SI-67V 'Hannya'

SI-67A “Shuriken” Interceptor/ SI-67V “Hannya” Stealth Interceptor

Type: Long Range Interceptor
Primary Role: Anti-Fighter
Crew: 1
Length: 20”2”
Wingspan: 44’6” (Vertical Wings) 8’ (Winglets)
Height: 44’6”
Unarmed Weight: 2,300 Lbs
Armed Weight: 4,350 Lbs
Powerplant: Dyson CCS910 Compact Magnetic Engine
Vernier: x 96

Performance (Space)
Maximum Speed: 10,790 MPH
Range: 300,000 Miles

Performance (Atmosphere)
Maximum speed: 3,228 MPH
Range: 2,000 Miles
Service Ceiling: 53,100 Feet
Rate of Climb: 5,000 ft/s

Fixed Armament
x2 wing mounted GAU-38 50mm rotary cannon, x2 wingtip mounted “Typhoon” 70mm Linear Acceleration Cannon, x1 fuselage mounted M451 34mm auto cannon, x2 Type 82 28mm Pulse Laser

Optional Armament:
x2 SR23 “Swatter” Short-range Missile Pods containing 8 missiles each, x2 S39 “Scent-hound” ‘Smart’ Missile

Manufacturer: Starson Industries



Description:

Like most Starson designed combat craft, the SI-67 “Shuriken” Interceptor combines devastating firepower with an unconventional air-frame. Entering service in 2480, the Shuriken was the brainchild of Chitan designer Manfred Oldam who had originally designed the SF-61 Maul as an interceptor.
Sporting a unique “boomerang” shape, the Shuriken was manufactured alongside the SF-61D Maul, which was designed as an anti-ship platform. The Shuriken was developed as what would eventually be referred to as an “offensive interceptor”, meaning that it was created to be sent out to hunt down and destroy enemy scout craft and fighter squadrons long before they could reach the main fleet.

Development History:
During the race to create a heavy fighter in the early 2470s that would make use of the massive M890 130mm Gauss Cannon, Starson Industries starcraft designer Manfred Oldam had reworked his initial design into what would eventually become the SF-61D Maul. Originally he had intended for the Maul’s predecessor to be an interceptor, but thanks to its radical design, it proved more than capable to mount the massive cannon. This left Oldam’s original design on the drawing board for a full year before the United Earth Government announced that it was seeking a replacement for its then antiquated SF-27 “Highlander” starfighter. Oldam returned to the design and began making several dramatic changes to it and the end result was another truly radical design. His new creation featured the unconventional “boomerang” shape placing the cockpit in the center with two wings protruding from the top and bottom of the fuselage as well as an extremely thin head-on profile. While balked at by many in the UEG’s upper military echelon, Oldam would argue that this configuration provided a difficult target for enemy fire to hit. Eventually, Starson would come to build three prototypes to challenge the Wright-Saunders’ YSF-37 and the Mastros-Bercerra YSF-45 to win the contract put forward by the UEG. Designated the YSF-67, the fighter performed admirably, but was eclipsed by the YSF-37’s greater maneuverability. In 2472, Wright-Saunders was awarded the contract to develop the newly designated SF-38 “Thunderclap” as the UEG’s Naval Forces’ main combat fighter. Fate would smile on Oldam and Starson however when Fleet Admiral Nancy Harris of the UEG Navy approached Starson Industries with a request: the development of the first specialized interceptor. Most fighter craft in the UEG’s arsenal were outfitted to fulfill this role, but because they were intended for other purposes, they usually fell short. Starson immediately contacted Oldam who presented Harris with a slightly reworked version of the YSF-67. She approved the design and a forth prototype was created and was tested in non-lethal combat exercises against the Thunderclap starfighter. The new YSF-67 prototype outperformed the Thunderclap in terms of maneuverability. More importantly however, the prototype also proved the effectiveness of its thin profile as the Thunderclap was unable to score a direct hit against it in combat. In 2475, production of the SI-67 “Shuriken” was approved by the UEG Military. A scant one million Shurikens were manufactured and while the official deployment of the craft would be authorized nearly six years later, pilots of the ship praised its maneuverability and firepower.

Variants:
The SI-67A “Shuriken” is currently one of only two interceptors in the UEG’s Naval Forces. In 2501, a specially modified version of the Shuriken, dubbed the SI-67V “Hannya” was created amidst a threat from human secessionists on the planet Hera to use their rather sizeable orbital defense fleet to shoot down any UEG warships that attempted to quell their rebellion. The Hannya was outfitted with a “mirror-skin”. The mirror-skin skin system is a series of small cameras that projected the image of the environment around the Hannya on to what is essentially a movie screen, rendering the craft invisible to the naked eye. While the mirror-skin system makes the craft invisible to visual sensors, the craft was still visible on heat-sensitive equipment. To compensate for this, several internal cooling systems were installed on the Hannya as well as small series of disposable heat-sinks which can be jettisoned from the craft. This affords the Hannya the ability to produce a false heat image on enemy thermal scanners. In addition, the Hannya does not carry the twin SR23 short range missile pods that the Shuriken does in order to avoid being detected by the vapor trail left behind the weapon as it leaves its casing.

Combat Performance:
Perhaps one of the most feared human manufactured starcraft, the SI-67A and V are often considered one of the better examples of offensive starfighter. Although its speed and maneuverability can be compared to the SF-38 "Thunderclap" Multi-role fighter, the SI-67 is unmatched in terms of one-on-one dogfighting capability. This is due in large part to the fact that its armaments are lined up with the interceptors center, providing a stable and reliable firing platform. A preferred dog fighting tactic employed by modern SI-67 pilots is what's called the "swaying arc". This method of combat is achieved when a pilot uses the SI-67's Vernier engines to orient their entire ship enemy's projected trajectory, keeping it in constant sight while firing bursts from the deadly GAU-38 rotary cannon.
All in all the Shuriken/Hannya is a superior interceptor, but it is not without its drawbacks. The compact design of the ship for example, while tactically sound is structurally deficient in several categories. The vertical wing structure of the SI-67 is a non-issue in space, but in atmospheric flight, it acts like a sail when hit by a cross-wind causing the vehicle to roll violently. To compensate for this, Starson Industries has created a test variant of the SI-67 with larger horizontal wings known colloquially known as the "Butterfly".