A crewed scout on a real aircraft: why the Hawkeye is built as it is
Published
The Hawkeye is the fleet’s scout. Its length, mass and fuel come from a real aircraft, the E-2 Hawkeye; its drive and handling follow the game’s shared rules.
Crewed, not a drone
Why: far from home, with no relay network, a drone needs a satellite link; a crew needs none. A crew flies, looks, decides and brings the information back. It is crewed like the real E-2, which flies with five: two pilots and three operators[1].
Decided 2026-10-22 · ship_spec.md, Scout
17.6 m long, Scout class
Why: “Sizes are based on real-world ships.” The scout is the E-2’s size: the E-2C is 17.54 m long[2]. The game’s 17.6 m is an in-game figure for the newer E-2D, not sourced here. It is named Hawkeye “so there’s no doubt what it’s for”.
Built 2026-10-23 · scripts/ship_catalog.gd SHIPS["Hawkeye"] = ["Scout", 17.6, "Zenith"]
18.4 t and a 7 m³ tank
Why: every ship is anchored on a real counterpart of its size and role, and takes from it its length, empty mass and internal fuel. The E-2C carries 5,624 kg of usable internal fuel[3], about 7 m³ of jet fuel. Its empty weight is 17,859 kg[4]; the game’s 18.4 t is an in-game figure for the heavier E-2D, not sourced here. With the same drive as the carrier, a full tank gives about 3,200 km/s. More in warp fuel.
Decided 2026-10-25 · scripts/modules.gd TYPES["fuel_tank"] = 7 m³; ship_catalog.gd MASS["Hawkeye"] = 18.4 t
Jump drive: 4 s spool
Why: spool time is per ship, bigger means longer: the carrier 12 s, the Hawkeye 4 s. No cool-down. A small, quick spool and a small flash make it the ship to send first, and a chased Hawkeye gets out. Both times are placeholders.
Built 2026-10-23 · scripts/ship_catalog.gd JUMP_DRIVES["Hawkeye"] = 4.0
400 m/s and 10 g
Why: a crewed scout is “quick and nimble, slower than a fighter”. It shares the fighters’ crew cap: “10g max for now”. At 10 g it reaches 400 m/s in about 4 seconds, and at full speed it turns at about 14° a second (derived). The same speed holds in air and space: “speeds are already compressed for fun”. Placeholder until tuned.
Built 2026-10-23; 10 g 2026-10-26 · scripts/ship_catalog.gd HULLS["Scout"] max_speed = 400, max_g = 10, turn_rate = 90
Unarmed, always evasive, can be shot
Why: a real E-2 Hawkeye is unarmed. In game it has a fighter’s Mk3 body, so it can be hit, but no guns, and it always flies evasive.
Built 2026-10-24 · scripts/main.gd _build_carrier(): unarmed = true
Related
- No waiting, but the real distance: why jump fuel works as it does
- 350 m, just above the longest ship ever: why the carrier is built as it is
- 74 to 78 aircraft: what a US carrier air wing carries
- Four bands, a 2.5 km/s drop, no fuel: why heights work as they do
Sources
- E-2C Hawkeye, Federation of American Scientists.
Crew of five—two pilots and three operators.
- E-2C Hawkeye, Federation of American Scientists.
Length overall 17.54 m
- E-2C Hawkeye, Federation of American Scientists.
Maximum fuel (internal, usable) 5,624 kg
- E-2C Hawkeye, Federation of American Scientists.
Weight empty 17,859 kg