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Description
Here's my first WIP for a Stealth Hammerhead that Kelso323 ([link] and I are co-developing.
I created two different versions, with the wings swept back along the same angle as the engine intakes of the standard SA-43, and with a second with the wings only slightly altered to retain the more recognizable Hammerhead appearance with the angle of the engine intakes altered to match the wings.

Both versions include new engine exhaust jets. Kelso mentioned the possibility of some sort of vectored thrust system and that might be doable, though I would imagine the standard engine exhausts would already include some form of vectored thrust...but with that being said, as maneuverable as the Hammerhead already is, with its robust RCS thruster jets, I'm not sure how effective the addition of a stronger thrust vectoring system would be in space. It might help some in an atmosphere where the Hammerhead flies like a more traditional jet, minus any vertical stabilizers, though I'm really not sure. Perhaps the new exhaust could be some sort of thermal dampening system...I don't know. We'll worry about that later.

Only a few of the dimensions are slightly larger than the standard Hammerhead, so that no new and special systems are needed to maintain an operate the fighter aboard a carrier. It would use the same cockpit pod as the SA-43 and could land in any hangar deck where an SA-42 can.
The idea is, that rather than building a whole new plane, the E variant would modify the standard space frame in order to meet the needs of a stealth recon craft.

Armament
The standard recon version would probably have no weapons at all, replacing the forward and aft guns with sensors. All missile hard points would likely be removed as well.

A possible F version might feature a angular hull conforming missile pods, that would in essence create internal bomb/missile bays. This would eliminate the need for external hard points, while giving the SA-43F a stealth first strike capability. These could be bolt on pods, so an entire new version might not be necessary.

Anyway, I'm still not sold on the wings. I'm leaning towards the forward swept wings, only because it retains more of the look of the original Hammerhead. As for the body, it's not as angular looking as I thought it would be. I might have to make some more significant changes.
I've got some other ideas I want to try out as well, so I'll post them next time.

Description
Here's my first WIP for a Stealth Hammerhead that Kelso323 ([link] and I are co-developing.
I created two different versions, with the wings swept back along the same angle as the engine intakes of the standard SA-43, and with a second with the wings only slightly altered to retain the more recognizable Hammerhead appearance with the angle of the engine intakes altered to match the wings.

Both versions include new engine exhaust jets. Kelso mentioned the possibility of some sort of vectored thrust system and that might be doable, though I would imagine the standard engine exhausts would already include some form of vectored thrust...but with that being said, as maneuverable as the Hammerhead already is, with its robust RCS thruster jets, I'm not sure how effective the addition of a stronger thrust vectoring system would be in space. It might help some in an atmosphere where the Hammerhead flies like a more traditional jet, minus any vertical stabilizers, though I'm really not sure. Perhaps the new exhaust could be some sort of thermal dampening system...I don't know. We'll worry about that later.

Only a few of the dimensions are slightly larger than the standard Hammerhead, so that no new and special systems are needed to maintain an operate the fighter aboard a carrier. It would use the same cockpit pod as the SA-43 and could land in any hangar deck where an SA-42 can.
The idea is, that rather than building a whole new plane, the E variant would modify the standard space frame in order to meet the needs of a stealth recon craft.

Armament
The standard recon version would probably have no weapons at all, replacing the forward and aft guns with sensors. All missile hard points would likely be removed as well.

A possible F version might feature a angular hull conforming missile pods, that would in essence create internal bomb/missile bays. This would eliminate the need for external hard points, while giving the SA-43F a stealth first strike capability. These could be bolt on pods, so an entire new version might not be necessary.

Anyway, I'm still not sold on the wings. I'm leaning towards the forward swept wings, only because it retains more of the look of the original Hammerhead. As for the body, it's not as angular looking as I thought it would be. I might have to make some more significant changes.
I've got some other ideas I want to try out as well, so I'll post them next time.