Mass: 80 tons
Frame: Confed S-Series Ultra-Heavy
Engine: PlasmaStar 240
Cruise Speed (atmosphere): 900 kph
Maximum Speed (atmosphere): 1350 kph
Armor: Carbondale III
Manufacturer: ConfedAir
Primary Factory: Alphard
Communications System: Rander 300
Targeting and Tracking System: SynCom Master
Overview:
A massively armored assault fighter with only average firepower, the
Steelhawk is designed as an almost-indestructible airborne missile
platform.
Capabilites:
The Steelhawk is easily the most heavily armored aerospace fighter in
the Human Sphere. It, in fact, ranks among the most heavily armored craft,
including dropships, in the Human Sphere. Its armor protection exceeds that
of most dropships, including commonly used military craft such as the
Leopard. This makes it perfect for its given role as a dropship-killer,
because it is one of the few craft capable of standing up to concentrated
fire from a combat dropship.
All that armor leaves little room for anything else. The Steelhawk's speed is no more than average for a craft its size, and its weapons selection is decidedly deficient. The Holly LRM racks work well in the dropship-killing business, though, because the spread of missiles provides an excellent chance of destroying small, vulnerable parts of larger ships, such as weapon emplacements, maneuvering jets, or even the bridge. Because they lack the punch to make hard kills on big ships, Steelhawk lances are often paired with other assault fighters such as the Slash or the Riever, with the Steelhawks going in first to weaken the opponent and soak up any return fire that comes their direction, and the more heavily armed fighters coming in behind them to deliver the killing blow with their heavy guns.
Variants:
As if the standard Steelhawk, with its nearly 35 tons of armor plate,
wasn't bad enough, there is a Star League tech version that has just gone
into full production that replaces the Holly missile racks with Magna
Firestar PPCs and uses the weight savings in combination with lighter,
more protective Carbondale IV Ferro-Aluminum armor to provide armor
protection that rivals even the Overlord.