Unit Detail:
Corvian 16^th Interface Wing
The Starlifters

Have ship, will travel.

Current Command Staff

Combat History

A key element of the Self-Defense Navy's Aerospace Mobility Command, this wing is an independent command reporting directly to CICAMC and designated for rapid deployment operations. Nicknamed the Starlifters, this wing can insert and/or extract an entire division in one lift. The Known Sphere's first aerospace wing specializing in interface operations, the 16^th was organized after a request from Major General Lori Armistead of the 22^nd Airborne, who wanted deployment capability equal to or better than the Federation's MEFs.

Based at Independence NAS, the Lifters operate a wide variety of interface craft (e.g., dropships, HLVs, shuttles, VTOLs), as well as their own organic fighter squadrons, attached to provide aerospace support during operations. However, in addition to these more typical lift and cover elements, the wing's TO&E also includes dedicated FTL assets, three Davis-class carriers (CSS Ilmarinen, CSS Mitsui, CSS Sovereign of the Stars). These ships have been reconfigured from their original multi-mission role to a profile better suited to support the Starlifters, with greatly expanded personnel, cargo, and medical facilities. Additionally, as they are expected to remain in hostile space for extended periods, these "interface" carriers have better speed, maneuvering, and defensive capabilities than comparable ships their size.

The 16^th first saw action during the Siege of Hera. The first Federation unit to reach the system, the Starlifters initially brought crucial supplies to the beleaguered Allied defenders, then dropped the 22^nd Airborne and the First and Second Corps. Despite the massive Terran naval blockade and aerospace defenses and the loss of half their craft, the wing flew fearlessly into harm's way time and again, playing a vital role in raising the siege.

Notable Members

Captain of the Line Peder Tordenskjold

Working his way up through the ranks of the wing, Peder Tordenskjold began his career in the SDN as a door gunner on a Nighthawk lander. However, he unexpectedly had an opportunity to show his natural piloting skill after the rest of the Nighthawk’s crew was killed during a sortie over Hera and Tordenskjold was forced to take over the controls. Understandably impressed, Wing Commander Emilio Salazar sent the natural aviator to Flight School.

A skilled and prolific flyer, Tordenskjold became a expert in every craft operated by the Lifters. Over the next couple decades, he flew in nearly every important operation involving the 16^th and rose to CAG of the Sovereign of the Stars and the wing XO. While the Wing Commander was off on a mission with one of the Lifter’s air groups, the rest of the wing was called into action to help with an emergency on Eand. Taking command, Captain Tordenskjold was killed during the op and awarded the Order of the Golden Lion.