The Nightwind is the very first Sierran Defence Force ship to be designed specifically for the strategic-reconnaissance role. It is also the first Sierran ship to be equipped with a cloaking shield. Like all Sierran military ships, it is also adaptable to atmospheric and aquatic environments. Equipped with comprehensive sensors and defensive ECM, the Nightwind was designed to carry out reconnaissance of high-value targets in hostile environments and do so without being detected by enemy defences. With the growth of well-equipped adversaries such as the Crimson Fold, the reconnaissance needs of the Sierrans could no longer be met just by the recon-versions of the Rapier or Specter starfighters. The Nightwind uses a variant of the Rapier's reactionless drive engines, with 2 drive units tied to a single reactor core. The Nightwind is by far the fastest ship in the known galaxy, and, together with its cloaking shield, makes it very difficult to detect and intercept. The down side is that the cloaking shield requires a tremendous amount of power and can be maintained for only short durations, it also significantly weakens the ship's normal defense shields. Despite its small size, the Nightwind has exceptional range and endurance. Although designed to elude attackers, the Nightwind is armed with two guided energy-torpedo emitters for self-defense. The Nightwind also has a center-line hard point that can carry a wide variety of sensor or special mission pods, allowing it to carry out special covert missions...including the insertion of Sierran Special Agents in a self-propelled personnel-pod.