GTM Hornet

The Hornet is a Great War-era early swarming missile. This missile rack launches four warheads per volley that each follow individual, slightly erratic paths to the target. This gives them a better chance of intercepting the target and increases their resistence to countermeasures. Though the Hornet has since been eclipsed by other missiles, most especially its direct descendant the GTM Tornado, vast quantities of Hornets remain available due to overzealous production.

While the Hornet will lock and track a figher-sized target, in general it lacks the speed and agility to succesfully engage anything except bombers or the slower assault fighters. Modern superiority fighters and interceptors are simply too maneuverable to be caught by this aging design.

Where the Hornet still performs well is in the role of heavy assault. In dual fire mode, 8 missiles are launched in each rapidly-loaded volley. Light warships and slow ships with minimal armor are quickly shredded by the blizzard of incoming warheads. Unlike the Tornado, the Hornet arms its explosives immediately upon exiting its launch tube, so if a target is big enough you can even launch a salvo without gaining lock on it. Assault fighters such as the Hercules Mark II can carry large numbers of these missiles, and a wing of Hornet-equipped assault fighters spell certain doom for any light ship that crosses their path.