While the Space Race turned the Solar System into a hotbed of colonization activity, the Arms Race raged in parallel. Where nuclear bombs gave way to intercontinental missiles, and missiles were attached to the belly of enormous interplanetary rockets, the screamer was created as a solution for negating and intercepting weapons of mass destruction.

Screamers were rapidly-launching spaceplanes designed around a single purpose: to deliver an anti-spacecraft missile, eliminating them before they could become a threat.

The Longhorn B-18 Starfire was one such aircraft. It came equipped with distinct sets of air-breathing engines (SABRE) and a nuclear-thermal rocket. Its designers drew inspiration from older Cold War aircraft designed around high-speed and high-altitude operations, such as the iconic SR-71 Blackbird and the NXR-5 Vibora.

The Starfire depicted here is equipped with 5 BP/AS anti-orbit missiles tucked under its belly. It is capable of safely re-entering the atmosphere from near-orbit, and can dock with interplanetary frames for re-fueling and travel. Different variations of the aircraft also saw usage as a spy plane, although satellites made this role rarely used.