The Hunter was one of the RDF's first attempts at a space fighter,
and it shows. Though swift and manoeuvrable, the Hunter is only lightly armed and is
not very durable. Its main armament, a pair of low powered lasers, do very little damage
and were later seen on the Valkyrie as little more than a back-up weapon. Its real
punch is its loadout of stiletto missiles, which can be exhausted in only a few seconds
leaving the fighter nearly unarmed. The Hunter was primarily a learning experience for the
RDF, and when the Zentraedi arrived they were found only in reserve squadrons. For the few
Hunters that saw combat, they were almost always destroyed to the last man. Rather than
throw away valuable pilots, the Hunter was completely withdrawn from service in the weeks
following the Zentraedi invasion. The remaining craft were cannabalized and used to repair
or build newer craft where possible. Some are rumoured to have been retained as training
fighters, though these reports have never been verified.
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