The Wolverine Planetary Defense Fighter is a small one-man combat aircraft designed to be deployed to colonized planets for local defense forces. This early design was intended to be launched from the ground and operate exclusively within the atmosphere. Unlike later Wolverine space fighters derived from this aircraft, the flat eight internal combustion engines are the primary source of both thrust and auxilliary power. The fuselage includes the largest conventional rocket engine available, mounted below the tail boom. This rocket allows the pilot to perform rapid rocket-assisted take-offs, to reduce time to target interception, and to boost to reach higher altitude targets once the atmosphere begins to thin out. However, the limited rocket fuel on board means that this can only be used briefly, meaning that the majority of flight time must rely on the propeller engines. The Wolverine [PDF] is armed with a pair of heavy machine guns in the nose.

The C Quadrant Defenders' R&D group decided that the design would be an effective starting point for a more general purpose space fighter. The design would iterate over time into a number of different variants, carrying a variety of weapons, different wing configurations, and other features to better optimize the design to specific tasks. Wolverine [PDF]s were never requesitioned for combat by CQD's fighter command, as they were considered far too limited in performance. Following the introduction of the Wolverine as a space fighter, Wolvering [PDF]s were commonly repurposed as trainer aircraft for new pilots.