The first second-generation Stingray flew in May 2170 and started to replace the old untis some 6 months afterwards. The replacement programme however went slowly due to a lack of raw materials. In order to save some design time, the cockpit 'pod' was licensed from Avery Astronautics as used in their Hornet and adapted to take into account the various anotomical differences between Terrans and Alphans. The pod forms an escape capsule in the event of the ships destruction which can sustain its crew for up to 150 hours.

The scene above depicts a Terran Hornet (the ship to the upper left) in a mock dogfight training exercise with a Stingray (the ship to the lower left) in the skies above Alpha One. Though bigger and heavier than the Hornet and not quite as manoeuvreable in space, in atmospheric mode the Stingray really shows off its ability and can out-turn and out-manoeuvre virtually any comparible craft in known space. A small number have been purchased by the Terran Defence Authority in exchange for some raw materials needed by the Alphan mining industry.