Hammerhead

General Information

A transport and intercept craft. A replication of magnetic array systems in an X-COM ship. Although small, its design is a breathtaking technical achievement.

The Hammerhead, a dwarfed Leviathan in appearance, is a 'Jack of all trades' submarine that combines a transport with an attack craft. It provides a fairly decent balance of its two roles, though does not excel at either. Its dual role makes it an excellent backup fighter/transport at a base with multiple sub pens.

As an interceptor, it has better mobility than the Manta thanks to its larger fuel capacity, and can easily outdistance the Manta when you need to reach a remote target or venue. Having only one weapon pod is a minor issue once you have access to Sonic Oscillators. By virtue of their high range and virtually infinite supply of ammo, one Sonic Oscillator is all that is required to safely shoot down any type of enemy sub but the dreaded Dreadnought.

As a transport, its speed and interception ability make it an excellent quick response transport, allowing quick deployment of elite squads to nearby alien activity. One feature that is entirely unique to the Hammerhead is its South facing exit.

Depending on the commander's preferences for the heavy weapons platforms, the Hammerhead's lack of SWS storage space may prove to be one of the major deciding factors on whether or not this ship is ever used.

This craft appears in Terror from the Deep. For the UFO: Enemy Unknown equivalent, refer to the Lightning. Note that the Hammerhead has better specs across the board. Of special interest is the fact that it has double the fuel capacity of the Lightning.

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  Hammerhead Level 0

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  Hammerhead Level 1

Zrbite for Fuel

Fuel-wise, the Hammerhead sits in the middle of the three Zrbite based submarines. It uses more Zrbite to fuel than the Manta, but this grants it much better reach. It uses less fuel than the Leviathan, though this shortens its reach it potentially makes it more economical to operate if you need to attend frequent sorties within a short space of time.

The problem faced by all Zrbite-powered craft is that they always burn fuel at the same rate, regardless of whether they are patrolling or going full speed. They will also override their orders and return to base as soon as the fuel meter drops below 50%, even if right next to their home base. On top of that, they carry only small amounts of Zrbite so have limited flight times. It's therefore impractical to tail alien craft until it lands on its own accord, as your vessel will frequently run out of fuel before it lands. In situations such as this, it is better to employ conventional fuel based ships like the Barracuda or Triton.

Vital Statistics

Maximum Speed:	4,030
Acceleration:	9
Fuel Capacity:	60
Weapon Pods:	1
Damage Capacity:	960
Cargo Space:	12
SWS Capacity:	None