|
The Interceptor research project, code-named 'Blade' was a disaster for Kushan scientists and engineers from the very start. Saddled with too many capability demands from the Intelligence arm, the first 4 prototypes resulted in an Interceptor that was capable at performing multiple roles, but was competent at none of them. The specs called for a heavy version of the Scout, upgraded engines for higher speed, wings for atmospheric flight, and multiple light hardpoints for weapons and recon sensors. Versions 3 and 4 both blew themselves apart when plasma ducts burned through the magnetic couplings. The project was about to be abandoned when a single engineer and a test pilot executed an off-shift redesign which resulted in the wing sections being cut away and bonded to the inner hull as thermal insulation. The resulting ship had lost all atmospheric capability, along with its multiple hardpoints, but retained most of the other desired characteristics and, most importantly, it had ceased to be a guided fireball. With the need for a radical redesign demonstrated to both the research scientists and the military, work went ahead to further strengthen what was now a considerably durable frame. The Blade Mk.5 went into final production with a heavy rotary cannon mounted partially inside the nose armor plates and a reinforced plating around the drive core and main plasma vents. While its checkered past still clings, (Blade pilots still carry the nickname 'Bomb Jockeys') this heavy interceptor is slowly gaining acceptance as a space superiority fighter to be reckoned with.
|
