Gotha

A finely-honed balance between combat ability, maneuverability and ease of repair, the Gotha Aerospace Fighter became a mainstay of the SLDF forces.

In 2654, New Age Systems were able to secure the services of five of the greatest fighter pilots (drafted from the Free Worlds League's Nova Squadron School of Combat) and most skilled fighter combat-repair technicians in the Star League Defense Force at the time to assist in the development of a new medium weight fighter. By the end of the three-year study, the engineers at New Age Systems had produced three prototypes of the Gotha which attempted to balance the influences and opinions of the pilots and technicians, of which the 500 series proved the most successful.

While at the slower end of the medium weight class, the sleek fighter carries thirteen tons of CarbonDale IV Ferro-Aluminum armor, giving Gotha significant protection. The use of well-known and regarded equipment earned top marks from technicians assigned to the fighter, save the tendency of targeting and tracking system to jam other systems on the craft for a few seconds when initialized at full power and range.

Weapons and Equipment
Based on extensive pilot contributions, the Gotha features a balanced mix of long and medium range weaponry. At long ranges, the Gotha uses a pair of the well-regarded and utterly foolproof Holly LRM-15 missile racks, one mounted in each wing and drawing from a single ton of reloads, supported by a nose-mounted Starcutter PPC, fitted with a sliding safety/re-entry hatch to protect the weapon during landing. The supporting close range firepower consists of lasers produced by a wholly-owned subsidiary of New Age Systems, with two wing-mounted Allied Technologies Model 1 Small Lasers and four Allied Technologies Model 2 Medium Lasers, two forward facing in the nose and two fixed aft to discourage any enemy fighter from approaching behind.

Variants

 * GTHA-100 : The 100 series prototype saw trials in Marik space, using a smaller though more reliable engine to increase the number and variety of weaponry. In particular the weapons suite featured more missiles, with the 100 series carrying an SRM-4 in each wing. BV (2.0) = 1,301


 * GTHA-300 : The 300 Series reduced the weapons in favor of heavier armor protection. This model has 16 tons of armor, far more than most medium fighters. This series was less well received than the 100 series, mostly because the bulky armor makes the craft difficult to handle in an atmosphere. BV (2.0) = 1,463


 * GTHA-400 : The 400 series was introduced during the Succession Wars era. Its weapon complement is identical to the 300 Series, but removes some of that model's armor and installs a larger engine. BV (2.0) = 1,364


 * GTHA-500b : The b variant of the GTHA-500 Gotha, deployed exclusively with SLDF Royal commands, upgrades the Gotha by switching to twelve Double Heat Sinks, and replacing the PPC with a Large Pulse Laser. The LRMs are also slaved to Artemis IV FCS . BV (2.0) = 1,545


 * GTHA-600 : The Jihad-era variant of the Gotha mounts a Snub-Nose PPC in nose of the craft, with two ER Medium Lasers. A pair of SRM-6 launchers and a Small Laser are mounted under each wing, while a pair of Medium Lasers are mounted facing aft. The speed of the Gotha is improved and fourteen Double Heat Sinks replace the standard models. The craft carries 30 rounds of ammo for its SRM launchers . BV (2.0) = 1,549

Related Designs
Goth - Clan Cloud Cobra used the Gotha as the base design for their Goth Omnifighter.

Notable Pilots

 * Charles Sinclair - A Com Guard Gotha pilot, Charles Sinclair's valor and sacrifice on Tukayyid would be honored with the creation of the Sinclair Wings, the Com Guards highest award for aerospace fighter pilots.