UFOs (UFOAI)
Research entries of Interceptor's UFOPedia.
UFOs
UFO Scout
Commander, we've recovered a new UFO type which is now waiting in our hangar for disassembly. We're ready to start studying and dismantling the craft whenever you say, but we will need some lab time and funding to make a proper assessment of its function and capabilities.
Cdr. Navarre
"This small UFO is the first type we've observed visually and on radar. Although they don't seem to take part in actual raids, they're no less a threat; so far they've paved the way for every instance of alien activity on Earth. We have dubbed this class of UFO the 'Scout', as that seems to be its purpose here on Earth. It makes sense. Every modern military force needs intelligence more than anything. Here are the major technical details: -- The craft has only a small fuel tank and few provisions for a crew. It seems designed for little more than coming down from orbit, flying around a bit, and then returning. -- We have determined the craft to be unarmed, but it's equipped with what appears to be a large suite of sensors contained in the four protrusions around the cockpit. Curiously, it seems to mount no communications equipment that we can identify, which would defeat the purpose of a scout. Your guess is as good as ours, sir. Beyond that the craft has no particular distinguishing characteristics. As I said, this UFO type is used primarily as a reconnaissance unit and vanguard to scout the way for heavier craft. Though unarmed, we should shoot these things down whenever we're not otherwise engaged, because anything the aliens are up to is bound to be bad for us. Cdr. Navarre"
UFO Fighter
Commander, we've recovered a new UFO type which is now waiting in our hangar for disassembly. Recovering a Fighter-class UFO has been one of the things we at DivEngine have been praying for. This is the first armed combat UFO that PHALANX has observed; it is vital that we study these alien craft and weapons and learn their weaknesses, if they have any.
We're ready to start studying and dismantling the craft whenever you say, but we will need some lab time and funding to make a proper assessment of its function and capabilities.
Cdr. Navarre
"Commander, my team and I have just finished another UFO report for you. Here is my summary for your review. The Fighter craft seems to serve the role of escort to alien expeditions. It is frequently deployed to engage aerial targets or even as a diversion to mask some other mission somewhere else. It's not as manouverable as some UFOs we've observed, but it's certainly fast, with a tough airframe and large claw-like heat exchangers on the side to compensate for the increased heat output of the chunky antimatter engines. It mounts a single weapon system under the nose of the craft. This weapon, some type of high-energy particle beam, will require thorough research before we will be able to make any conclusions about it. However, it's obvious just from our combat recordings that this weapon is extremely dangerous. It fires a beam of particles at a good fraction of the speed of light, giving it significant range before the atmosphere can slow and/or disperse the particles enough to render them harmless. The Fighter features no discernible communications equipment, nor does it mount landing gear. What it does have, however, is a large targeting computer and holographic HUD to make the craft even more effective in air engagements. Combined with our work on UFO theory, the analysis of the Fighter has led us to some new conclusions about these smaller classes of UFO. While faster than most things in Earth's sky, the Fighter is still not very speedy for a craft driven by antimatter rockets. From what we've seen of the alien hull materials, they could easily stand more engine stresses if required. The aliens could certainly build more powerful engines with their current technology. It seems the limiting factor is fuel volatility. The antimatter tanks in the Fighter are very small and very heavily armoured. Obviously the aliens aren't taking any unnecessary risks. The few tenths of a gramme of antimatter that a small UFO can safely carry seem to be just enough to complete a planet mission and return to base. If the UFO does manage to lose containment, the amount of antimatter in its tanks will not be enough to harm nearby craft. Tactically, the Fighter is a real threat to PHALANX craft. However, their function is strictly limited, as they aren't equipped to do anything more than armed reconnaissance. Cdr. Navarre"