Dralthi Medium Fighter

"Dralthi" is the name of a family of light to medium fighters used by the Kilrathi. The first Dralthi was built in 2529 and derivatives of the design continued in Kilrathi service at least into 2701. Dralthis have been in development for 200 years and ten major revisions (before 2701).

Dralthi Variants

• KF-100 Dralthi
• Dralthi (Mk. I)
• Dralthi Mk. II
• Dralthi III
• Dralthi IV
• Dralthi V
• Dralthi VI
• Dralthi Mk. VII
• Dralthi VIII
• Dralthi IX
• Dralthi X

The KF-507 Drakhri is not a Dralthi, it’s actually a completely different fighter, though the Dralthi VII did later incorporate its revolutionary over-the-cockpit missile rack.

KF-100 Dralthi

Original variant of the Dralthi. The KF-100 Dralthi entered service in 2529, and was commonly encountered during the first twenty years of the war. The KF-100s unique spaceframe was smaller and lighter than any of the later three basic Dralthi designs.

Dralthi (Dralthi I)

Entered service in 2645 and in use until 2655, the Dralthi was a circular-winged fighter with two laser cannons and three Paw dumbfire missiles. The Dralthi had slower reactions from side to side than pulling up or down, and because of this, Confederation fighter pilots could count on being presented a fairly easy target profile in most chase situations.

The Dralthi features prominently on the boxart of the first Wing Commander game.

Dralthi Mk. II

A modification in use from 2655 onward, the Dralthi II was simply a slight mod of the Dralthi I with mass drivers instead of lasers. The mass drivers increased the fighter's lethality slightly but it still had the "bull's eye" problem. Missile armament and shield power was improved over the older fighter.

The Dralthi Mk. II is the only Kilrathi starfighter which Christopher Blair flew during the Kilrathi War. During the Firekka campaign a Kilrathi carrier under Ralgha nar Hhallas defected to the confederation, and some of the Dralthi on board were used as undercover fighters.

Dralthi III

A light fighter primarily for reconnaissance and defensive use. The fighter had a new planform; a flattened "bat-wing" plan that would remain the ship's trademark through the seventies and into the eighties. The shorter but wider wings had the unfortunate effect of making the Terran pilots' job of assaulting these craft even easier, as the Dralthi was now nearly impossible to miss at close to medium range. The distinctive semi-circular wings earned it the nickname "Flying Pancake" among Confederation pilots.

Dralthi IV

The Dralthi IV was the ultimate wartime variant of the type. It was armed with a particle cannon, two meson guns and four Claw Image Recognition missiles, making it the best-armed and most lethal Dralthi variant seen during the war. After the war, the Dralthi IV was modified further with two particle cannon and one photon gun.

A heavily modified version of the Dralthi IV spaceframe was used in the 2680s. This Dralthi is armed with two laser and one tachyon cannon and four Stalker Heat Seeker missiles, marking a regression in military capacity for the reduced and defeated Kilrathi. The model is faster and more maneuverable than the basic model IV in all flight regimes, making it a slightly deadlier craft; however, its basic inadequacies in the face of the threats of the early 2680s make it a deathtrap for its fanatical Kilrathi pilots.

Dralthi VII

The Dralthi VII is the fourth 'Dralthi' spaceframe. Dralthi VIIs, designed to be more self sufficient than carrier-based fighters, served as raiders and reconnaissance craft in generally uncontested border regions such as Gemini. There are at least two sub-variants: One armed with three laser cannon and three Paw dumbfire missiles and one armed with two particle cannon, one fusion cannon and three Paw dumbfire missiles. The Dralthi VII is virtually identical to the Drakhri.

Dralthi (SWC)

• Dralthi (SWC)

External links

• Ship specifications for Dralthi Mk. I
• In-cockpit VDU image
• 3D Model of the Dralthi Mk. I
• WC1 Dralthi ("Dralthi I") light fighter
• Secret Missions - Dralthi 2 (Dralthi II) light fighter
• WC3, WC4, Prophecy -- Dralthi 4 (Dralthi IV) medium fighter
• Privateer -- Dralthi 7 (Dralthi VII) medium fighter