F-57 Sabre
The F-57 Sabre Heavy Fighter is a fictional type of spacecraft in the Wing Commander universe.
AbOUT
In the fictional Wing Commander universe, the F-57 Sabre class Heavy Attack Fighter was a starfighter that was created by the Terran Confederation during the Terran-Kilrathi War (WC1-WC2 eras) and was the standard heavy fighter from the 2650s to the early 2670s. The Sabre was superior in almost every aspect to the Raptor heavy fighter. It measured at 23.6 meters long and weighed about 22 metric tonnes. Because of its class as a heavy fighter, the F-57 Sabre wasn't as fast as the light fighters, but still proved fast enough for space combat, with a max speed of 400 kps. The Sabres were equipped with heavy weaponry. Its weapon arsenal included:
- Guns: 2 x Mass Drivers, 2 x Particle Cannons
- Turret: 2 x Neutron Guns, 1 x Tractor Beam
- Missiles: 4 Image Recognition, 2 Friend or Foe, 2 Dumbfires, 2 Torpedoes (configurable)
The Sabre was also equipped with a rear turret for defense against enemies following from the fighter's rear. The turret is also equipped with a tractor beam for rescuing pilot ejection pods or items drifting in space. The first generation of Sabre Heavy Fighters weren't equipped with a jump-drive.
Sabres were very effective fighters. They can also be refitted with torpedoes and enhanced armor to act as strike bombers. The refitted sabres were nicknamed Strike Sabers. These Strike Sabers would later be refined to an improved model, designated F-57D.
The Sabres were almost instrumental at almost every major battle of the 2660s, from the Enigma sector conflict to Battle of Vukar Tag and the Battle of Earth.
Sabres were still in use in 2673 by the Border Worlds Militia during that conflict, but they proved no match for the newer Confederation ships.
Wing Commander Academy
The F-57 Sabre makes a few appearances in the animated television series Wing Commander Academy. It appears as the pirate Karnes' fighter in Episode 2, "The Last One Left," as part of the Tiger's Claw's complement in Episode 4, "Word of Honor" and finally as a Kilrathi "prize" in Episode 9, "Walking Wounded." There are a few differences in Academy's sabres from the ones in the game:
- In Episode 2, "The Last One Left,", Karne's sabre only had three front mount laser cannons rather than the game's standard four front mounted guns.
- The Tiger's Claw complement of Sabres in Academy are shown having four forward lasers and two dual-mount rear turrets rather than the game's standard four front mount guns and single rear turret.