The Hunter Killer is a fully independent robotic machine designed to strike enemy vehicles and ground troops.  the modern H-K is most commonly a small flight capable craft equipped with weapons and a sophisticated set of sensors and an even more sophisticated artificial intelligence control unit.  This electronic brain, coupled with advanced life-form detectors, multi-band radar and micro-wave scanners, can spot a target, differentiate between enemy and friendly troops and equipment and determine the danger associated with attacking the target.  If it doesn't spot a target, it looks for tracks or other signs that that might lead to a target's position.  Once it homes in on the target, it then makes an assessment on how best to destroy it.  One of the most natable characteristics of the H-K is that it is inhumanly patient and persistent.  the greatest weakness of the H-K is that its thinking can become predictable.  An observant person monitoring the H-K's actions may be able to spot and exploit small quirks in the unit's behavior.

Hunter-Killers are actually fairly rare because of the negative image of automated war machines.  They are, however, being used with increasing frequency against scattered Kafer guerillas on French arm colony worlds.  These H-K's are specifically programmed to spot and attack Kafer targets and will ignore humans and human designed vehicles.

H-Ks are also used by some corporations to guard sensitive facilities.  Some H-Ks have fallen into criminal hands and have been programmed to seek out and eliminate specific individuals or vehicles.

Programming an H-K takes quite a bit of talent and requires the use of a cyber-deck or a computer station.  Most porta-comps are too limited to link to and program an H-K.  Many H-K's can provide instant audio and video feedback through a radio link.  With a radio linked cyberdeck, a person can jack into the H-K and can control it as if he or she were the H-K.

Japanese Type 141 Hunter-Killer: