Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Achilles Superiority Fighter

"Alliance's finest inteceptor squadron reporting!"

-Achilles Superiority Fighter

The Achilles Superiority Fighter is the superheavy interceptor for the Alliance that also serves as the main ATF fighter. This piece of a heavy aircraft set to be voiced by Kelsey Grammer.

Tactical Analysis

 * When fast just isn't fast enough: The Achilles redefines the word "fast" a thousand times over. The single best interceptor in the world, the Achilles knows no limits, no barriers. It can break orbit without breaking a sweat, fly without oxygen thanks to its fusion torch propulsion. In tests the Achilles simply outran everything; other chase planes (except such as the Elsword MiG-31 and Adamya's MiG-25), missiles, bullets and most of the cameras set to record it.
 * Keeping the skies blue: The devastatingly powerful quad spectrum cannons can punch a Kirov from the air in record time or obliterate whole squadrons of helicopters in an instant. Such is the speed and maneuverability of the Achilles that no lock-on is nessesary; the Achilles can drop behind targets with such ease that the pilot need to do little more than sight the target and fire.
 * Hello, and goodbye: When out of ammo, health, or even enemies, the Achilles can set its fusion torch to full burn and streak back to base, getting there in a blink of an eye. However, as it dumps most of its Delta-V in this burn, it cannot stop until it reaches base, or it would crash and rupture its fuel tanks, with predictably spectacular results.
 * They got my heel!: Of course, all this power comes at a steep price, as the Achilles is the most expensive fighter in existence; it is said you could purchase a third-world country with the funds required to build one of these superplanes. It's incapable of attacking ground targets, and despite its firepower it's rather fragile, on account of its volatile engine, and in the event it's shot down the results are "explosive" to say the least.

History
"I own the skies!"

-Bayard Fournier, Achilles pilot

Short story
Interview with Captain Fournier

Clip from "Afternoon with Agnes" Special

Agnes Butler: "Hello, and welcome back to our Afternoon with Agnes special, "Rage of Achilles", about the new fighter that wowed everyone down in Juan Paolo Santiago City! With me in the studio is the pilot, Captain Bayard Fournier, along with Infinity Realms Aeronautics CEO, Vrai Varitas and the head designer of the Achilles, Darla Chateau. Please welcome them!"

Captain Bayard Fournier: "An honor to be invited."

Vrai Varitas: "Thank you, thank you!"

Darla Chateau: "Glad to be here!"

Agnes: "Captain Fournier, how would you describe flying an Achilles Superiority Fighter?"

Fournier: "An impossibility. How do you describe the beauty of a sunset or the serenity of music? To see the ground below you become a blur of color, to watch the enemies scramble as you roar into their midst. To me, it's almost poetry. When I fly, it's no longer a question of "Do you want to see the world?", but "Do you want to see the stars?"

Agnes: "Such a deep philosophical insight... and over here we have Mr. Varitas. Sir, how did the Achilles come into action?"

Varitas: "Well Agnes, we were already developing torchships for the Alliance space program for years. Alliance High Command was really worried that their Harriers and Stormchilds wouldn't cut it against all the airships the Voshkod are floating in the sky, so they contracted us to make a new fighter. Needless to say, the Achilles has exceeded all of our expectations. Not only can it intercept and take down airships, but it has many other uses, too. A lot of them are classified, but let's just say the Magnetic Satellite's days are numbered."

Agnes: "A short past, and let's not keep Miss Chateau waiting. Would you be kind enough to reveal to the public, what kind of technology goes into the Achilles fighter?"

Chateau: "It's inaccurate to call it a fighter jet, as it's really more of a rocket. Without going into too much detail, the Achilles is built around a fusion rocket. In the atmosphere, the Achilles can achieve an astonishing 3.4 kilometers per second!"

Agnes: "Wow, 3.4 kilometers per second, that's fast! Anyway, to move on... Could you perhaps disclose the nature of the Achilles' armament to us?"

