17m length is already really big.. even more than 15 ton Centaur (16m) with 2L+1S port and 48 cu of cargo.

Yea the length on the Raptor sucks. It's why, despite having similar stats to a vulture, it seems to turn slower. Not really a problem with light weapons on it though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-2D_Hawkeye : Length: 57 ft 7 in (17.56 m)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panavia_Tornado_ADV : Length: 61 ft 3½ in (18.68 m)
The E-2D in right picture are even shorter than those Tornados that are escorting the E3_sentry from 1st picture. E-2Ds even can make some kills, but definitly not dogfight... but they are suited to work directing fighters and bombers from a 'safe' distance.

That is how I see the Raptor shine, with integrated group extender for all variants, and selling it as a specialized tool for group combat. Make NPC fly one of them at border stations and one on each deneb battle.

Also, the improved versions should bring increased radar range...

Oh, that would fit into the game just fine Alloh.

-1

the raptor was intended to be a heavy fighter kinda like a prom without the cargo space

Uh... I find that hard to believe with 2 small ports. If those were both heavy ports, it'd fit into the heavy community.

-1 to AWACS raptor. It's true that we could use one implemented, but until we get a specialized ship design for the AWACS use a rag with all the addons. The raptor was not designed to be a support ship.

tarenty, I can't get the point why people are against single cargo scanner in raptor.

They're against putting every kind of scanner in a raptor. A cargo scanner variant, in my opinion, would be useful and make the raptor a desirable ship in it's current situation. However, if the raptor was indeed designed to be a heavy fighter, a cargo scanner would not fit.

OT, overall, I believe the raptor should be tested as a heavy fighter with +2000 armor from the current variants, two large ports, and an addon scanner. If this was not effective or too effective, I believe it should be readjusted to be a support ship, with different variants sporting different scanners. In essence: try it as it was meant to be with better stats than it was given, then go to plan B and fix it.

TPG Raptor mk3
Price: 75,000
10/5/10/-/-
Armor: 10,200
Cargo: 5
Ports: 2L
Mass: 4,600 kg
Length: 17 m
Thrusts: 220 N
Turbo thrusts: 280 N
Speed: 60 m/s
Max turbo speed: 220 m/s
Spin torque: 8.5 Nm
Energy drain: 57/s
+Addon scanner

lil better?

+1 to "Ship design stolen" There should be a mission tree that unlocks this new Raptor involving Ineubis (or other non-corvus faction) espionage against TPG. This should be an Ineubis (ooncf) exclusive. Considering the origins of this new ship, it should be restricted to pilots with +800 standing.

Make the ship expensive and make the ship useful. I really like the idea of a radar jammer or stealth INTEGRATED addon.

I think more of a deep-space spy/recon ship, perfect for Phleggy, but I want one too.

Add integrated LONG RANGE cargo scanner, 2000m+ range. (3000m?)
Add integrated radar extender.
Add "stealth" or radar jammer (this ship won't appear on other's radar, or only at very close distances). No ships have this feature currently, so it would fit nicely into this new design.
Make it 150,000c or more.

Why not put it in as a Serco or Itani variant? After all, Serco space and Itani space is often like a ghost town... The game is getting to where there's no need to travel far....

I'd like to see many of the weapons etc., moved to nation spaces so there would be more activity there.

You put everything in grey space and guess what? People don't have to travel to the other places...

Basically, as things stand the raptor is completely useless. Get into a fight with anything but a moth XC and you're toast; the useless great lump of a thing can't strafe worth a damn and given this glaring inadequacy absolutely nobody uses the horrible thing.

Any yet, there we have TPG apparently trying to hawk a complete lemon to anyone who'll buy one; the premier trading and manufacturing group in UIT trying (and failing) to shift a complete heap of crap. Major industrials don't do this; they either drop the price to shift unsold units, or they build something better.

So, reduce the cargo space down to 2 or 3, increase the armour and hugely increase the strafe speed and thrust, but reduce the top speed to 210. Keep the turbo drain at 60, and maybe add another smallport or largeport. Basically what you get is something that is some good in a dogfight, not as nippy as a valk but with the armour to take a hit or two, but nippy enough to worry a prom.

+1 to making it Serco specific. They need a good interceptor class ship.

Thread Necromancy!

They have a good interceptor ship. The SVG is excellent for this purpose. Ever flown one?

Aye. It seems to drain the batter reserves much faster than the valk though.

*edit*

IDF Vigilant Assault Itani 800 9/9/6/1/- 11000 2 3S 2900 kg 12 m 225 N 235 N 65 m/s 7.0 Nm 225 m/s 55/s
X-1 Prototype Itani 800 9/9/6/1/- 11600 2 3S 3000 kg 12 m 225 N 230 N 65 m/s 7.0 Nm 225 m/s 55/s

Guardian - Serco 800 4/4/-/-/- 9000 2 2S 3800 kg 12 m 235 N 260 N 65 m/s 7.5 Nm 220 m/s 56/s

Now that I look at it, the turbo is only 1/s more, and it does have a lot more turbo thrust.

Perhaps I'll give it another go. Hadn't noticed it before, but it's heavier than the valk with less armor?!?

Yeah the SVG is -very- fast if you don't weigh it down with heavy addons. Less armor and less profile. Valks are a fat potato. They also usually end up weighing more after loadout because of the extra port.