Hammerhead (Aerospace Fighter)

The Hammerhead was first deployed by the Terran Hegemony in 2407 during the Age of War as a ground-based defensive craft for protecting planets and patrolling jump points. Over the next three centuries the Hammerhead would receive periodic refits to remain in service to the Star League Defense Force. Chief among these was the replacement of its older armor for Ferro-Aluminum in the twenty-sixth century, which greatly increased the craft's survivability, though like other retrofits the armor is ungainly in some areas and weak in others. This superior protection, combined with excellent acceleration capabilities for such a heavy craft, allowed the Hammerhead to penetrate defenses quickly and safely in order to wreak havoc, especially against enemy DropShips. Five tons of fuel also gave the fighter acceptable flight speeds and endurance.

The only Hammerheads to survive the Succession Wars were those kept in the secret stockpiles maintained by ComStar. While the Federated Commonwealth tested prototypes based off plans from the recovered Helm Memory Core in the 3040s at the Hudson Gulf Aerospace Center on New Avalon, it would take the public unveiling of the Com Guards to see the design proliferate in the Clan Invasion era, especially among the Word of Blake and their allies, with new variants being fielded by both forces.

Weapons and Equipment
The Hammerhead's singular armament is both a source of fear and criticism for the craft. Its Imperator Zeta-20 Autocannon allows it to kill other light and medium fighters quickly, while presenting a significant threat to DropShip captains. However, due to space constrictions the fighter can only carry three tons of ammo for its gun, and it lacks any secondary armament. For this reason, Hammerheads rarely stay in a fight for long, and are often paired with energy weapon-equipped fighters.

Variants

 * HMR-HA : The original Hammerhead was built using primitive equipment. It carried two Large Lasers in the nose, and no other weapons. It was protected by sixteen tons of Primitive Armor and carried a primitive cockpit. Its thirty-three ton engine could propel it at three Gs. BV (2.0) = 899


 * HMR-HC : Introduced seventy years after the original version, this Hammerhead traded the primitive components for standard armor and engine. This gave it more protection and slightly higher top speed (three and a half g's). BV (2.0) = 1,050


 * HMR-HDb : Designed for the exclusive use of SLDF Royal commands, the HMR-HDb Hammerhead partially compensates for the problem of ammunition dependence by replacing the Autocannon with an M-7 Gauss Rifle and an additional 2 tons of ammo. BV (2.0) = 1,339


 * HMR-HE : A variant popular with Com Guards aerospace pilots, the Hammerhead-E replaces the autocannon with two Magna Hellstar PPCs. An additional heat sink is added, and all 11 are upgraded to Double Heat Sinks, along with two additional tons of fuel.  BV (2.0) = 1,254


 * HMR-HF : In use by Word of Blake squadrons, the Hammerhead-F replaces its standard weapon with an LB 10-X Autocannon along with two tons of ammo. Secondary weaponry is also included, a pair of ER Medium Lasers, with single laser mounted in each wing. BV (2.0) = 1,162


 * HMR-HG : This rumored variant of the Hammerhead, supposedly ambushing DropShips within the Marik Commonwealth, is armed with an Ultra AC/20 Autocannon, though it is thought to carry only a single ton of ammo. BV (2.0) = 1,235

Design Quirks
The HMR-HA Hammerhead is subject to the following Design Quirks:
 * Atmospheric Flyer
 * Obsolete (2475)
 * Poor Life Support
 * Weak Undercarriage