GTF Hercules Mark II

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Boasting superior speed, maneuverability and missile loadout capacity than its forebear, the GTF Hercules Mark II had become the Alliance's primary heavy assault fighter in 2367. While it lacks the punch of its predecessor when it comes to primaries, it’s a very effective combat craft suited for multiple types of engagements due to its compatibility with most types of primary and secondary weapons. Some squadrons favored this craft heavily, such as the GTD Aquitaine's 107th Ravens.

The 2nd Generation "Herc" experienced heavy action in several combat theaters, including the NTF Civil War and the Second Shivan Incursion.

Description:

The GTF Hercules Mark II

FS2 Demo Tech Room Description

The second generation of the Hercules fighter. It is faster, more maneuverable, and still carries a decent payload.

FS2 Tech Room Description

The GTF Hercules Mark II is the next generation of Terran heavy assault fighter. Introduced during the Great War, the original Herc's balance of firepower and maneuverability made it the most versatile strike fighter in the fleet. Some military historians have claimed the Hercules won the Great War, citing its deployment in key battles near the end of the Shivan conflict. Implementing recent advances in fusion drive technology, the Mark II improves the assault fighter's speed and maneuverability without sacrificing loadout capacity.

Developer Notes

None

Concept Art

• 

Performance:

Statistics

Type	Heavy Assault
Manufacturer	RNI Systems (FS2) KresCo Engineering (FS2 Demo)
Maneuverability	Average
Yaw, Pitch, Roll	3.8, 4.2, 3.8 s
Max Velocity	55.0 - 65.0 ms-1
Max Afterburner Velocity	120.0 ms-1
Armor	Heavy
Hitpoints	275
Shields	610
Length	17 m

Armaments

• Gun Mounts

FreeSpace 2
Bank	Guns	Standard Loadout
1st	2	Subach HL-7
2nd	2	Prometheus R
Compatible Primaries
Subach HL-7, Akheton SDG, Prometheus R, Prometheus S, Morning Star, UD-8 Kayser, Circe, Lamprey, Maxim

• Missile Banks

FreeSpace 2
Bank	Capacity	Standard Loadout
1st	80	Harpoon
2nd	100	Hornet
Compatible Secondaries
MX-64, EMP Adv., Tempest, Hornet, Tornado, Harpoon, Trebuchet, TAG-A, TAG-B, Infyrno,

Modding Resources

The GTF Hercules Mark II in the latest MVPs

Retail:

$POF File: fighter2t-02.pof

Textures: fighter2t-02(a/b/c), thruster01

MediaVPs:

$POF File: Herc2.pof

Credits: Devils_hitman / StratComm / Axem

Gallery

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  A wing of Hercs patrol through a nebula.

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  A Herc II fighter defending a GTCv Deimos.
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  A wing of Herc 2s engaging a Maxim strike against the Wargods in Aristeia.

Veteran Comments

Please read the Veteran Comments policy before editing this section.

The Herc II flies okay. My only complaint is with the weapons placement, as having the primaries set side by side makes shooting a fleeing target with horizontal deflection tricky. The secondary max loadout is a blessing, sometimes I like to load out on nothing but Harpoons and be a mobile SAM launcher.

I like all the Hercs. Good armour with large missile capacity, although a bit on the slow side, but decent maneuverability.

The Herc II gets introduced rather cruelly to you; in your first mission in the fighter you are thrown against Shivan Maras and Astaroths, both of which can outmaneuver and outrun you with ease. A Lion at the Door demonstrates the problems with the Herc II in rather brutal fashion on high difficulties. Mystery of the Trinity can end up subjecting you to SF Dragons to boot, for the ultimate in bad introductions; survival of that situation is difficult on ANY difficulty.

Despite this the fighter is a capable heavy assault ship; its spacious secondary bays and having only four gun banks appear to be a reaction to and endorsement of the Hornet-spam technique for dealing with enemy logistics craft and cruisers.

The problem with the Herc II is the early missions, where it's the required fighter, often just aren't well suited to pure heavy fighter forces, which leaves some people with the impression it is an inferior ship overall. It really isn't. It's quite a good ship for Clash of the Titans II or Dunkerque for instance, and it's my preferred ship for Proving Grounds.

While in the main campaign the Herc II is pretty much useless, in user-made campaign missions with lots of enemies, the Herc II is a godsend (provided that you have the right weapons, and no other ships like the Erinyes are available). Its thick armour and shielding is enough to get you through the fiercest of battles.

It's surprisingly maneuverable, but is slow as hell. Its thick armour, heavy shielding and huge secondary banks give you the opportunity to survive long missions without support, like Love the Treason. However, the Tauret is a better assault fighter, with more guns, even more missiles and less maneuverability.

This ship could be simplified as the Terran Basilisk. Both the Herc II and Basilisk have two guns per slot as well as the same missile capacity. The main differences are that the Herc II has a slightly slower turn rate and lower maximum velocity and more hull hit points but less shield hit points than the Basilisk.

The Herc II is forced upon the player in the retail campaign to fly a series of missions that it is completely unsuited for. As a result, it can be very easy to get frustrated with this craft's shortcomings and overlook its advantages. Think of it as a high-capacity missile launcher with good durability and adequate maneuverability, and a rather small target profile, to boot. You can equip 22 Trebuchets (10 and 12 in each bank, respectively) at once, giving you excellent long-range capability for a variety of situations. Its four primary slots are well-placed, and with two banks you can outfit the Herc II for a variety of tasks--standard anti-fighter Prometheus S's, a pair of Maxims and a pair of low-energy Subach-HL7's, etc. Thus, the Herc II is not really an assault fighter; it's more like a high-capacity missile launcher that can perform other tasks decently, without even needing a change in loadout. This makes frantic convoy escort/protection missions vastly easier, as you can afford to fire off Trebuchets at entire wings of bombers, while still having enough to spare for sniping the main beam cannons on marauding cruisers/corvettes.