commander IV)

[edit] Confederation

[edit] Union of Border Worlds

[edit] Black Lance

[edit] Pirates
  • Razor light fighter

[edit] 2680s era Starfighters

(Wing Commander Prophecy/Secret Ops)

[edit] Confederation

[edit] Kilrathi

[edit] Nephilim
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