UES Minotaur Squadron

Hundreds of Minotaur-class fighters were built over the course of the War. While short-legged (not truly capable of interstellar travel on their own) and only carrying a crew of three, they were heavily armed, fast, and maneuverable. They were designed in concert with the Powhatan cruisers and the Yorktown carriers, and typically assigned in squadrons of five to each carrier. Squadrons were also operated from starbases and other orbital facilities.

A typical mission would see the fighters deployed from their carrier well outside the target system (an operation that took nearly half an hour by itself), then sprint in-system using antimatter "fuel cells" for high-speed runs. Other combat maneuvering was powered by a standard deuterium fusion engine, capable of driving the ship at limited FTL speeds, powering their four laser cannons, and charging their missiles' drives. One or two fuel cells (of six carried) would be reserved for making their exit and rendeszvous with the carrier and its escorts, again outside the system, whereupon they would re-dock and debark.

Only the most minimal of amenities were provided to the crew aboard the fighters, as they were not expected to be aboard for more than a day or two before returning to the carrier - which did have extensive facilities for the comfort of its own crew as well as the fighter crews.

These fighters would serve as the primary strike arm of the Fleet during the last quarter of the war.

Minotaur fighter number 814, "Gwendoline", is on display at the Fleet Museum.

Because of the small size of these vessels, this model is offered in a squadron of 5 at 1/1500 scale rather than matching the scale of other Fleet Museum models.