[Andreas]

Well, I have one question, which I don't remember being adressed before, is that when was the GTB Athena first introduced to service in GTA?

[IceFire]

Probably around the same time as the Apollo.  Its one of the oldest ships around in terms of the timeline.

[Night Hammer]

the Athena was? I thought it came out around the Taranis. (or maybe the Galatea just got a complement, I dunno)

[Fineus]

It was certainly after the Apollo - maybe around the time the Hercules was first introduced.

[Liberator]

I thought it was new and it's first deployment was the Taranis Op.  It's more a heavy fighter though given it's speed, manuverability, and complete lack of ability to actually carry bombs other than the Stilleto.

[Blitzerland]

The Athena is pretty much useless in my opinnion. Sucky bomber, and if you want a heavy fighter, go for the Herc or the Apollo (some people stop using it after sheilds are availible. Dunno why. Guess they assume the Apollo is an antique now).

The Apollo is my favorite, actually. The middleground between the Valkarie and the Herc.

[Black Wolf]

Athena is an old craft AFAIK - just because we only got to play with it around the Taranis op doesn;t mean it was brand new at the time.

[TopAce]

According to the Command brieifng, the Athena became available right before the Taranis mission. It says something it is our newest bomber.

[Hellbender]

The Athena seems to have a specific mission: anti turret and subsystem work. From what I can tell it's about as close as FS comes to a 'Wild Weasel' configuration. The position of the primaries concentrates the main armanent at one small area - great for taking down turrets and subsystems quickly. Though the Avenger is about the best offensive cannon the ship can mount, that same concentrated shot grouping can really pay dividends during a dogfight. It also has a deep afterburner reserve, allowing it to keep smaller craft in the targeting reticule. For the trade-off of two guns it has almost the same protection and manouverability as the Hercules in a faster, lower profile hull.

Anyhow, here's what info is availiable in game.

Table Info:

Name: GTB Athena
Species: Terran
Type: Light Bomber
Maneuverability: Average
Armor: Medium
Manufacturer: Dynamic Metamer
Description: Excellent for hit-and-run bombing. Good speed for its size, with a high capacity afterburner reserve.

Tech Description:
The smallest bomber in the fleet, the Athena has oftentimes been mistaken for a fighter. However, one should not be fooled by its small size. The Athena can carry light bombs, and most missiles. It also has the ability to dogfight well. Its strong shielding and hull make it the favored "Lightning Bomber" of the GTA.

(Corrected stats)
Length: 26 m
Gun Mounts: 2 banks, 2 ports each
Missile Banks: 2 banks, 9 ports each

FS Campaign, mission 10 Briefing exerpt:

* GTD Galatea
* Ikeya System
* 1/31/35

The Taranis

Initial attacks have gone off without a hitch, and the Taranis is on her last leg.  Delta and Epsilon wings have destroyed most of the Taranis' fighter escort. It is time to finish the job.

To this end, Terran Command has sent a full wing of Athena bombers, equipped with the newly developed Stiletto bomb.

New Technology: Athena Bomber

The Athena is our most maneuverable bomber. It carries a massive payload, yet, in dogfights, is nearly as effective as a fighter.


Doesn't really mention anything about the age of the Athena, but this exerpt from the FS reference bible implies it's fairly old:

Dubbed the "lightning bomber" by some of its pilots, this little wonder was the mainstay of the GTA fleet before it started developing its bigger warheads.  While it doesn't have nearly as much capacity for bombs or the hull strength of its younger brothers, it is still in use today for quick hit and run strikes.  Its relatively small frame is carried well by its fast engines, allowing it to achieve speeds even greater than the Terran
Heavy Assault Fighter.  While this bomber it pretty useless against the bigger ships, it definitely hasn't outlived its usefulness against transports and freighters.  Its massive afterburner fuel reserve is its biggest advantage, its lack of good primary and anti-fighter secondary weapons, its biggest weakness.  This bomber is also suitable for disabling a craft.

Best that can be said is it probably predates the Stiletto, and pretty much any other GTA Bomber. Dunno about the Apollo or the Valkyrie, but pretty good bet it's older than the Hercules or Medusa.

[Kosh]

What I liked most about it was that it could carry 16 Pheonix 5 missiles. Before you get ahold of the Hercules, that is the best you can get.

And I didn't like the Apollo that much. I preferred the Valkyrie over it.

[NGTM-1R]

Perhaps the Athena should have something like FSPort's Barracuda heavy rocket? Small but noticible damage to capships, not manuverable enough for effective use against fighters, relatively small shockwave, good range, can be shot down but not easily.

[TrashMan]

WEll if the ship is old, why is it described under NEW TECHNOLOGY: Athena bomber??

I personally love the ship and hated the fact they threw it out of FS2.

[Hippo]

Indeed, it was a great ship... Still my favorite... The avenger is the best weapon it can hold, but its secondary firepower far surpasses it...

[IceFire]

Originally posted by TrashMan
WEll if the ship is old, why is it described under NEW TECHNOLOGY: Athena bomber??

I personally love the ship and hated the fact they threw it out of FS2.

Taken to mean NEW TECHNOLOGY available.

I suspected that even the Hercules and Medusa had been around the block a bit, just that they were final prototype stages rushed to deployment with the new crisis.

[aldo_14]

In other words,

'"we've finally decided we can trust not to crash into your wingmen every mission, so we've allowed you flight priveleges for the GTB Athena.  

Try to bring it back in one piece this time, alpha 1"

[Trivial Psychic]

Originally posted by ngtm1r
Perhaps the Athena should have something like FSPort's Barracuda heavy rocket? Small but noticible damage to capships, not manuverable enough for effective use against fighters, relatively small shockwave, good range, can be shot down but not easily.

I created something like this for my WIP campaign.  I called the weapon Paveway, but it was inferior to the Barracuda in most respects.

[Gregster2k]

Originally posted by IceFire

Taken to mean NEW TECHNOLOGY available.

I suspected that even the Hercules and Medusa had been around the block a bit, just that they were final prototype stages rushed to deployment with the new crisis.

I don't recall Command Briefings in FS1 ever talking about "OpEval Periods"...yet FS2 had an entire mission dedicated to TESTING the Pegasus...an interesting twist, but significant in that it seems like FS1 the GTA was like "SHIVANS -- OH **** -- GET THE STUFF OUT WHO CARES IF IT WORKS!!!" what makes absolutely no sense is...well...get a load of these two FS2 fighter specs:

GTB MEDUSA:
$Allowed PBanks:        ( "Subach HL-7" "Prometheus S" "Prometheus R" "Lamprey" "Circe" "Maxim") <---- Aren't the Subach, Maxim, Prom R, Lamprey and Circe NEXT-GEN GUNS?!

EVEN WORSE - GTF Hercules:
$Allowed PBanks:            ( "Subach HL-7" "Akheton SDG" "Morning Star" "Prometheus S" "Prometheus R" "UD-8 Kayser" "Lamprey" "Circe" "Maxim") <--- WHAT THE HOLY HELL?

UD-8 KAYSER?! ON THE HERC 1?! The fact the Herc 1 can mount the *Kayser* means that there's no excuse for the Athena, Apollo, and Valkyrie NOT being in FS2.

[Stealth]

the Athena was tight.  it has large secondary capacity, it's very manueverable, fairly fast, and the lasers shoot in a cluster, which i like... i dunno why, it's just always been easier for me to take down a fighter with the athena's laser configuration than with, say, the ulysses or valkyrie.

[FireCrack]

apollo was the best ship in FS1, fastest craft with 2 secondary banks.

[Stealth]

but very, very small secondary banks