Hornet Missile

Hornet Missile Yield x Warheads 200,000 x 1 Speed 186 m/s Range 31.23 km Cooldown 1,500 ms Target Acquisition Targeted Fusing Impact Guidance Image-recognition Area of Effect 0 m

Ware Hornet Missile Cargo Class M Volume 3 Min. Price (Cr) 8,896 Ave. Price (Cr) 10,108 Max. Price (Cr) 11,320

[Albion Prelude] Hornet Missile Yield x Warheads 200,000 x 1 Speed 225 m/s Range 31.23 km Cooldown 1,500 ms Target Acquisition Targeted Fusing Impact Guidance Image-recognition Area of Effect 0 m

Ware Hornet Missile [Albion Prelude] Cargo Class M Volume 4 Min. Price (Cr) 8,896 Ave. Price (Cr) 10,108 Max. Price (Cr) 11,320

Overview

The Hornet is a powerful medium-heavy munition designed and manufactured by the Paranid at High Yield Production Complexes that is favored for combat between heavy fighters and corvettes. It has tracking ability and is a very popular choice of weapon.

Encyclopedia Entry

The Hornet Class Missile is the most powerful weapon known today. The gigantic resources needed to produce this monster also make it extremely expensive. The missile works by setting off a small nuclear charge causing a reaction among three differing elements that are then combined on impact to create a large explosion powerful enough to disrupt even the largest shields. The Hornet is, on the other side, the slowest of the known missiles, and is best used against immobile or slow moving targets.

Commentary

The Hornet class missile was once the most powerful missile built in the X-Universe, but with the arrival of the Kha'ak's new more powerful Corvette and Destroyer class ships, other more powerful and maneuverable missiles were designed. The Hornet is far from obsolete, however; as of the Terran Conflict era, its damage has been improved to 200MJ while maintaining a low cost. This makes it considerably less expensive than missiles of similar yield, such as the Typhoon, making it a very cost-effective way to dispose of Corvettes and slow fighters. The only drawbacks when compared to the Typhoon are the lack of a swarm variety and less range, making it comparatively less effective against larger capital ships, and especially of Kha'ak design; additionally, it cannot track new targets if the original target was destroyed and an extra missile was launched. However, it is still powerful enough to be a good desperation weapon against capital ships if fired in masses.

The Hornet missile is also often used in a less violent (if no less spectacular) fashion by miners, as it is the smallest missile capable of breaking up a station-size asteroid in one shot. This makes it quite useful for ice and nividium mining.

The Hornet missile is a corvette-grade weapon; however, the one notable exception is the Paranid Medusa Prototype, which can carry it alongside the Typhoon and the Firestorm.

As of the Argon-Terran war of Albion Prelude, the Hornet's speed has been increased to 225m/s, allowing it to catch all but the fastest M3 ships. Its cargo volume has also been increased to 4 units, making it slightly more restrictive to use.