The Raptor heavy fighter is one of the oldest birds of the Terran Navy. It was used since the war started, till the end of the Vega sector campaign. It's a well known fighter since the McAuliffe ambush, an operation during which a squadron of these fighters dropped space mines to cover the jump of the Fleet, allowing Terran forces to counteract the Kilrathi assault on the McAuliffe colony. The Raptor wasn't the fastest fighter in the Fleet, but with its many weapons and good manouvrability could outperform many enemy fighters.