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 is your typical 'Jack of all trades, master of none'. It neither excels at being an interceptor nor does it excel at being a troop transporter. Either role can be better filled with other aircraft, such as Barracudas or Tritons, but the Hammerhead is a meld of both.

The problem with all Zrbite-powered craft is that they always burn fuel at the same rate, regardless of wether they're currently 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 to begin with. That means unlike their terran counterparts, the advanced subs cannot patrol for prolonged times; if you try to follow an alien craft until it lands on it's own accord, more often than not your vessel will instead run out of fuel and return prematurely.

Having only one weapon pod is a very minor issue once you found out about Sonic Oscillators: by virtue of it's high range and virtually infinite supply of ammo, it will win combat after combat for you. The Hammerhead's only contribution is to carry that weapon into battle, and against most opponents this is all it takes. The only time the lack of a second hardpoint matters is when fighting Dreadnoughts, however it still has a better chance of downing one solo than any earlier sub due to its high hitpoints.

As a troop carrier, the Hammerhead is actually really good. Although it can't stay out for long, it's fast enough to still reach any point on earth. By the time a Triton eventually arrives on the scene, the Hammerhead will already be back in base, refueled and ready for the next mission. The downside is that it can carry only 12 troops and not a single SWS; wether this is a major issue or insignificant depends on the Commander (that is you), and on the aliens at the site; Displacers are nigh-essential against Tentaculats but not so useful against Lobstermen, for instance.

Eventually, you'll develop "The Ultimate Craft" which will render the Hammerhead obsolete. However, because of some steep requirements this may take a while. Therefore the Hammerhead shouldn't be discarded outright; it's fast response time can be priceless.

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  Hammerhead Level 0

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  Hammerhead Level 1

Vital Statistics

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