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Catchpole MK III

This V/STOL plane was created so that Herisland could deploy a powerful aerial threat from the cover of the forest, without the speed limitations of a helicopter. In practice, these planes were not much faster than the helicopters, being forced to use their high manouverability to survive combat. They were also quite expensive and prone to malfunctions. These facts, along with the difficulty of training pilots for such a peculiar aircraft, caused few of these planes to actually be constructed after the first batch was released. Nevertheless, with an experienced pilot at the controls, they were hardly an easy kill.
After a number of years, the Catchpole was called back for a refurbishment. Its years of service had highlighted several weaknesses, most critical of which was its pitifully slow speed on the modern battlefield. Technical and manufacturing advances in the recent years allowed the designers to streamline the original chassis which gave the plane a far higher top speed.
As computer technology had also been advanced, the planes were now able to stabilise themselves in flight. Aerodynamic tweaks were then implemented to intentionally destabilise the aircraft, giving it even higher maneuverability. This change also made the Catchpole easier to fly, putting it almost on par with the more standard planes and helicopters.
The Mk III Looks very similar to the Mk II, only displaying a handful of extra aerodynamic stabilisers. This similarity however is only superficial as the internal structure of the wings and fusilage has been extensively modified. This is to allow the ducts more fluid motion.

Faction: Herisland
Class: V/STOL Plane
Speed: 103 m/s
Cost: 14960
Volume: 200

Armaments: 4*6m HE Medium Missiles
8*4m Frag Small Missiles

Equipment: 4*1m IR/Radar Flares