Mercenary MSX-128 “Hyena” Light Starfighter:

In the Three Galaxies, there is a vast number of companies producing “knock off” designs based on various proven designs. These include power armors, armored vehicles, and starfighters. Such designs generally are cheaper than the original design although also usually are inferior to the original design. Often they lack some of the advanced systems of the original design, are less armored, and might be slower than the design they are copies of. Only very occasionally is the performance of the copy greater than what they are copied from.

Few legitimate governments operate “knock off” designs and they are most commonly operated by mercenary companies. Even many of the larger mercenary companies, such as Tri-Galactic Military Service, do not operate “knock off” designs in large numbers. Additionally, a large number of pirates operate "Knock off"designs because manufactures and merchants are far less careful about who they sell to. One of the best known places to purchase “knock off” designs is Phase World itself although they can be purchased almost anywhere in the Three Galaxies. The Fringes is the most common. Some manufacturing is on Phase World although is more commonly manufactured on the fringes of civilized space.

One of the more recent “knock off” designs is the “Hyena” light fighter which is a close copy of the Bobcat light fighter originally develop by a Consortium Company. The Bobcat generally is considered an excellent design although it lacks the heavy rail gun of the Scorpion. The Bobcat itself was developed from the Kitten trainer. The Kitten trainer is one of the most common small fighter type designs operated in the Three Galaxies and is sometimes operated as a light fighter itself. There are a host of other light fighters which compete against it including the Consortium Scorpion, Human Alliance Vixen, Bushido Industries Tanto, and Naruni Kinjal to name just a few. Still, the mercenary light fighter design is surprisingly popular. Who produced the first “Hyena” is unknown and it has been widely copied.

There is a larger version of the “Hyena” fighter which fills a similar role to the medium starfighters operated by the various powers of the Three Galaxies. Usually called the "Super Hyena," it is not produced in the number that the regular Hyena is produced in. In part this is because there is far more surplus medium fighter designs on the market include the Human Alliance Osprey, Bushido Industries Katana, Wolfen Gladius, and Trans-Galactic Empire Flying Fang.

While the Hyena looks quite similar to the Bobcat, there are significant differences as well. It is slightly larger than the Bobcat although not significantly. While still surprisingly tough, the Hyena is less well armored than the craft it is copied from. Like the Bobcat, the Hyena is available with a variable force field. The Bobcat uses a significant amount of civilian components and the Hyena uses an even larger number of civilian components. The Hyena is designed around the ability to manufacture at a fairly low technological level and are surprisingly easy to maintain as a result.

The engines on the Hyena are slightly less powerful than those on the Bobcat with a slight reduction in acceleration as a result. The Hyena has approximately the same acceleration as the much larger Bushido Industries Katana fighter. Unloaded atmospheric speed is also slightly less, reduced from mach eight to mach seven. Fully loaded, the speeds match with a top speed of mach three. Maneuverability of the Hyena is also slightly reduced and is only average compared to most starfighters in the Three Galaxies. The fusion plant is designed to only operate for four years between refueling compared to six for the Bobcat.

Like the Bobcat, the Hyena is armed with a pair of laser cannons. These weapons have a similar output to the lasers carried on the Bobcat although the lasers are slightly more massive. Both laser systems are derived from those carried on the Osprey although those on the Bobcat are significantly miniaturized. The Hyena mounts four missile hard points just like the Bobcat. Each has a single ordnance hard point and the fighter has two hard points are under the fuselage. Each one can carry a single capital missile, a pair of long range missiles, or four medium range missiles. The Hyena does add the ability to carry a mini-missile pod on the hard points. Mostly used for ground attack roles, usually only a pair of mini-missile pods are carried. Each one has the capacity for sixteen mini-missiles. Like heavier missiles, the mini-missiles are usually guided and even sometimes smart mini-missiles are carried.

This starfighter design uses modified starship speed and weapon range rules. See Revised Starship Rules for Phase World / Three Galaxies for more details.

(Note: The power system is fusion not anti-matter because the author’s opinion is that anti-matter is too dangerous to be used in vehicles that may be used in an atmosphere. If a starship powered by anti-matter was to detonate in an atmosphere it would cause huge planetary damage. At GM option, this can also be applied to all starfighters or this “fighter” can be changed to anti-matter.)

Model Type: MSX-128
Vehicle Type: Light Starfighter
Crew: One.

M.D.C. By Location:

	Wing Laser Cannons (2):	30 each
	Missile Hard Points (4, on the Underside):	10 each
	[1] Wings (2):	230 each
	[2] Main Body:	380
	Cockpit:	100
	[3] Variable Force Field:	200 per side (1,200 total)

Notes:
[1] Destroying a wing will cause the light fighter to crash if it is flying within an atmosphere. Destruction of a wing has no effect in space.
[2] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will put the trainer out of commission. All internal systems will shut down, including life support and internal gravity. The ship itself will be an unsalvageable floating wreck.
[3] Shields positions can be varied and all could be combined in one shield. Shields regenerate at the rate of 5% (60 M.D.C.) per melee round (Shields are optional).

