Interstellar Alliance Tigershark Hybrid Fighters Interstellar Alliance Tigershark Hybrid Figthers The Tigershark was an attempt at designing a fighter for use by IA member states. The contributors to the Victory project were tapped to design the new fighter, but the firms used in construction of the Victory were not the same. The same EA firm and Minbari designers that had a hand in the failed Valen class Fast Cruiser designed the Tigershark. The lessons learned and applied to the Victory project were apparently forgotten. The resulting design was less than popular with pilots. Minbari Warrior caste pilots preferred the Nials and Tishats that they were used to piloting from the prone position. Worker and Religious caste pilots were a bit more open to the new fighter, but the religious caste really had no use for fighters as their White Stars and other Vorlon Hybrid ships were better suited to their fleet mentality. The Worker Caste built the fighters and were happy to use them on board their ships, but only because they were already built and waiting to be used. The EA fighter pilots assigned to the project adapted to the new fighter, but never really got used to it. The SA-47A Tigershark was an odd fighter to fly, and the new drive system threw the EA pilots. Attempts were made to program the on-board computers to mimic the Thunderbolt’s flight envelope, but the resulting flight system did not take advantage of the hybrid systems, and actually made the fighter ineffectual. The only Tigersharks put into EA service were based on the new build Victory class Destroyers, Liberty, Vigilant, Defender and Resolute. After the initial operational snubbing by the EA and Minbari, it was decided to open the list of governments the fighter was geared to. IA member nations took to the new fighter with varying levels of interest. Each fighter was tailor armed and equipped for each nation. The Narn took anything they could get their hands on, but could not really afford too many more than the allotment given to them. The Gaim took a few squadrons, and the Queens are busy attempting to breed a new pilot drone that can pilot the fighter to its potential. The Brakiri Ak-Habil and Ly-Nakir corporations bought a few dozen fighters each, but rarely deploy them anywhere but their orbital offices. Im-Remsha Heavy Industries bought a squadron and are rumored to be tearing apart The Drazi took a few squadrons, but view them with the same attitude as any ship of theirs with the prefix “Prey” attached. While knowing how powerful these ships are, they are loathe to use them. In order to avoid their use in future Green/Purple wars, a new color, Red, was created and the fighters are crewed by only Red Drazi. The Red have no allegiance to either color. The Vree acquired a few, but had difficulty using them on board their fleet carriers. The Vree Science Guild was most intrigued by the fighters, and most ended up with them, either as lab specimens or in defense of their facilities. The Cascor took to the fighters with their usual insatiable curiosity. They deployed them aboard their supercarriers, but most remained at orbital bases. The Hyach also acquired a few, in thanks for their support during the last Shadow War. They preferred their Darthas to the Tigersharks, and didn’t request anymore of them after the initial delivery. The Abbai were happy to accept the new fighter, but were not happy with the weaponry the designers chose to equip the fighter with. Four of the Abbai fighter weapons were unacceptable to them, even if they did laughable damage. The Abbai, as with most of the Tigershark’s recipients, based their fighters at orbital facilities. The Yolu version is about the only version that’s been known to be actively deployed aboard Yolu vessels, as it’s small enough and armed well enough to suit their needs. Other nations were considered for its use, but at the time, a certain amount of caution was needed with some potential users. While the Pak’mar’a would be a trustworthy user of the design and its technology, the Pak’mar’a mindset made effective use of the advanced fighter impossible. The Grome and Hurr were both too new to the whole space-faring navy thing to grasp the new technology. The Ipsha, while constantly at war with one another, was never really considered for the Tigershark’s use. The fact that they were almost at constant civil war coupled with their unique physiology made use of the Tigershark impossible. The Descari, Torata, Kor-Lyan and Corillani had expressed no interest in the design. (Note: This design came from one of Starshipmodeler.com's older contests. The model for it can be found on the starshipmodeler.com site.) Tigershark Hybrid Fighter (EA Variant) Tigershark Hybrid Fighter (Minbari Variant) Tigershark Hybrid Fighter (Narn Variant) Tigershark Hybrid Fighter (Abbai Variant) Tigershark Hybrid Fighter (Hyach Variant) Tigershark Hybrid Fighter (Drazi Variant) Tigershark Hybrid Fighter (Brakiri Variant) Tigershark Hybrid Fighter (Vree Variant) Tigershark Hybrid Fighter (Cascor Variant) Tigershark Hybrid Fighter (Gaim Variant) Tigershark Hybrid Fighter (Yolu Variant)