In this video, the creator explores the capabilities of the Talon Shrike, a missile-focused variant of the Espira Talon, in the upcoming 4.3 patch of Star Citizen. The Talon Shrike is tested primarily as a stealth missile boat with some dogfighting ability. To provide a comprehensive understanding, the Talon Shrike is compared extensively with the similar Aegis Firebird. Both ships have received numerous changes in the 4.3 PTU, and the video delves into these updates, highlighting their respective strengths and weaknesses in speed, maneuverability, and stealth.
The Talon Shrike and Firebird share similar SCM and boosted speeds, although the Firebird is generally faster and has a higher maximum navigation speed. Maneuverability favors the Talon Shrike, which boasts superior pitch, yaw, and roll rates compared to the Firebird. However, the Firebird has significantly higher hull hit points and better fuel capacity, allowing it to sustain longer dogfights, especially in atmospheric conditions. Price-wise, the Talon Shrike is much more affordable, costing roughly half the price of the Firebird.
Stealth capabilities form a key part of the comparison. Both ships have been buffed in 4.3, with the Talon Shrike showing a lower radar cross-section on its highest value, resulting in a shorter detection range compared to the Firebird. In practical stealth tests using a Polaris passive radar, the Talon Shrike demonstrated impressive stealth performance, losing radar lock at about 1.6 to 1.7 kilometers when facing the enemy nose to nose, and even longer detection ranges when presenting its side, reaching up to 2.4 kilometers before losing lock.
The missile systems of the two ships differ notably. The Talon Shrike carries two size-two hardpoints and can carry 24 size-three missiles split across two missile racks, allowing for two different missile types. However, it can only arm and fire one missile at a time. The Firebird, with two size-three hardpoints, can arm six missiles simultaneously but only from a single missile rack, limiting it to one missile type at a time. Missile combat tests showed the Talon Shrike effectively engaging various targets with different missile types, though firing missiles one by one makes it less effective against multiple enemies.
Finally, the video touches on the practical considerations of using the Talon Shrike as a stealth missile boat. While the stealth buffs make it a fun and viable option for PvP and PvE engagements against lighter fighters, the high costs of missile rearming and repairs are significant drawbacks. The creator warns that insurance fraud tactics to reclaim missiles may soon be disabled, making operating costs an important factor in the ship’s use. Overall, the Talon Shrike is praised for its stealth and missile versatility but comes with trade-offs in firepower and cost compared to the Firebird.
