Khartu-al

The Aopoa Khartu-al is an export model of the Qhire Khartu, for sale to human civilians as a dedicated scout/explorer. The export model features the same Xi'an maneuvering rig, but control surfaces modified for human use and a more limited armament.

Features

 * Maneuverability: Thanks to the way Xi-an military ships are designed (which don't have a traditional main thruster) the Khartu-al has four gimbaled main thrusters, making the ship one of the most nimble in the 'Verse.
 * Weapons: With a pair of Size 4 gun hard-points, together with its infamous maneuverability, makes the Khartu-al very difficult to defeat.
 * Controls: Specifically designed for humans, the ships cockpit offers high precision controls.
 * Cockpit: The ships had a large bubble canopy, giving the pilot great all round visibility.

Ship profile
In space= Landed=

Lore
The mysterious ship, nicknamed Quark but now known to be a Qhire Khartu, had been found derelict and pilotless by a naval recon squadron. Taken immediately to an undisclosed bunker for further study, unnamed scientists spent years trying to decipher and understand the damaged technology.

The Khartu-al was exported to Human since the 2910s, it was offically the first Xi'an ship that is exported to Human.

Gallery
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Development
The Khartu-al (originally known as "Xi’an Scout") is the first Xi'an ship designed in the game. Its distinctive vertical flight mode has become a major design element as Xi'an culture has developed. The ship was first offered as part of the $23 million stretch goal in 2013, which aimed to create both the "Xi’an Scout" and to expand the game’s focus to alien races. The original concept design was developed by Eddie Del Rio (Freelance Conceptist), with an additional 2015 concept pass by Gary Sanchez (Freelance Conceptist). The design is in part a reference to the mysterious "red ship," a vertical spacecraft that appeared in original landing zone mockup in 2012-11-19. The Khartu-al became flyable starting in Alpha 3.2 in June 2018.