HMP droid gunship

The HMP droid gunship, otherwise known as the HMP Predator gunship, was one of the deadlier autonomous vehicles designed by the Geonosians and produced by Baktoid Fleet Ordnance and Haor Chall Engineering Corporation to be fielded by the Droid Army of the Confederacy of Independent Systems in response to the Galactic Republic naval forces' Low Altitude Assault Transport line of heavy combat airspeeders. 12.46 meters long, 9.75 meters wide, and 2.78 meters in depth, the HMP was envisioned as a tough, heavily ray shielded, aggressive 60,000-credit gunship that could carry heavy ordnance, perform close air support in combat zones, and go toe-to-toe with the Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry gunship.

It was similar in both shape and size to the older, crewed mechanized assault flyer, consisting of a large, heavily armored, saucer-shaped body with a centrally mounted reactor and drive system. A drooping, glowering, vulture-like head faced forward and mounted much of the ship's energy-based weaponry: a forward-mounted heavy laser cannon and two-forward mounted twin light laser cannons turrets. Small S-foils were mounted at the port and starboard sides of the vessel and carried a pair of medium lasers to round out the gunship's array of laser weaponry. The ventral surface of the saucer carried modular ordnance racks that could carry and launch any missile, rocket, torpedo, or bomb in the Confederacy navy's inventory, as well as optional deployment racks for battle droids.

The HMP Predator also had a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour and short-range sensors with an integrated droid brain. It was also equipped with a ray shield generator that was strong enough to repel fire from blaster rifles.

Debuting late in the Clone Wars, HMP droid gunships were created by the Geonosians and the Haor Chall Engineering Corporation as a new model of droid gunship, with the new craft specifically being designed in response to the Low Altitude Assault Transports used by the Republic. HMPs were then mass-produced in Baktoid Fleet Ordnance's factories on many Separatist planets. The ship was similar to the pre-existing mechanized assault flyer. HMP gunships patrolled the planet Dathomir in the aftermath of the massacre of the Nightsisters to search for any survivors.

While they had in truth already begun seeing use, the first reports of HMP droid gunships on the battlefield came when they were deployed during the Onderonian Civil War by super tactical droid General Kalani, who sent them against the Onderon rebels in the Onderon highlands. Some of the gunships transported BX-series droid commandos to the rebels' stronghold. Although the gunships performed admirably, they were ultimately destroyed by rebels armed with Sienar shoulder-launched missiles that were supplied by the Weequay pirate Hondo Ohnaka. However, a gunship that crashed upside-down on a cliff was able to kill rebel leader Steela Gerrera—sister and rebel comrade of Saw Gerrera—before being disabled by Lux Bonteri.

At some point, HMP droid gunships and B2-series super battle droids were used in a Separatist attack on Aq Vetina. Droid gunships were deployed again on an attack led by General Grievous on Obi-Wan Kenobi's fleet, several being used to deploy droid boarding parties on Kenobi's flagship. Grievous and his forces took over Kenobi's ship, but it self-destructed as Obi-Wan and his remaining clone troopers escaped via escape pods.

A droid gunship was used during the Battle of Ringo Vinda to attack a group of ARC-170 starfighters and a Nu-class attack/transport shuttle carrying the renegade clone trooper Tup. The gunship and four B2 super rocket troopers ambushed the convoy before it could make the jump to hyperspace. While the rocket troopers took out the escorts, the gunship fired a discord missile at the shuttle. The projectile exploded midflight, deploying buzz droids which cut open the shuttle's cockpit, killing its two pilots. The droids then broke into the ship and captured Tup, executing all the other clones.

During the Battle of Scipio, three gunships were dispatched to deploy the Confederate garrison. Gunships deployed super battle droids to attack Clone Commander Thorn and his Coruscant Guard forces who were stationed on Scipio to protect Senator Padmé Amidala. The droids, with the addition of BX-series droid commandos, defeated all of the clones, which led to a Separatist takeover of Scipio and the capture of Senator Amidala. The Confederacy's control over the planet was short, however, as Republic reinforcements led by Anakin Skywalker arrived, retook Scipio from the Separatists, and freed the senator.

By the time of the Battle of Coruscant, power-hungry despots on some of the worlds that produced HMPs kept a number of the gunships for personal use. The ruler of Caramm V, Ado Eemon, sent out his personal force of HMPs to ruthlessly take out threats to his authority, which laid waste to the once-beautiful planet. During the Battle of Coruscant, many of the HMPs deployed had Eemon's triple-spiral sponsorship emblem. At the end of the Clone Wars, a battle between the Separatists and the Republic took place on Kashyyyk. HMP droid gunships were among the droid forces implemented during the battle. The Wookiees assisted the Republic in taking down the gunships and NR-N99 Persuader-class droids. Like many of the Separatist droids, HMP Droid Gunships were deactivated after the Separatist Council was slaughtered on Mustafar.

In 9 BBY, the Bedlam Raiders used HMP droid gunships on Koboh, a world in the Outer Rim Territories, to transport supplies and droids.

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