Thunderbolt

The Thunderbolt is one of the two main fighter patterns used by the Imperial Navy. While not as fast or agile as the lighter Lightning fighter, the Thunderbolt is more heavily armed and armored. As such, it is more commonly used as an air superiority fighter, while the Lightning is usually relegated to a reconnaissance role.

The Thunderbolt has a heavy fuselage with edges and faces, rather than a more streamlined tubular body, flanked by a thrust tunnel containing a large, turbofan jet engine on either side. The wings are mounted on the thrust tunnels and very slightly forward-swept. The angular cockpit is set about halfway down the fighter, with the remaining back half dominated by the tail section, complete with two tail-planes and a single tail-fin. The whole of the Thunderbolt is armored.

Being larger and heavier than the Lightning, the Thunderbolt is slower and less maneuverable. However, it considerably more durable, capable of bearing damage that would kill a Lightning outright. The Thunderbolt also has greater range, thanks to its more powerful engines and larger fuel tanks.

The Thunderbolt's main armament is carried in its blunt nose with their barrels protruding, and consists of four fire-linked autocannons, two on each side, and two twin-linked lascannons on top. Compared with the Lightning's single autocannon and two lascannons, the Thunderbolt is obviously capable of a much higher total-rate-of-fire and much greater volume-of-fire, resulting in the Thunderbolt being capable of inflicting substantially more damage. The heavy fighter can also carry bombs or missiles on external hardpoints, without sacrificing any of its main weapons, whereas the light fighter must sacrifice a weapon, usually its single autocannon.

Thunderbolts are most commonly used in an air-to-air role, where they intercept enemy aircraft and pursue dogfights with them. Thunderbolts are especially effective against bombers, because Thunderbolt weapons can punch through bombers' heavy armor, and Thunderbolt armor can withstand--to a degree--the withering fire of the bombers' multiple turret guns.

The Imperial Navy Thunderbolt is a very capable fighter aircraft, its design, armor and weapons giving it the performance and lethality needed to match the aircraft of the Imperium's enemies.