GTW Mekhu HL-7

The Vasudan variant of the GTW Subach HL-7, the GTW Mekhu HL-7 is, statistically, a slightly superior weapon. It boasts a higher rate of fire, better range, and a fraction more damage, however, it is less efficient and lacks the single hit power of its Terran counterpart. Although less efficient than the Subach, the Mekhu HL-7 still consumes very little power and, like the Subach gives an acceptable level of damage, making it a viable choice throughout your tour of duty. The Mekhu HL-7 can only be mounted on Vasudan fighters and bombers.

Weapons in Descent: FreeSpace

Primaries Secondaries Turrets Weapon Comparison Table, FS1

Weapons in FreeSpace 2

Primaries Secondaries Turrets Weapon Comparison Table, FS2

The GTW Mekhu HL-7

Tech Room Data

The Mekhu HL-7 is the Vasudan re-engineered variant of the Subach HL-7 xaser. Modifications made to the design by engineers at Mekhu give it a higher firing rate and longer range than the original Terran version. These improvements come at the cost of a slight decrease in power output. This trade-off fits well with Vasudan military tactics, but most Terran pilots prefer the performance of the original weapon.

Performance

Statistics - Mekhu HL-7

Range	970 m
Rate of Fire	6.67 shots per second
Velocity	485 ms-1
Base Damage	12
Armor Damage	Full	10.8
Shield Damage	Very Good	9.6
Subsystem Damage	Poor	3.6

Statistics - Mekhu HL-D

Range	970 m
Rate of Fire	6.67 shots per second
Velocity	485 ms-1
Base Damage	18
Armor Damage	Very Good	16.8
Shield Damage	Full	18
Subsystem Damage	Very Poor	3.6

Compatibility

The following table refers to weapons compatibility in singleplayer, and does not reflect the compatibility of dogfight variants in multiplayer. A ✓ mark indicates that a ship can mount the weapon, whereas an ✗ mark indicates that it cannot.

Terran Compatibility		Vasudan Compatibility
Ship Class	Compatible	Ship Class	Compatible
GTF Ulysses	✗	GVF Thoth	✓
GTF Loki	✗	GVF Serapis	✓
GTF Hercules	✗	GVF Horus	✓
GTF Hercules Mark II	✗	GVF Seth	✓
GTF Myrmidon	✗	GVF Tauret	✓
GTF Perseus	✗	GVF Ptah	✓
GTF Pegasus	✗	GVB Osiris	✓
GTF Erinyes	✗	GVB Bakha	✓
GTF Ares	✗	GVB Sekhmet	✓
SF Mara (Terrans)	✗
GTB Zeus	✗
GTB Medusa	✗
GTB Artemis (Inc. D.H.)	✗
GTB Ursa	✗
GTB Boanerges	✗

Notes

Veteran Comments

Please read the Veteran Comments policy before editing this section.

The Mekhu is used in place of the GTW Subach HL-7 in Vasudan fighters. The Mekhu has a huge fire rate, moves faster than the Subach HL-7, does (slightly) more damage-per-second, but has less overall hitting power (per shot damage), and is less efficient. I personally prefer the Subach HL-7 to this weapon, but it is quite effective. For more details on exact specifications see Weapon Comparison (FS2).

I personally prefer the rapid fire of the Mekhu to the Subach. A constant bombardment with this weapon wears down both shields and hull rather fast. It's simply better at dealing damage and it's easier to hit fast opponents with it.

The Mekhu is, for me, the main attraction of Vasudan fighters. In my opinion, it is the best all-around primary weapon in the entire game. It has a higher rate of fire than any other gun except the Morning Star and the Maxim, neither of which are effective against shields, and it uses next to no energy.

I don't mind using the Mekhu, since my accuracy's one of the worst in GTVA history. I could fire both primaries (loaded with Mekhus) at once and they'll do even more damage than a single Subach at the exact same fire rate as it. The fire rate of this weapon is especially useful when shooting down bombs.

A better weapon than the Subach in most circumstances, for several reasons: better range, better rate of fire, better projectile velocity, better sustained damage-per-second, and it still retains a negligible power draw. This translates into greater effectiveness in intercepting warheads, escorting convoys, hitting speedy targets, and keeping sustained fire on target. If your shots travel faster, the target has less time or ability to dodge, and the amount of lead you have to account for is lessened. If you're taking a high-energy weapon like the Maxim or Prometheus S in one bank, putting the Mekhu in the other is a good option.