A crewed scout with a 4-second jump: the Hawkeye
Published
In short: the Hawkeye is the fleet’s scout. It is unarmed, but quick, and its jump drive spools in 4 seconds, so it is the ship to send first and the one that gets away when chased.
It is sized on the E-2 Hawkeye, the US Navy’s carrier-borne early-warning aircraft, and named after it “so there’s no doubt what it’s for”.
At a glance
| Length | 17.6 m |
| Top speed | 400 m/s |
| Pulls | up to 10 g |
| Jump drive | 4 s spool |
| Fuel | 7 m³ |
| Guns | none |
What it does
- Goes first. A small, quick spool and a small flash make it the ship to send ahead.
- Gets away. Chased, it jumps out in 4 seconds.
- Can’t fight back. It has no guns and always flies evasive. It can still be hit.
- Crewed, not a drone, so it needs no link home.
The carrier starts with 2 Hawkeyes docked.
Equipment
- Modules (50 m³ inside): cockpit, fuel tank, cargo pod.
- Drive: a jump drive with a 4 s spool.