Description / application in missions

It is an assault gravi-flyer, which then became a prototype for Protectorate Sprut. Thunder has incredible for aircraft armor and a good weapon system. Its maneuverability is slightly less than its Protectorate analogue, but it is quite sufficient for threatening enemy machines of fire support located in hinterland.

At the beginning of the Third Wave of the Empire Intrusion the engineers of the Empire Directorate of Light Gravitational Machinery took note of the standard monoblock UM-1. Just at that time a large series of fighting machines was been developing on the basis of this monoblock and an assault gravi-flyer would excellently supplement this series of walking and caterpillar machines. The gravi-flyer created on the basis of this monoblock and called Thunder took part in almost all noticeable operations of the final phase of the war. In particular, a division of Thunders played an important role during the assault of Northern Block on Velian. In spite of its angular shape having nothing in common with aerodynamics, Thunder showed itself as an excellent front low-flying attack aircraft. It sustains fire from light weapons quite well and it is properly armed. The powerful reactor of the monoblock UM-1 supplies with sufficient energy the gravi-flyer itself and also its powerful impulse gun. Thunder’s usual cruising altitude is not large – just about two dozens of meters, but it is quite enough for the direct air support of troops on the battlefield.

The armament of the assault gravi-flyer Thunder:

-- Impulse gun “Power Dart” IMG-1M, developed by the Empire Institute of High-Energy Technology. This gun can be place both among firearms and energy arms. It hits a target with a tiny needle made of radioactive isotope cobalt-99 and enclosed into electromagnetic cocoon. The destructive effect of such a shell is equal to the effect caused by a hit of a light artillery shell. The impulse guns don’t require bulky ammunition as cannons and machine-guns and consume much less energy than plasma and laser cannons. This is very important for gravi-flyers, as the designers have to limit the take-off weight and to save the energy consumption. The impulse gun’s fifty-kilogram needle-cartridge is enough for a long battle, while a common automatic cannon would use up not less than a ton of shells for the same time.
-- Four multi-purpose missiles “Lance” R-22, developed by the Empire Directorate of Missile Weaponry. These self-guided missiles are used to arm assault aircrafts. They are very effective at long and medium ranges, but at short distances the homer system of these missiles doesn’t have enough time for lock-on and, as a rule, miss.
-- Two-barreled machine-gun of 12.7 mm caliber MG-127X2. This standard model of a machine-gun has been used all over the inhabited Space for a long time. This is the oldest and most reliable model of firearms it was developed on the Earth as long ago as the pre-space epoch.