Fighters and bombers are enemy spacecraft encountered by Ratchet and the Aphelion throughout the Breegus System in A Crack in Time. They belong to the three major military factions within the System, each with distinct designs. The first fighters appear during "Defeat Vorselon's Fighters", protecting Vorselon's warship. They are also fought during the missions "Defeat Libra to reach Lumos" and "Defeat Carina to Reach Vapedia", where they support the valkyrie leaders. Outside these missions, fighters appear during select space missions, typically when escorting others, or attacking capital ships or security satellites.
The factions utilizing fighters include Dr. Nefarious and Lord Vorselon's, who use similar craft designs to the dropship. The valkyries and agorians also deploy fighters, with the agorians using a variant of the Talon, capable of flying through both air and space. All factions, except the valkyries, also deploy bomber fighters, which are larger and bulkier, laying mines that emit shockwaves (Dr. Nefarious and Vorselon) or are magnetic and home in on nearby craft (agorians).
Vorselon's fighters in combat with the Aphelion.
All fighters fly in a circular formation around their target, typically in small groups of up to five, with one bomber. They attack the Aphelion with blaster fire and can be destroyed by the Aphelion's attacks. When approached head-on, they flip and turn around. In most encounters, fighters retreat en masse after a specific number are destroyed, as indicated on-screen. The Nefarious and Vorselon fighters in the Bernilius Sector also use flares when targeted with missile weaponry.
