"Heir of the Storm." -Official motto of the Taranis Rex.

Lore

Overview

The D-37F/A Taranis Rex, simply known as the T-Rex among its pilots, is a Lykanian 5.5-generation multirole fighter-attacker — a deliberate bridge between the current fifth-generation airframe family (Osiris II, Nyx II) and the forthcoming D-57F LFAD. Designed as an air-dominance workhorse with deep strike capability, the Taranis Rex pairs low-observable shaping and advanced sensor fusion with robust weapons flexibility. Space-efficient internal bays, modular pylons, and a hardened avionics core allow the platform to switch rapidly between air superiority, anti-surface, and precision strike roles. Branded in service under the motto “Heir of the Storm,” the D-37 was conceived to impose sovereign control of contested skies and seas while handing pilots a lethal, intuitive command interface tailored to fast, attrition-heavy conflict.

Background and Development

The Taranis Rex program began as an accelerated response to lessons learned throughout the early Nightfall Wars: increasing contested littorals, contested electromagnetic environments, and the growing need for a single platform that could perform sustained air superiority and precision maritime/land-strike missions. Designated D-37 during development, Drakon Dynamics prioritized an architecture that balanced survivability, low observability, and modular lethality. Engineers borrowed proven elements from the Osiris and Nyx lines — internal weapon bays, signature management techniques, and a distributed sensor array — while adding a reinforced internal hardpoint and a mission bay sized to accept the TLS-5 “Razor” tactical laser for X5-series aircraft. Rapid prototyping began in 2023, with the first demonstrator completing flight testing in mid-2024. The program’s chief challenges were compacting multiple intercept/strike loadouts into the same internal bay architecture, managing thermal loads when the TLS-5 option was fitted, and integrating a next-generation sensor fusion suite that could operate in degraded EM environments. To meet these goals engineers implemented adaptive inlet and exhaust treatments for signature control, a dual-path cooling loop to handle directed-energy waste heat, and a modular avionics backbone that permitted retrofits toward full sixth-generation features. Recognizing the urgency of the Siana campaign, Drakon and the LKAF accepted a truncated test cycle and an initial production run in 2025 — an expedited decision that traded some developmental polish for immediate operational effect.

Operational History

Seventy-five D-37s were ordered in the first production batch: 21 base fighters configured for conventional internal missile loadouts and 54 X5 variants equipped and wired to accept the TLS-5 Razor in place of the cruise missile bay. Ordered and produced on an accelerated timetable, the Taranis Rex entered operational service in October–November 2025 and was committed prematurely to the latter phase of the War in Siana. Deployed primarily to break Cascadia’s blockade and reestablish Lykanian control of Siana’s littoral airspace, the D-37 proved decisive in combined operations: X5-equipped flights neutralized coastal missile batteries and interdicted blockade runners with point precision using the TLS-5, while base variants established local air superiority and cleared corridors for follow-on forces. The platform’s adaptability allowed Lykania to regain sea lanes and dominate the sky long enough to stage a coordinated counteroffensive that ultimately shifted the campaign’s momentum.

Gameplay

Welp, here it is. The Taranis Rex. Finally decided to go back and finish the fuselage I had started a while back. The final iteration of my Taranis fighter/attacker family. I was originally going for a 6th gen, but it felt a bit funky, so I went with 5.5 instead. There's not much to it, I just had to divide the weapons up into activation groups. Ag.7 will open the main missile bay, where I slapped 2 of my LCM-5 cruise missiles. Ag.7 will open and arm both of the side bays, where I somehow managed to squeeze in my LIMR-17 and LAGM-10 for air-to-air and air-to-ground strikes. I'm not sure if I did, but I'm pretty sure Ag.4 is the gun. Ag.1 will give you lights. That's basically it for controls, but I do have one more thing to add. The plane does have a weird thing where if you pitch too hard or use W and S, it'll jolt up and down while pitching before eventually beginning to roll. I have no idea how to fix this. I've tried mirroring the control surfaces, changing the CoL and CoM, removing drag, everything. I couldn't fix it myself, so I just left it. I recommend controlling with pitch with mouse or, if on mobile, try to feather it. I did ask for help and my good friend, the deep fried shrimp man came up with a fix that involved some funky stuff that I have no idea how to operate. So, for my mobile friends or for those who find it annoying, you can download his fixed version here. Work exactly the same, just doesn't have the annoying pitch issue. Alright, that covers everything. Enjoy.