Space Fighters in the Renegade Legion Universe are organized as units ranging from a two-fighter Pair to multi-thousand fighter Supercarrier Group Wings, with administrative, technical, security and other organic support assets.
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The foundation of all modern fighter formations, the TOG Navy Model is closely matched by the Renegade Legions and the Commowealth military, with close approximations among the KessRith and the Naram (discussed below).
- Pair: TOG fighters are never deployed singly; the smallest permanent formation is the pair, which is composed of two fighters, each with a technical crew chief. If the pair is an independent unit, then it is organized as a “short” squadron.
- Squadron: A standard aerospace squadron is comprised of six fighters organized in three pairs, along with a “Small HQ staff of crew chiefs and some administrative personnel”. A squadron is usually under the command of a Pluiarchos or Pluiarchos, Junior Grade, depending on the overall size of the larger formation to which the squadron belongs. Organizationally, it is the equivalent of a Century.
- Flight: A Flight is a formation of four squadrons (24 fighters) under the command of a Pluiarchos, with additional administrative and maintenance personnel. Organizationally, a Flight is the equivalent of a Cohort and is generally the largest coherent unit[1] fielded in battle.
- Group: Three Flights (72 fighters) form a Fighter Group under the command of a Navarchos, with an integral Century of Marines. Organizationally, a Group is the equivalent of a Legion.
- Wing: While two Groups can be called a Wing, as often happens with battleships of the line or with Fast Carriers, a standard Wing is actually composed of five Groups (360 fighters), under the command of a Commodore. In addition to the assets of each Group, the Wing includes a detachment of intelligence analysts and additional administrative staff. A Wing is commonly the size of a battleship squadron’s fighter contingent and is commonly organized as such. Organizationally, a Wing is the equivalent of a Brigade.
- Carrier Wing: Not an official designation, a Carrier Wing is a formation of two or more Wings assigned to the same Fleet Carrier, Supercarrier or Carrier Squadron, under the command of a senior Commodore or a Rear Admiral. Few opponents can withstand the sheer power of a Carrier Wing and its associated warships.
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TOG’s Marines have long maintained their own dedicated aerospace assets, though these are often assigned to Classiari Legions and to Carrier Wings for dedicated air support of Marine forces in combat. Except for the ranks, the formation structure remains the same as that of the Navy, though only rarely (mostly in the aforementioned Classiari Legions) are formations larger than a Flight fielded; larger formations exist primarily for organizational purposes across a combat theater.
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The Marines of the Renegade Legions, like their TOG counterparts, maintain dedicated aerospace forces, but where TOG Army considers these forces to be poor stepchildren useful only to free naval fighters for worthier roles, the Republican Navy considers these assets vital elements of every fighter formation and are thus assigned a wide variety of roles, on par with their Navy counterparts. It is rare that a naval group does not include at least 1-2 Squadrons of Marine Fighters, but by the same token, larger all-Marine formations exist on paper only, for administrative purposes, even in the few Republican Classiari Legions.
Commonwealth Formations[]
While the Republican (“Renegade”) Navy adheres closely to its pre-TOG Terran Republic organization, each branch of the Commonwealth Armed Forces has its own twist on the Republican template:
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The Royal Navy has had to adapt its traditional formation names in order to accommodate the fact that Republican warships often carry Commonwealth fighter units and Royal Navy ships often carry Republican fighter units, as part of their mutual alliance.
The primary difference in organization is that Royal Navy fighter formations are given greater autonomy at lower organizational levels and in the title given to the ranking officer:
- Squadron: Lieutenant Commander
- Flight: Commander
- Group: Captain
- Wing: Commodore
- Carrier Wing: Vice Admiral
Commonwealth Royal Aerospace Force[]
The Royal Aerospace Force is a diversified collection of regional forces, most adhering to the traditional organizational scheme of the Commonwealth, though some units, primarily those facing with TOG forces alongside Republican units, have adapted to reduce battlefield confusion.
- Pairs are called Elements, commonly led by a Flying Officer
- Squadrons are called Flights, under the command of a Flying Lieutenant
- Flights are called Squadrons, under the command of a Squadron Leader
- Groups are called Wings, led by a Wing Commander
- Wings are called Groups, led by a Group Commander
- Multi-Group formations are named for the regions they cover (Planetary Theater Group, System Theater Group, etc.) and commanded by appropriate General-grade officers.
Other Formations[]
KessRith Military[]
KessRith aerospace formations work on a base-four system, though this is often subject to the whims and traditions of each particular clan. Many clans have adopted the Terran Model, but the standard remains as follows:
- Fighter Squad: 4 fighters
- Fighter Platoon: 4 Squads (16 fighters)
- Fighter Company: 4 Platoons (64 fighters)
- Fighter Group: 4 Companies (256 fighters)
- Fighter Arm: 4 Groups (1,024 fighters)
Few clans are capable of fielding these exact numbers, so they should be seen as a guideline.
Menelvagorean[]
Menelvagorean fighter units serving in the Commonwealth Armed Forces follow the typical Menelvagorean pattern of ground units:
- Triad: The Triad is the foundation of Menelvagorean military organization and is composed of three single-seat fighters. Alternately, a Triad may be composed of a single three-seat Heavy Fighter or Gunboat. Each Triad is assigned one Menelvagorean technician from the Rockshaper caste and two assistants from the Drone caste.
- Eye: An Eye is composed of three Triads (9 fighters or 3 Gunboats). Each Eye is assigned a medic from the Pathfinder caste and two Drone assistants.
- Group: Three Eyes (27 fighters or 9 Gunboats) form a Group. Groups generally have a Drone assigned to the Group Leader to free him from the burden of administrative work.
Menelvagoreans do not form units larger than the Group. It is unusual for two Groups to even work together side-by-side.
Notes[]
See also: APPENDIX XII: Fighter vs. Legion Organization
- ↑ Fighting as a single unit in the same hex.