Few other modern ships are
as well-known and popular as the BFAE SI-49 Starhawk. Originally developed
to fulfil the role of a dedicated "cleanup" fighter after the meltdown
of the Mars colony's main fusion reactor system, the Starhawk went through
a disastrous "baptism of fire" in the valleys and caves of Mars. Surviving
bots with damaged AI, the reason for Starhawk's appearance, literally tore
the fragile fighter's wings away in close-range battles. A total of 21
fighters were lost.
The BFAE and the CED had
to face the disaster that introducing the Starhawk in its "bot hunter"
role was. That was when Martin O'Reilly, the chief electronics designer
of the BFAE, suggested the ship's designers change its role to space interception
by adding advanced long-range combined optical/radio targetting and navigation
systems.
The fighter then excelled
in the space superiority role, and subsequently special armament was developed
for the Starhawk FRI Mk. 3 space superiority/fleet defence interceptor.
It is thanks to the 4 Starhawk fighters from the F-91 "Lion Cubs" wing
that the CED's "Independent" battlecruiser survived the encounter with
an asteroid infested by alien robots in the Zeta Aquilae system.
The current modification,
Mk. 3, is equipped with a state-of-the art BFAE/Marconi WG-58 targetting
system and comes with unguided rocket pods, long-range guided missiles,
BVR active-homing missiles and close-range dogfighting missiles. Anti-surface/vessel
missiles such as the AGM-309 "Thorhammer" can also be fitted. The Mk. 3
is a less fragile and more manoeuvrable modification than the Mk 1 as well. |
