Template:UnderConstruction Template:Starfighter-Current The Druui Assault Bomber was a Hapan fighter craft that was produced by Olanji/Charubah and Zion Tech from 3971 and saw extensive servive during the last three decades of the Hapan civil war. In the 3980s, Druiis were regarded with respect and fear by every naval officer, but the production difficulties and newer types of fighters available from the outside galaxy eventually resulted in decommissioning of the fighter by King Andrew I.
History
Development
The need for a new and more advanced tactical bomber spacecraft became apparent after the first battle of Queen-Mother's Pearls in 3969 between the Draconian Union and non-Hapan privateers employed by the Sword Confederacy. While the Union was clearly superior to the ragtag enemy fleet, the pirates utilized suicidal bombing runs on the Draconian capital cruisers and crippled the larger carriers. While the Miy'cal Interceptor was an excellent anti-fighter spacecraft, the Union needed something heavier to assault the enemy battleships. For two years this subject was debated among the noble houses involved in the war industry and eventually the council decided to test the idea.
Service
House Olanji and House Par'wandi, owners of Olanji/Charubah and Zion Tech respectively, produced the first prototype squadron of Druui in 3970, and first complete squadron was ready for active duty in 3971. Armed with two heavy lasers and two proton torpedoes, Druui was the first Hapan design to be used for this particular purpose, and changed the tactical mentality of the Draconian Fighter Corps drastically. While it was very effective and durable in the battlefield, the major setback of the Druui was its high cost which was becoming a heavier burden on the sides of the civil war. Especially after the arrival of new fighters like R-41 Starchasers to the re-unified Hapes Consortium after 4000, the production of Druui Bombers went down. In the first years after the reunification, the Druiis were only reserved for the best and heaviest fleets in action, while cheaper R-41s were utilized more widely. Eventually during the standardization of the Royal Hapan Navy by King Andrew I, the obsolete Druiis were completely replaced by R-41s.
Ship Stats
Design & Hull
The Druui was a proto-Hetrinar craft and the designs of these two fighters do not really resemble each other, but employ virtually the same components. The guns of the ship are located on the front, close to the cockpit. The hull of Druuis were famous for being stronger than all the other fighters and most of the freighters, giving them the nickname “Flying Fortresses”.
Armament
The ship’s armament consists of two heavy cannons and two proton torpedoes located under the wing. For ground attack models the torpedoes were replaced with tactical missiles. Since the purpose of the craft was to assault the enemy, the heavy cannons were limited to a minimal role, only used when attacking fighters or freighters.
Shields
The Druuis were by default not equipped with shield generators in the initial years, though many were later modified. This was to save space on the bombers and make them faster. At the end of the war more than half of the Druuis in action did not have full shielding because of that.
Engines
Due to all the heavy components, the Druii Assault Bomber was not equipped with a hyperdrive. They had a sublight engine with a maximum of 38 MGLT speed. Some modified fighters were often upgraded with hyperdrive or additional sublight speed.
Famous Druui Assault Bombers
Phoenix Squadron
The Phoenix Squadron was a squadron of Druuis captured by the Phoenix Movement during a raid on a Zion Tech factory complex. Pilots were quickly trained for these ships and the squadron became a part of the Guard of Andrew Starfyre Sr. The squadron helped destroy the Tractia Heavy Cruiser Fist of Ci'hani in the eighth battle of the Keltros Expanse which tilted the balance of power in the region significantly.
Blood Raven
The modified Druui of the “Baroness of Blood”, Vali Trini'qar, this craft had an installed hyperdrive along with two additional sublight engines, which boosted the speed to 60 MGLT, even higher according to some observers. The Blood Raven was the only Druui to take an Interceptor role, since it could easily outgun any fighter on the enemy forces. Daring with her fighter, Trini’qar was responsible for the destruction of countless enemy ships and also the capture of the Phoenix Movement’s hero Damar Cantii.
