The Rebel Faction

TNO - Hawk Assault Bomber

Name: Hawk class Assault Bomber

Designation: HAB

Dimensions:
Length: 5 meters
Width: 5 meters
Height: 2 meters


Armament:
2 Dual Linked Laser Cannons
2 Mine Chutes (Capacity for ten Des-type mines*)

Defenses:
Hull Rating: 5 RU

Propulsion:
Two Banks of Twin Ion Engine Drives (one located on the rear of each wing)
Enhanced Solar Panel Array system located on wings*
Sublight Speed: (Space): 250 MGLT
Sublight Speed: (Atmosphere): 150 MGLT

Description:

The Hawk class Assault Bomber is the next step in the Mid-Rim's design goals of creating a fleet of auxiliary vessels to support the New Order. This vessel was the design chosen for a mine-laying type vessel. The starfighter is shaped like a TIE Interceptor almost except for a few notable exceptions. First the ball cockpit is retained like normal, but no weapons are equipped. The struts have been enlongated and now stretch from the sides of the cockpit in a circular motion to a full three quarters length of the wing. The enlogation was meant for two reasons, one being for them to carry additional weapons and equipment, the other to improve their stability and performance in atmospheric conditions. Finally, the wings give the craft a striking resemble to the Interceptor, except for some notable differences. The wings are longer than they are tall, with niches cut into them from the front and back. The front niche on each wing houses a dual laser cannon, light powered, meant to give the craft some anti-fighter punch, and the rear niche houses a twin ion engine. The wings are double-standard solar powered, meaning that their width has been double to increase the number of solar panels by two times, at the same time ensuring solar absorption is maintained by making them transparent. The struts carry the mine chutes, each with ten mines, and in addition house on their rear ends a pair of fins, used again for atmospheric performance.

The Des-type mines are a new type of standardized mine being produced for TNO vessels. The mine is really quite simple, a simple bowel measuring one foot in diameter and half a foot in height. In it, there is six ounces of packed baradium, a contact fuse, and a delayed arming timer. The timer is set by a thin wire running from the mine to the release chute that is detached when the chute doors are opened. The pilot can select a timer of zero, meaning it would be instantly armed as soon as it is deployed, five seconds, and thirty seconds, the latter being intended to give the mine time to drop from bomber to soil in an atmospheric enviroment. After it is armed, the first thing it comes in contact with goes boom. The baradium provides the mine device with the yield of a small proton torpedo.

In effect, the Hawk class Assault Bomber can not only be a mine layer, but a carpet bomber as well, dropping loads of mines with zero timers in assault runs on capital ships and in atmospheric conditions, the latter case meaning the mine would explode when it hit the ground if it was armed, their general lacking in explosive punch being offset by their numbers. Their hulls are weak and no shields are equipped, the bomber relying solely on speed and manueverability to keep their numbers intact. This ship should prove to be a great asset to the growing number of Imperial auxiliary forces.