- Intent: To create a starfighter that various Chiss factions can utilize while also giving the future Chiss writers a baseline and iconic fighter aesthetic to use.
- Image Source: Wiki Link - Original Source: "Red Sky, Blue Flame"—Star Wars Gamer 7
- Canon Link: Chiss Clawcraft
- Primary Source:
Nssis-Class Fangcraft - T-90 X-Wing Starfighter
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
- Manufacturer: Ascendancy Staryards
- Affiliation: Various Chiss Major and Minor Factions
- Model: Nssis/CS Starfighter
Production: Minor
- Material:
Trimantium - Transparisteel
- Doonium
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Classification: Multi-role Space Superiority Fighter
- Length: 7 Meters
- Width: 4 Meters
- Height: 5 Meters
- Armament: Moderate - High [S-Foils Closed]
4 Maser Cannons - 2 Ion Cannons
- 1 Flex Tube Ordinance Launcher
[*]Defenses: Moderate
- Deflector Shields
- Doonium Armor
[*]Squadron Count: Very Low: 4
[*]Maneuverability Rating: High - Low [S-Foils Closed]
[*]Speed Rating: Low - Average [S-Foils Closed]
[*]Hyperdrive Class: Average: 1.25
STANDARD FEATURES
- Military Communications Array
- Standard Life Support Systems
- Military Sensor Array
- Hyperwave Transceiver
- Subspace Transceiver
- Distress Beacon
- Ejection Seat
- Various Standard Starship Features
ADVANCED SYSTEMS
- Chiss Hyperdrive
- S-Foils
- Ion-scrambler
- Anti-ion emission tracer
- Advanced Inertial Dampners
- Short Range Sensor Jammer
- Passive Stealth: Able to limit system power to an absolute minimum, allowing the fighter to pass through most passive sensors undetected
- Rate of Fire: While the masers of the Clawcraft weren't especially powerful compared to other masers, the Clawcraft had a higher rate of fire and could put out twice as much fire as a standard fighter
- S-Foils: The S-foils on the Clawcraft dissipated heat during rapid fire. With the S-foils closed the more concentrated fire was more devastating and the Clawcraft gained a small amount of speed
- S-Foil Overheat: If the weapons were used while the S-foils were closed the weapons overheated much quicker.
- S-Foil Closed: While closed, the maneuvering jets on the wings aren't able to be operated, severely limiting the Clawcraft's maneuverability.
- Fishbowl: Limited field of view
- Excessive use of microjumps in succession will result in hyperdrive meltdown, which will require ejection of the entire unit to avoid ship destruction
- Limited hyperspace travel range, requiring more frequent jumps across larger distances, due to being specialized as a precision unit
At 7 meters in length, it was slightly shorter than most Nssis-series starfighters. Its space frame embraced its Imperial origins with its cockpit module being nearly identical to TIEs of various makes throughout the Galaxy. Slower than many of its TIE contemporaries, what it lacked in speed it made up for in maneuverability, shielding, and firepower. Wits twin ion engines were built into a larger, elongated, vectored thrust assembly the Clawcraft was offered greater maneuverability than many of its TIE counterparts. Several advanced manuevering jets fixed to the wings of the fighter along with its advanced inertial dampners also allowed for the fighter to carry out harrowing maneuvers and quick turns that would turn most pilots into jelly.
The fighter's weapons compliment was impressive as well. The Clawcraft was equipped with quick firing maser cannons on each wing tip. Each blaster was swivel mounted which made it possible for a pilot to follow a target with their weapons without changing the vector of the ship itself. Two ion cannons were fixed just below the viewport and were quite effective at disabling smaller targets. A single flex-tube warhead launcher was placed just below the ball-shaped cockpit and allowed for a variety of ordinance to be fired, vastly expanding the Clawcraft's mission profile. One recent change to the combat abilities of the Clawcraft was the addition of S-foils to the craft. Utilized to disperse the heat of the rapid fire maser cannons, the S-foils could also be locked into a travel position which made the profile of the small fighter even thinner and allowed for more concentrated fire. This however had the potential of catastrophic overheating during combat and vastly limited the ship's maneuverability.
The cost of creating the Nssis/CS-Type "Clawcraft" often precluded mass deployment of the fighters, limiting squadrons often to groups of two to four fighters. In fact, its cost was the main reason many Chiss planetary governments still relied on the Nssis-Class Fangcraft for system defense. However, larger Chiss groups such as the Chiss Ascendancy and the Empire of the Hand would see wide use of these fighters due to their ability to jump to lightspeed alongside their capital ships, removing the need to rush launch fighters at the beginning of an engagement. They were also used by these groups as aggressive reconnaissance fighters as their relatively small size combined with its passive stealth and ability to jump to lightspeed without support ships made them invaluable in this role.
