HHF-3 Heavy Fighter

[KaiserMelech]

HHF-3-Class


AFFILIATION
Open Market

MANUFACTURER
Hapes Consortium

CLASS
Gunship

ROLE
Strike fighter

COMPOSITION
Protosteel/Titanium alloy hull, Titanium/Chromium alloy hyperdrive armor, Carbon heatshields, Aluminum Oxynitride windshields

DIMENSIONS
Length: 21m
Wingspan: 31m
Height: 8m

CREW
4 (Pilot, Copilot/Bombardier, Two Rear Gunners)

PASSENGER CAPACITY
0

CARGO CAPACITY
1,000 kg if bomb bay is empty

HANGAR CAPACITY
0

CONSUMABLES
1 Week

SPEED/MANEUVERABILITY
50 MGLT sublight, Class 8 hyperdrive. Bulky and heavy, this ship maneuvers far too poorly to be an effective dogfighter. The functional airfoil wings, in addition to repulsorlift technology, give the ship relatively good in-atmosphere maneuverability.


ARMAMENT

• 4 Forward-facing medium laser cannons
• 2 Dual medium laser cannon turrets
• 2 Launchers with space for 2 concussion missiles or proton torpedoes each
• Bomb Bay with space for 4 heavy proton bombs

EQUIPMENT

• Class 8 Hyperdrive
• Hyperspace beacon transponder
• Long-range communication array
• Light deflector shield
• Sensor array including radar, infrared, external camera, and targeting equipment
• Life support

DESCRIPTION​

Developed by Hapan shipbuilders, the former pirates-turned-legitimate government, the HHF-3 was developed as a hard-hitting heavy fighter and ground strike vehicle. With four forward-firing medium guns, a heavy amount of fire can be directed at slow-moving spacecraft or ground targets. Two launchers allow the ship to face a wider array of enemies, with concussion missiles for use against fighters, proton torpedoes for use against capital ships, and proton bombs for use against ground targets. Dorsal and ventral turrets, with a combined 4 medium laser cannons, not only provide security above, below, and to the rear of the ship, and the dorsal turret can be swiveled to increase forward firepower.


A jack of all trades and master of none, this vehicle will lose a dogfight to a dedicated fighter and carries less payload than a dedicated bomber. However, for factions, teams, or individuals who don’t have the credits or manpower to spare, this vehicle can combine two roles into one. Survivability is key in this vehicle. In addition to heavy defensive armaments, one of the most powerful deflector shields on the market is installed in the center of the craft, sacrificing weight and speed for supreme protection. The massive hyperdrive system is confined to a separate compartment at the rear of the vehicle, preventing any reactor leaks from endangering the crew. The entire section can also be easily removed for maintenance or decreased weight when not necessary, or remotely ejected into space in case of catastrophic failure without weakening the hull integrity of the rest of the craft.


Due to the compartmentalized nature of the hyperdrive, and the limited reach of Hapan influence, the ship is equipped with a class 8 hyperdrive that cannot take it more than 20 parsecs, and even that is stretching the hypermatter reserves. Luckily, the ship is small enough to be stored in dedicated carrier ships for long voyages.


This vehicle is somewhat distained for its inability to take off and land vertically. The repulsorlifts spread throughout the wings are simply too weak for a craft of this weight, requiring functional airfoil wings to generate lift while in atmosphere. A short take-off and landing vehicle, an open area of barely 300 meters is required for take offs and landings, although 500 to 1000 meters is recommended. While a paved runway is best, the sturdy landing gear and ultra-strong composite tires can handle most grass fields, beaches, or compact deserts.

LEGALITY​

This ship requires a dedicated license to own when fully armed, as it is a starfighter. Weapons are compartmentalized enough to be easily removed, making the ship legal in all systems, although a thorough check is necessary by galactic authorities to ensure proper demilitarization.

INTENT​

This serves to introduce one of the first heavy/strike fighters into our new timeline. Its archaic look serves to place it several millennia in the past, and the layout also makes it a sort of spiritual predecessor of other heavy fighters like the ARC-170. Rugged and low-tech, this ship will probably be used by people who want to RP a poorer faction or a more backwards planet. This ship is really meant to be used by players who intend to play in small groups or by themselves, as the three-man crew mixed with hyperspace ability makes it good for independent missions.

ADVANCED TECH​

Yes. The ship is, although unpopular, a dedicated warship. The Hapans also are highly restrictive in who they sell to, requiring non-Hapans, especially men, to gain their favor.

 

[Andrewza]

Fighters don't have shields or hyper drives. They to large for them. A small ship with a hyper drive would cost a lot of money and be very advanced. It is all so very heavily armed.

