UNMC SF-21 ExoAT Fighter

Overview
The UNMC SF-21 ExoAT Fighter (or Dragonfly as it has been named by UNMC members) is a small craft designed to be piloted by a single person and used mostly to engage enemy fighters. The fighter is very quick and extremely nimble due to its network of thrusters. When in combat, fighters will frequently fly in groups of 3-5, and in large assaults sometimes will be seen in large groups of dozens. Although small, fighters have proven to be essential in space combat, swarming and distracting enemy ships and taking out soft points such as missile batteries, laser wells, or railgun turrets.

History
The Dragonfly was first introduced to the UNMC in 2321, after years of development to design a new and more updated fighter unit to replace the aging SF-C20 craft that had been in use for over 50 years. Made by Archimedes Aeronautics, the Dragonfly quickly proved it was superior in initial flight tests, and was formally adopted as the standard fighter in 2322, replacing all older models and filling the fighter bays of UNMC Carriers. However, the Dragonfly wouldn't see any real combat until EMPIRE surfaced in 2326, throwing the UNC into another bloody conflict. Dragonfly units frequently ruled the vast distances of space combat during this time, as EMPIRE rarely got a hold of UNMC fighters and the ARC models they were able to acquire were vastly inferior, even with upgrades. During the entire EMPIRE Campaign, the UNMC only recorded a loss of just over 200 fighters, which while seeming like a lot was extremely impressive compared to previous fighter losses during the Insurrection. Over the 9 year long campaign, several other models of the Dragonfly were built to tackle specific roles. The Dragonfly was put to its real test in the Factions War, where they went toe-to-toe with newer ARC FC-ASOV "Hunters". While the Hunters proved worthy opponents to Dragonfly pilots, ultimately the UNMC model would reign supreme in most engagements of the war, only a few battles resulted in heavier losses than enemy craft. The Dragonfly continued to serve the UNMC well into the future, and was in use during the opening of the Human-Exohuman War. Fortunately, the Exohumans attacked on Ragnarok with no actual fighter craft designed for their fleets, letting most Dragonfly units operate with virtual impunity against Exohuman ships. They were unmatched against Exohuman air power until 2347, when the Exohumans finally developed a dedicated fighter to counter the UNMC.

Roles
The roles of the Dragonfly are unique, in that it is used to tackle many different objectives needed by UNMC fleets. While primarily used to attack and intercept enemy fighters, Dragonflies have been utilized many times to hit vulnerable spots on enemy ships, destroying point defenses and smaller armaments to render then ineffective or completely inoperable. Ships as large as ARC Dreadnoughts and stolen UNMC Battleships have been known to struggle under heavy attack from Dragonflies, diverting all their backup weaponry to defend against the smaller craft. However, they are so fast that weapons such as railguns and missiles have been known to have trouble tracking them and keeping up, and strategies have been played to execute complex maneuvers to force enemy missiles to hit other enemy ships, or the same ship the missile was fired from. For this reason, during the Factions War many ARC ship commanders forbid firing missiles at UNMC fighters, seeing how effective they were at avoiding and reversing incoming attacks.

Weaponry
Dragonfly units all come standard with a downsized railgun, able to shoot a large slug at great speeds providing near instantaneous hits at close and mid range. Most enemy fighters will be utterly destroyed or at least disabled with a single shot, as vital systems are obliterated on impact. Fighters also heft twin .60 caliber turrets as a secondary armament, able to shred through lightly armored enemy fighters with ease after sustained fire. As a tertiary weapon, fighters will carry up to 6 self tracking missiles in their undercarriage, used to bombard targets from long range and offer guaranteed one-hit kills. These missiles have even proven effective on starships, although only on smaller defenses or already damaged sections.

Variants
Several variations of the Dragonfly exist now in the UNMC, all tailored to excel at certain tasks or completely different roles.
 * SF-21 HOF: Heavy Offensive Fighter, with extra armor on vital sections and most areas of the craft. Designed to provide better defense against starship weapons and specifically fitted to attack soft points on enemy ships for prolonged time frames.
 * SF-21 AO- Atmosphere Optimized, this variant is designed with more aerodynamic parts and slightly lighter and smaller frames for in-atmosphere flight and offense/defense. Specifically used to escort starships operating inside a planet's atmosphere, and used when standard UNMC attack aircraft are either not available or in short supply. As such, they are normally used by UNAC fleets, since their ships frequently operate planet-side.