Hammerhead Best In Show Edition

The Hammerhead Best In Show Edition is a limited edition corvette gunship manufactured by Aegis Dynamics. It was created especially for the 'Best In Show' event at the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo 2949 and has a unique white and purple livery. It features six manned quad-linked turrets which are designed to engage fighter craft and intercept ordnance, allowing it to effectively neutralize smaller aerial threats. It also features a spacious ordnance bay for various Size 3 missiles, making the Hammerhead well-suited to support larger capital ships or serve as a versatile patrol craft in lower-intensity operations.^[1]

Features

Weapons

The ship features six manned turrets, each holding four Size 4 guns. It also has eight racks, each carrying four Size 3 missiles, thirty-two in total.

Accommodation

The ship is equipped with crew quarters that can accommodate up to eight personal, in addition to a captains ready-room / quarters, and a mess hall featuring a distinct galley.

Cargo

The vehicle is equipped with a retractable cargo hold that has the capacity to accommodate up to 40 SCU of cargo and is designed to transport vehicles such as an Ursa rover.

Engineering

It has a dedicated engineering station and compleate access of components and relays, facilitating maintenance and replacement.

Ramming

Aegis implemented additional internal support within the vessel's bow, designed as a last measure tactic.^[2]

Specifications

Model

Ship profile

Isometric	Above	Port-side	Front	Rear	Below

Series variants

Hammerhead

Hammerhead

Heavy Gun Ship

Hammerhead Best In Show Edition

Heavy Gun Ship

Paints

Acquisition

Lore

In March 2765, High Command issued a request for proposal (RFP) seeking a dedicated anti-fighter platform that could serve as both a key element of the standard fleet screen and as a cost-effective patrol ship to replace the aging Guine-class. Aegis Dynamics was tasked with developing this new warship, then identified as PROJECT MONITOR and began ground-up development that November. Six initial prototypes were built by Aegis, with two of these prototypes being delivered to the UEE Navy for evaluation. Structural development lasted eighteen months, followed by three years of construction on the first of six test-bed articles. The result of the prototype program was a highly successful new spacecraft design. Aegis had built a fast warship nimble enough to properly support a battle group while remaining inexpensive enough to be constructed in large numbers.^[3]

In 2773-08-09, the first production and Flight I model of Hammerhead, UEES Hammerhead was transferred to the UEE Navy. After six months of space trials proved uneventful, an additional five Flight I hulls were approved and allocated to the Fifth Fleet to serve as a proof-of-concept for newly developed carrier warfare doctrine. The Navy was pleased with the Hammerhead's proven combat capability and its new role in fleet operations, UEE doubled their initial hull order with Aegis and six months later signed an additional expansion that requested permanent production.^[3]

After the fall of the Messers in 2792, the Hammerhead was considered by many to have been the 'official' ships of the Messers, Aegis not only found themselves publicly disgraced but many called for them to be charged for their role in the fascist regimes war crimes. As the new government sought to distance themselves from Aegis' warships in an attempt to rebrand their military and sought contracts from other manufacturers like RSI and the new Anvil Aerospace. Luckily for Aegis, the military had not negotiated an exclusive license on the Hammerhead design, which allowed them to adapt the spacecraft for civilian use in a variety of roles without governmental oversight in an attempt to remain solvent.^[3]

In 2782, UEES Tiburo, a Flight I Hammerhead was involved in a collision while undergoing refuel/rearm operations. As a result of the incident, the Navy requested Aegis to implement major sensor changes in the Flight II models. In 2817, the Flight II models were released, in which replaced a radar emplacement with an additional turret and redesigned the internal deck layout in response to readiness reports from gun crews operating in the field.^[4] In 2854, the Flight IIA models began to deploy as the first wave of Flight II were found to have a blind spot.^[3]

Flight III: The Flight III models, which focused on an overall upgrade to modern command and control surfaces, were introduced between 2854 to 2915, and it replaced all extant Navy earlier Hammerheads by 2915.^[3]
Flight IV: The Flight IV models are the modern version of Hammerheads in UEE Navy as of 2947. Compared to the Flight III models, it has multiple additional remote turrets and tools for increased modularity.^[3]
Flight V: Aegis has begun early jump tunnel development of the theoretical Flight V, though there is no naval contract in place and it is unlikely to see a service opening in the next decade.^[3]

Gallery

Development

Trivia

It was one of 4 finalist in the 2954 'Best In Show' event during Intergalactic Aerospace Expo 2949. Hammerhead owners, at the time of the event, received an upgrade to this variant as a reward. The ship was also offered as a stand alone purchase to backers only during the event.^[5]
The in-lore development of the Hammerhead is featured in a memoir written by spacecraft designer Cassie H. Larbig called Forging Ahead!. For the operational history of individual Hammerhead spacecraft, James Hasburns covered the content in Forged with Honor: The Hammerhead at War.^[3]