Speed:
Driving on the Ground: Not Possible.
Sublight: Has a special sublight engine that allows the ship to travel up to 40 percent of the speed of light. Fighter can accelerate/decelerate at the rate of 1.4 percent of light per melee.
Atmospheric Propulsion: Maximum normal speed is Mach 7 (5,190.2 mph / 8,352.8 kph), can enter an atmosphere because flight system is by contra grav. When loaded down with ordinance, fighter’s top speed in an atmosphere is Mach 3 (2,224.4 mph / 3,579.8 kph)
Maximum Range: Effectively Unlimited by drive system but only has supplies for pilot for four days.

Statistical Data:
Length: 30.2 feet (9.20 meters)
Height: 10.2 feet (3.11 meters)
Width: 28.5 feet (8.69 meters)
Weight: 7.2 tons (6.53 metric tons) empty and 9.1 tons (8.26 metric tons) fully loaded with cruise missiles
Power System: Advanced Fusion with 4 year life span.
Cargo: Minimal Storage Space, place for a rifle, handgun, small survival kit, signal flares, and food rations.
Market Cost: 22 million credits. Without variable shields, reduce fighters cost by 3 million.

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

Two (2) Light Laser Cannons: On each wing of the starfighter is a laser cannon mount. They are not as efficient as modern laser cannons beams but are more massive than most modern laser mounts. This means that they are actual slightly more powerful and slightly longer ranged than those carried by the CAF Black Eagle. However, they are not as powerful as the rail gun mounted on the Black Eagle. The gun pods are controlled by the fighters pilot.
Maximum Effective Range: 6 miles (9.7 km) through atmosphere and 600 miles (966 km) in space.
Mega-Damage: 2D4x10+10 per single blast, or 4D4x10+20 per double blast
Rate of Fire: Equal to the combined hand to hand attacks of the pilot (usually 4 or 5).
Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
Four (4) Hard Points: The fighter has a total of four hard points which can mount missiles or mini-missile pods. Each wing has one hard point and there are two hard points on the fuselage. Each hard point can carry one cruise missile, two long range missiles, four medium range missiles, or a mini-missile pod with a capcity for sixteen mini-missiles. The pylon must carry all the same type ordnance with generally only the outer hard points carrying mini-missile pods.
1. Missiles: Cruise missile are normally carried when on an anti-capital ship role and long and medium range missiles when fighting other starfighters. Cruise Missiles have a top speed of Mach 25 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 10% of light per turn (far faster than any starship.) Long Range Missiles have a top speed of Mach 20 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 8% of light per turn (faster than any starship.) Medium Range Missiles have a top speed of Mach 15 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 6% of light per turn. Whether weapons can be shot down is calculated from the speed of target, launcher, and missile. When drive goes dead, missile will continue to travel in a straight line unless set to self destruct but has very low odds of hitting starships (Great for hitting bases and planets because target does not move and missile, when unpowered, is at -25% to be detected.) Cruise missiles have penalties to hit small targets but are all considered smart missiles. Missiles can be launched on multiple targets simultaneously.
  Maximum Effective Range: Cruise Missile range is 8,000 miles (12,875 km) in an atmosphere and 4,000,000 miles (6,437,376 km/ 21.5 light seconds) in space, Long Range Missile range is 3,400 miles (5,470 km) in an atmosphere and 1,800,000 miles (2,897,000 km/9.7 light seconds) in space, and Medium Range Missile range is 160 miles (257.5 km) in an atmosphere and 80,000 miles (128,750 km/0.43 light seconds) in space.
  Mega-Damage & Properties: See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details (Cruise Anti-Matter multi-warheads inflict 5D6x100 M.D.C. each and Long Range Fusion warheads inflict 2D4x100 M.D.C. each.)
  Rate of Fire: Can fire missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2) missiles.
  Payload: One (1) Cruise Missile, Two (2) Long Range Missiles, or Four (4) Medium Range Missiles per hard point.
2. Mini-Missile Pod: While all hard points can carry mini-missile pods, generally these are only carried on the "wings" of the starfighter that can be used against ground targets, infantry, and against starships. Missile has a top speed of Mach 10 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 2% of light per turn (slightly faster than any starship except if it is exceeding it maximum safe acceleration). Mini-Missile in the Phase World setting are normally guided.
  Maximum Effective Range: Mini-Missile range is 2 miles (3.2 km) in an atmosphere and 100 miles (161 km) in space.
  Mega Damage: Varies with mini-missile types (See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details.)
  Rate of Fire: Each pod can fire missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), four (4), eight (8) and can be linked with other mini missile pods for greater number of missiles (Counts as one attack no matter how many missiles in a volley.)
  Payload: Each pod carries sixteen (16) mini-missiles.

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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

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