 

[KaiserMelech]

This thing is much larger than a normal snubfighter, however. It's about 5 feet longer than an ARC-170, and admittedly will heavily skirt the lines of what is and is not allowed. I purposefully gave it a hyperdrive that was incredibly slow and extraordinarily limited in range because the ship is certainly not designed to cross the galaxy, but rather to hop between star systems in a very compact political entity. Deflector shields will probably fall on the "not allowed" side of the line, and I can easily replace that space with more cargo storage or a bomb bay.

 

[Andrewza]

Still a fighter with a hyper drive and shields.

 

[AutoFox]

@Andrewza @KaiserMelech
A heavy fighter is a completely different beast than a standard starfighter, however. This thing has a crew of 3, it should be noted. That said, I do think it's too small; I would make it at least 20 meters in length.
I also think this would probably be referred to as a gunship, rather than a starfighter.

I really dig this design, regardless!

 

[Loco]

After consulting with the resident Lore master, we've determined that the Hapes Consortium does not exist as we know it this TL- this would most likely be pirate times for the cluster, but regardless mean you'll need to rework the lore. I recommend working with @Malon to get a planet submission together if you intend to continue down this line.


As for the tech, I'll do this in section:

You'll need to up the crew- right now I'm going with turret weapons need at least one dedicated gunner to operate.

You'll also need to change it to a light deflector shield, and increase the size- I'd look at the other approved Starfighters for a reference and, speaking of Starfighters, you'll need to change the class.

For speed and Maneuverability, the maneuver write up is great, but please keep starships to just an MGLT rating- I don't want the potential confusion of throwing in an kph rating as well at this point.

Finally, I'm going to say that launcher tubes can't launch bombs. You could change it to Launchers OR a bomb bay, or add a separate bomb bay and reduce overall capacity. Your call.


Not bad, overall. You've got a good feel for the Intent, Legality, and Advanced Sections.

 

[KaiserMelech]

After consulting with the resident Lore master, we've determined that the Hapes Consortium does not exist as we know it this TL- this would most likely be pirate times for the cluster, but regardless mean you'll need to rework the lore. I recommend working with @Malon to get a planet submission together if you intend to continue down this line.

I actually had a plan to make a new fanon planet for some of the ships I was going to design, so I'll change the lore once I get that up.

You'll need to up the crew- right now I'm going with turret weapons need at least one dedicated gunner to operate.

I have that. The crew setup is a lot like the ARC-170, which the pilot and copilot facing forwards, and the gunner facing backwards to work the turrets.

You'll also need to change it to a light deflector shield, and increase the size- I'd look at the other approved Starfighters for a reference and, speaking of Starfighters, you'll need to change the class.

I'm going to ditch the deflector shield for a bomb bay, so that'll be good. If you do think the size should be upped, I can certainly go about doing that. Like Autofox pointed out, do you think this qualifies as a gunship, or would you call it a strike fighter?

For speed and Maneuverability, the maneuver write up is great, but please keep starships to just an MGLT rating- I don't want the potential confusion of throwing in an kph rating as well at this point.

Fixed

Finally, I'm going to say that launcher tubes can't launch bombs. You could change it to Launchers OR a bomb bay, or add a separate bomb bay and reduce overall capacity. Your call.

Going with a bomb bay.

 

[Loco]

Lets classify it as a gunship, so there's no confusion with the rules- it'll need to be at least as large as the Z3D, for comparison, though it looks bigger, IMHO. And for crew I meant a gunner for each turret, so you're short one.

 

[KaiserMelech]

Lets classify it as a gunship, so there's no confusion with the rules- it'll need to be at least as large as the Z3D, for comparison, though it looks bigger, IMHO. And for crew I meant a gunner for each turret, so you're short one.

Sounds good. I upped the dimensions by 50%, so I have the length and width down.

 

[Loco]

Sounds good. I upped the dimensions by 50%, so I have the length and width down.

I need a specific capacity for the bomb bay, in the same general range as the launcher tubes. Also, it needs to be clarified if the tube capacity is each or combined. If its five torpedoes each, you'll need to reduce it.


Side note, what is the hyperspace beacon transponder for?

 

[KaiserMelech]

I need a specific capacity for the bomb bay, in the same general range as the launcher tubes. Also, it needs to be clarified if the tube capacity is each or combined. If its five torpedoes each, you'll need to reduce it.

Cut back on the wing ordinance. In regards to the bomb bay, I have no clue what a proton bomb weighs. However, I'm guessing 4 would be more than enough for a ship of this type.

Side note, what is the hyperspace beacon transponder for?

Just a bit of archaic technology I added in.

 

[Loco]

Bombs are more about capacity than weight. The Tech looks good though now, so as soon as you settle on a lore adjustment I'll approve it.

 

[KaiserMelech]

Bombs are more about capacity than weight. The Tech looks good though now, so as soon as you settle on a lore adjustment I'll approve it.

I have just posted the company that I plan on changing the lore to in the npc organization page. Once I get the thumbs up there, it will only be a few quick tweaks here to get things worked out.