EF449 Preying Mantis-class interceptor

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EF449 Preying Mantis-class interceptor Production information Model EF449 Preying Mantis-class interceptor Class Electronic Warfare Strike Fighter Technical specifications Length 18.3 meters Slipspace Drive Not Equipped Power plant Deuterium/Tritium (2H/3H) fusion reactor Ultrashort petawatt excitation lasers Magnetic confinement fields Hull Titanium-Molybdenum Carbide alloy Crew Pilot (1) Electronic Warfare Officer (1) Onboard AI (1, optional) Usage Role(s) Electronic Warfare Combatant Strike Fighter Era(s) Galactic Era Affiliation UNSC Navy

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The EF449 Preying Mantis-class interceptor was an electronic warfare strike fighter operated by the UNSC Navy during the Galactic Era. A specialized two-seater fighter, the Preying Mantis-class interceptor is highly invested in fielding high-gain electronic warfare and electronic support measures to support friendly UNSC forces.

Contents 1 Specifications 2 Naming Scheme 3 Behind the Scenes

[edit] Specifications

The Preying Mantis-class interceptor is a novel introduction into the UNSC arsenal; it is one of the first specialized UNSC space-capable fighters optimized to provide electronic warfare capabilities as well as electronic support measures. While its velocity, maneuverability, and handling is substandard for UNSC starfighters of the Galactic Era-generation, these deficits are compensated in its potent electronic mission capabilities.

The most potent weapon in the arsenal of the EF449 interceptor is an extensive electronic countermeasure (ECM) suite that boasts broad-band and tight-band RADAR and radio jammers; by broadcasting high radionic energy, the Preying Mantis-class overloads enemy tracking systems and communications systems with noise, leaving enemy fire-finding radars unable to detect targets above background, and also saturating the communications capacity of enemy communications channels. With this aggressive electronic warfare suite, the EF449 interceptor ensures blanket neutralization of enemy air and ground electronic assets, leaving enemy fighters and anti-air missile batteries unable to find their targets, and disrupting the communications of all nearby enemy units, leaving them vulnerable to attack by UNSC forces.

The countermeasures suite is operated by a dedicated electronic warfare officer (EWO) — the officer has the ability to devise more complex electronic interference patterns, projecting "false ghosts" of UNSC fighters onto enemy radars, increasing the apparent number of UNSC fighter squadrons, or else even projecting false locations of UNSC fighters, diverting away the attention of the enemy from the real strike package. This lends UNSC fighter wings an insurmountable advantage in combat, allowing them to attack blind and mute enemies with impunity.

Furthermore, the EF449 is employed in an electronic support (ES) role, acting as a passive receiver of enemy communications, microwave transmissions, and radar signals; this allows the Preying Mantis-class to intercept and decode enemy transmissions in real time, providing invaluable battle intelligence, and also allows the fighter to identify from afar enemy formations based on their radar transmissions. This is especially valuable in bombing campaigns, where the EF449 is employed to detect the locations of enemy radar installations and anti-air batteries, guiding friendly fighters to destroy enemy sensors and weapons emplacements before bombing runs commence. In this regard, the fighters serve in an electronic intelligence (ELINT) and signals intelligence (SIGINT) capacity.

[edit] Naming Scheme

• The "F" designation of the EF449 signifies that it is a space-capable fighter of the UNSC Navy; the "E" designation designates that the primary mission role of the fighter is "electronic warfare".
• The classification of "Preying Mantis" was chosen based on two criteria; the preying mantis is a predator (other UNSC fighters of the Galactic Era are named after predators, such as the F506 Piranha and the F779 Predator) and also, the preying mantis employs deceptive camouflage to survive, much alike the serpentine electronic warfare practiced by the EF449.

[edit] Behind the Scenes

• The EF449 Preying Mantis-class interceptor derives its numerical designation from "GDC-0449", the first-in-class orally-available hedgehog (Hh) pathway antagonist undergoing clinical trials with the FDA. GDC-0449 is currently being developed in the real world by Curis, Inc. in collaboration with Genentech and Roche.
• Curis Corporate Presentation as of February 10, 2009

UNSC Navy (Galactic Era)
Carriers		Cydonia-class fleet carrier
Cruisers		Atlantis-class dreadnought · Cyclops-class main battle cruiser
Destroyers		Mjöllnir-class destroyer
Frigates		Aegis-class frigate
Corvettes		Hermes-class gunship · Oracle-class prowler
Interceptors		EF449 Preying Mantis-class interceptor · F506 Piranha-class interceptor · F779 Predator-class interceptor
Bombers		BQ3 Specter-class stealth bomber · B82 Tigershark-class bomber
Individual Vessels		UNSC Cydonia · UNSC Heimdall · UNSC Heracles · UNSC Meridian Dream · UNSC Melpomène · UNSC Vishnu
Commands		UNSC Fifth Fleet · Task Force Phoenix
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