Chateau: "Well, after looking through the various options and obtaining test data from Theimer Defense, we decided on the idea of using spectrum cannons that were ditched from the Stormchild program, since the Achilles cockpit is fully enclosed and the pilot only sees through viewscreens. Once more, we recently improved the cannons to fire beams that refract on impact to potentially hit other enemies nearby."

Fournier: "Me being the only pilot capable of such a gift."

Agnes: "Alright, it's time for our audience's questions. You sir, on the third row."

Audience member with 11 other men and women, looking quite angry: "Yeah, I got a question for that Orlesian jerk. Remember us, the 394th Fighter Squadron?"

Fournier: "Merde!"

Agnes: "Security!"

Cut to "We are having technical difficulties" screen

Guardians of the Tacitus

 * F-35 Widowmaker (Aquila)
 * F-22 Raptor (Task Force Eagle)
 * Achilles Superiority Fighter (Alliance)
 * Firehawk (ADI)
 * Eagle Kai Plus (Protectorate)
 * Eurofighter (Andora)
 * Ares Interceptor (White Tundra Command)
 * MiG-144 (Empire)
 * Boramae (Community)

Destroyers of Balthazar

 * Su-47 Berkut (Voshkod)
 * Su-57 Felon "Sokol"
 * Su-37 Terminator (Brotherhood)
 * MiG Nine (Horde)
 * Moonsky Interceptor (MLA)
 * F-15S/MTD (Collective)
 * Su-30 Flanker (Encantadia)
 * ... (Scrin)

Neutrals

 * Xiphon Interceptor (Coalition)
 * Chaos Lightning Fighter (Heralds)
 * X-Wing (Order)
 * F-94D Starfire "Firebolt" (Survivors)
 * Tiger Shark (Syndicate)
 * X-02 Wyvern (Conglomerate)
 * MiG-37 Ferret
 * ... (Legion)

Bonus Faction

 * ATF Creep (Rangers)
 * Bastion Eurofighter (Bastion)
 * Shikra (ASA)
 * F-104G Starfighter (Pirates)
 * Rafale (Elona)
 * Harmonizer VTOL (Ascalia)
 * ... (Dominion)
 * Lavi (Security)
 * ... (Ascendancy)

DLC

 * Ironwing (Federation)
 * Lu Bu Noble Fighter (Corona)
 * ... (Party)
 * ... (Skynet)
 * ... (Elemental)
 * TIE Defender (Autocracy)
 * F-111B Huntvark (League)
 * ... (Swarm)
 * Su-37C Confederator (Confederation)
 * Gripen (Kingdom)
 * Hemlock
 * ... (Goo)
 * Horton Ho 229 (Imperium)
 * ... (Dynasty)
 * Walloper Supersonic Jet (Warlords)
 * ... (Cult)
 * Razorwing Jetfighter (Raiders)
 * Tarkan Interceptor (Theocracy)
 * YF-17 Cobra (Insurgents)
 * Apexia (Guardians)
 * Fiend Heavy Fighter (Hierarchy)
 * ... (Sundered)
 * Firefox Interceptor (Ecumene)
 * E.E. Lightning (Concordat)
 * Roc QX-71 Advanced Fighter (Contingent)
 * NATF (Eden)
 * Velociraptor Fighter (InGen)
 * ... (Hallows)
 * CF-105 Arrow (Commune)
 * Rafale (Clique)
 * Shinden Kai (Guild)
 * Screech Mosquito (Threat)
 * ... (Traders)
 * Urga Mstitel (Entente)
 * ... (Oblivion)
 * ... (Corporation)
 * ... (Covenant)
 * ... (Institute)
 * LCA (Commonwealth)
 * ... (Nimbus)
 * ... (Carnival)
 * ... (Wraiths)
 * ... (Chronophage)
 * F3H Demon (Privateers)
 * ... (Foundation)