Terran Trade Authority Avery AAF 212 Hornet Star Fighter

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This space fighter was inspired by the book Spacecraft 2000 to 2100 AD by Stewart Cowley. I created this design in my free time for a 3D printing model, and it's still an early version that will be improved over time. There's also a simple animation attached. Book Description: By the mid-2050s, Avery Astronautics had already begun developing a replacement for the TDA 107 Partisan, which was being outclassed by enemy interceptors like the Shark. Although they hadn't been asked to bid on the contract, they saw the need coming and initiated a development program as early as 2055. Terran Defense Authority representatives were invited to see the prototype in 2056, and within a week, the first order was placed for the Avery Hornet. The first squadron went into action against a strong Proxima seek-and-destroy patrol in mid-2057 and had instant success, destroying four enemy ships at the loss of one Hornet. The Hornet was fast, highly maneuverable, and carried a powerful weapon pack, unlike the Partisan. Additionally, its armor was of higher quality and featured articulated platelets borrowed from the K4 Interceptor. The Hornets were extremely popular with front-line flight crews, boosting morale at a time when the enemy seemed to be gaining in technological superiority. The introduction of the Shark interceptor by the Proximans had dramatically increased their defensive and offensive capabilities, but the appearance of the Hornet came as an unpleasant surprise. Although the enemy ship was faster, the Hornet's superior armament earned it the nickname 'Sklathill' among enemy crews, which roughly translates to "dangerous fish" or "water creature." Ironically, a minor design aspect of the Hornet gave the ship an important advantage due to the high degree of technological sophistication on both sides. The two upper laserlances were mounted at a pronounced angle to the directional line of the hull, allowing the ship making the attack to begin its escape turn before firing. This maneuver was executed in fractions of a second and allowed the Hornet to attack in three different ways: directly, with an immediate change in course to bring the upper armament to bear, or along an oblique line. As a result, the target's plotting computers had to calculate three sets of possibilities instead of one, and the milliseconds of delay incurred were often enough for a Hornet to make a successful attack unscathed. The Hornet was equalled but never surpassed by any equivalent enemy ship as a deep space interceptor and remained a Status One warship throughout the War. It remains in limited production today and is standard equipment for all second-line defense units, still often seen on patrol. I made this model using my educational edition of SolidWorks in Pre-Engineering class and 3D printed it later.