Mission [Redacted]
Introduction
Gunboats have traditionally been quick and deadly, often being used for a display of might in diplomatic disputes or supporting units in naval engagements. The interloper however, ignores these traditions, instead focusing on recon and stealth. I am the first to admit, piloting gunships is not my specialty, all the same I believe I can offer some insight into the craft.
Test logs
Day one: Much like the bomber, day 1 was spent getting a feel for the ship. It is oddly light for a gunship, not possessing a great deal of armour. This obviously means that under sustained fire, the hull will eventually give way. Far faster than any normal military grade craft would anyhow. That said, being lighter has its own benefits, it can outmaneuver ships of the same class and avoid fire from hostile vessels at a greater rate than other gunboats. It is also significantly faster, being able to outrun other gunboats should the need arise. It’s improved radar array proves to be essential here, as it will be able to detect hostile ships before it is detected itself. Day one was useful in getting used to the flight controls but little else of note happened.
Day two: Today was reserved for playing around with the flash new radar systems and electronic warfare suit. The lads down in engineering have outdone themselves, I want to make that clear now. As mentioned before, the radar system has been significantly improved, able to detect ships at an increased range from 12 K away to a maximum of [Redacted]. The electronic warfare suite now allows for faster and more efficient hacking times over a greater area. In detail, both the radar and the EWS are interdependent, both tap into the Mactan network database of ships, the radar system will identify a ship while the EWS suite will search the network for any previous records of that ship, if a correlation is found then the EWS will initiate a hack based of the previously recorded information. In the meantime the radar system will feed information back to the EWS. If the ship is identified as unknown then the Radar system will record all information about the targeted ship in the gunship’s blackbox. It should be noted that the updating of the Mactan Network requires the Pilot to manually check and upload all information stored in the black box.
Day three: The final day was spent testing the gunship’s weapon systems. As mentioned, the gunship is built around stealth. It is not a front line combat ship, that does not mean it is incapable of defending itself. The ship is capable of mounting both anti fighter and anti gunboat weapons, the new power core does allow for great duration of fire, but the ship is limited by a lack of in built amour. This does put the ship at a disadvantage when dealing with other Gunboat classes, however in combat, it is ultimately the skill of the captain that decides the fate of battles.
Attachments
LHX9-G8S "Interloper" Lane Hacker Gunship
Much like the other vessels of the LHX series, the "Interloper" was created as an answer to an increased pressure from domestic fleets which made apparent the weaknesses and flaws of the previous design. A new solution was needed to increase the effectiveness of Hacker fleet and to expand its range of operations. The gunship was designed to provide both greater tactical reconnaissance and heavy combat support. The "Interloper" continues the Lane Hacker tradition of incorporating an advanced electronic warfare suite into it’s already powerful arsenal. With a revolutionary sensor array, this gunship has the ability to scan ships and other installations in a far greater detail and at a much greater range. While at cruising speed, the primary sensor array is extended, providing advanced features such as long range communication or improved tactical and threat assessments. Greater range and tracking features makes the ship ideal for "hit and run" style engagements and infiltration maneuvers, being able to bypass most scanners until it is ready to engage..