The SA-10 Hornet was specially designed by the Southern Cross' Tactical Space Corps to attack massed targets. Introduced in 2021, the Hornet was a very strange craft, with bat-like wings and a single missile sticking out from under the front of the craft. The total appearance was much like its insect namesake, the mecha overall resembling a hornet in attack posture, with the large missile resembling the stinger. Because of its odd shape, the Hornet is only capable of vertical landings on Earth on the engine nacelles, and a safe landing takes unflinching nerves. The cluster missile was designed to be used against Zentraedi mecha concentrations, and the sub-munitions each were powerful and accurate enough to destroy a Zentraedi Battlepod. Combat simulations indicated that against a lightly-armoured opponent like the Zentraedi, a single cluster missile could score over one hundred mobility kills. In addition to the heavy missile, the Hornet carried four laser cannons around the stinger for dogfights, as well as two Short-range missile racks.

This armament was also meant to ensure that the Hornet, which was rather slow and vulnerable, would indeed survive to reach its targets. However, during war-games and manoeuvres, Chief of Staff Rolf Emerson repeatedly defeated the efforts of the Hornet squadrons. Every time that Emerson simulated Zentraedi mecha and tactics, he dispersed the mecha under his command, so that the Hornet pilots had very little concentrations to fire at. Consequently, the Hornet was only procured in small numbers, as a special-purpose attack plane.

The Hornet never saw much service, considering its limited numbers and peacetime deployment, and with the arrival of the Robotech Masters and their heavily armoured Bioroids, against whom the Hornet's missile's submunitions were less effective, the Hornet was finally withdrawn from service in 2029.

RPG STATS

M.D.C. BY LOCATION:

   	*Wings (2)			50 each
	Tail Fins (4)			20 each
	*Thrusters (3, rear)		40 each
	Renforced crew compartment	50
	**Main Body			100
	***Missile Launchers (2)	20 each
	***Laser Cannons (4)		10 each
	Cluster missile			50

*Destroying one wing or thruster will send the aircraft into dive in the atmosphere. The pilot’s only chance for survival is to eject. Destroying one wing in space will destroy the thruster in the wing, reducing the aircraft’s speed by 50% and giving it -3 to dodge, and will prevent re-entry. Destroying both wings will immobilise the aircraft.

**Depleting the MDC of the main body will destroy the aircraft. If the re-enforced pilot’s compartment is still intact, the pilot can survive for up to 6 hours on emergency oxygen in space. In the atmosphere, the plane will be destroyed, and the pilot must eject to survive.

***these are small targets, attackers are -3 to hit on a "called shot".

SPECIFICATIONS

Bonuses: +1 to strike, +3 to dodge in space, +1 to dodge in the atmosphere

WEAPON SYSTEMS

1. CBM-300 Cluster Bomb Missile. Unique to the Hornet, this large (5 meters long, 1.3 meter diameter) missile is loaded with 300 self-guiding cluster bombs. The missile flies towards a pre-designated target area, and then explodes, releasing its deadly payload.
• Purpose: Assault/Anti-spacecraft
• Range: 4 km
• Mega-Damage: All targets, friendly or enemy, within a 1 km radius of the target area take 2D4 x 10 MD directly to their main body. Against larger targets (like spacecraft), the missile inflicts 2D6 x 1000 (!!!) MD directly to the spacecraft’s main body, and no damage to any other targets in the area.
• Rate of Fire: Single shot only
• Payload: One missile
2. Four E-19 Laser Cannons. Four E-19 Laser Cannons are mounted in the aircraft’s "Stinger", around the connection to the Cluster missile. The lasers are fixed forwards- in order to aim them, the entire aircraft must be moved.
• Purpose: Assault/Anti-aircraft
• Range: 1200m
• Mega-Damage: 3D6 MD each.
• Rate of Fire: Equal to the pilot's combined number of attacks. Cannons may be fired separately or linked together (Counts as one attack.)
• Payload: Effectively unlimited.
3. Short-Range Missile Launchers. The Hornet has a pair of short-range missile launchers, one on each side of the cockpit.
• Purpose: Anti-aircraft
• Missile Type: Any type of SRM can be used.
• Range: Depends on missile type
• Mega-Damage: Depends on missile type
• Rate of Fire: One, 2, 3 or four missiles pere launcher
• Payload: 12 missiles per launcher, total 24

STANDARD EQUIPMENT FOR THE HORNET:

• Radar: Range: 160 km. Standard operation.
• Heat & Radiation Shields: Special shielding prevents the penetration of life threatening heat and radiation. A radiation detection and alarm system are linked with the shields and will sound an alarm if there is a rupture in the shields and what the levels of radiation are.
• Radio/Video Communications: Wide band, directional radio and video telecast capabilities. Range: 1000km, or can be boosted by satellite.
• Laser Targeting System: Close range; 1 km
• Combat Computer: Calculates, stores & monitors data on the control panel computer screen or Heads-up display

Designers Notes

Japanese Name: Tivir II Megazone 23, Part 1

Episodes Seen in: Robotech The Movie: The Untold Story

The info on the Hornet is pretty minimal. All of the info here comes from the Robotech Technical Files. I dread the thought of a Tivir I.