Display MoreThe SR-51 Seahawk is a three-engine Terran Confederation carrier-based Airborne Early Warning/Airborne Warning and Control Ship (AEW/AWACS) which operated in 2681. They are commonly referred to as an "SWACS" (Spaceborne Warning and Control Ship). It is a specialized spacecraft intended to gather data, translate it using its onboard computers and then transmit it back to a carrier. They are also used as command and control centers, extending the range at which orders can be relayed to other fighters and sometimes guiding friendly ships to targets during strike missions. While performing an essential role, Seahawks are not a preferred assignment for Space Force pilots.
The Seahawk's most distinctive feature is its triangular radar dome which can rotate about its X-axis at up to 60° per second. The radar is an active surveillance system which scans space in three bands. The Seahawk also carries an Electronic Surveillance Measures (ESM) system which can conduct long range passive scans to detect the existence (but not the nature) of other spacecraft beyond active radar range. The Seahawk is jump capable; they are often used as vanguards, jumping ahead of carriers to conduct their scans. Seahawks have limited defenses but they are fast and nimble with afterburners in order to allow pilots to gather data and then escape as quickly as possible without engaging the enemy.
The smaller, carrier based Seahawk is a post-war addition to the fleet which marks a change in Confederation doctrine. During the Kilrathi War, the Confederation favored corvette-sized electronic warfare ships. The Seahawk and its associated tactics more closely resemble the Kilrathi Zartoth-class, an electronic warfare ship built on the Vaktoth frame.
Wing Commander ProphecyThe TCS Midway's complement includes multiple Seahawks including "Lookout One" and "Lookout Seven". One is designated TK-421. The Midway deployed TK-421 to H'rekkah ahead of its arrival in the system. The patrol discovered the wreckage of a Kilrathi fleet and detected faint life signs aboard the wreckage of a Fralthi II cruiser. (H'rekkah B1).
While taking part in the effort to recapture the H'hrass relay station, one of the Midway's Seahawk patrols was attacked. It sent a distress call before the Nephilim jammed all long range communications in the area. (H'hrass D1). During the retreat to the Alcor system, the Midway deployed a Seahawk to the T'lan Meth system which determined that a Kraken might be approaching the jump point to Hellespont. Contact with the patrol was lost. (Hellespont L2)
After long range communications were jammed in the T'lan Meth system, the Midway deployed Lookout Seven to conduct a more thorough scan of the system. The patrol was attacked by three Moray, three Stingray and a Manta, prompting it to send a distress call. The Midway vectored three Black Widow squadron Panthers, Alpha Wing (including Lieutenants Lance Casey and Max Garrett), from a patrol to rescue the Seahawk. The scans confirmed that a large enemy fleet was massed in the system. (T'lan Meth e3a/e3b)
As part of the effort to recapture Dula Seven Lookout One flew a perimeter scan of the base. The ship performed active scans at three proximity positions around the station allowing full visibility of its radar shadow. Lieutenants Casey and Garrett again flew Panthers as Escort Lead and wingman for the mission, stopping Nephilim forces at all three NAV points. These scans revealed that an alien destroyer had been hiding in the station's radar shadow and that humans were being held aboard the station. (T'lan Meth F2)
Seahawks also appear in two of Midway's simulated training missions. The instructor flies one in Level 0: Basic Flight Training and two of them appear near the simulated Midway in Level 1: Basic Offensive Strategies.
Wing Commander Secret OpsA pair of Seahawks appear flying ahead of the Midway during her return to Earth. (Intro)
Behind the Screens
The Seahawk was designed for Wing Commander Prophecy. It was initially tied to a larger, multiplayer-related game mode in which it would use the "ESM" system to detect enemy ships at a further range than was possible with regular ships. This feature was cut but the ship continued to play an important role in the game's story, from discovering the wrecked Fralthi II that started the story to appearing in two significant escort missions.
The word "seahawk" is another term for the osprey, a fish-hunting bird of prey which is common in nautical environments around the world. The name has been used for a variety of different aircraft throughout history, including the similarly-role'd Curtis SC Seahawk floatplane that served in World War II. It is commonly associated today with the Seattle Seahawks, a professional American football team founded in 1974. Perhaps coincidentally, the original name for the Nephilim Leviathan carrier was the Osprey-class.
The Seahawk was inspired by real world airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) which are similarly identified by their distinct rotating radar discs. The term AWACS specifically refers to the system used on the Boeing E-3 Sentry and E-767 aircraft, both of which are converted from familiar airliner designs (the 707 and 767 respectively). The Seahawk is a closer parallel to the Grumman E-2 Hawkeye which is a twin-engine AEW&C aircraft operated aboard aircraft carriers today.
Additionally, the ship's triangular design and cockpit seem to be a nod to the spacecraft that carried Taylor to the Planet of the Apes (sometimes called the Icarus, depending on the source). TK-421 is named after one of the stormtroopers from the original Star Wars.
Origin's Official Guide to Wing Commander Prophecy
The Wing Commander Prophecy guide has a full page devoted to the Seahawk which includes a stunning high detail render of the ship.
Although not a ship that the average fighter pilot would be thrilled to fly, the Seahawk is a mainstay in the Confed fleet. Without these radar/passive surveillance craft, space would be a dark and forbidding place. Seahawks fly out, gather data on enemy forces, and relay this data and orders from Command to friendly ships.
These ships are built to be swift, efficient and stealthy, and thus have few defenses. Their pilots learn to be hyperaware and not to stay anywhere longer than is absolutely necessary to gather information on the enemy. Once they have their information, they tend to jump back to friendly lines for protection. If they feel safe enough to linger near a combat situation, Seahawks are also capable of guiding friendly ships to the targets they are most equipped to deal with.
As these little ships are worth gold in a pre-battle context, friendly fighters should go out of their way to ensure the survival of their Seahawk.
AWACS are visibly recognizable by the large, triangular radar dish which rotates to scan about its X-axis. This radar array scans space in three distinct bands, gathering and translating the information before downloading it to the fleet.The GameBoy Advance port of Wing Commander Prophecy also includes the Seahawk; it even adds it to the ship viewer in the lounge!
Specifications
Target ID: Seahawk
Length: 109'4" (~33.33m)
Width: 98'3" (~30m)
Mass: 42,000 kg
Damage Points: 300
Max Velocity: 390 kps (150 kps GBA)
Default Velocity: 300 kps
Minimum Velocity: 90 kps
Acceleration: 300 k/s^2
Afterburner Velocity: 300 kps (0 kps GBA)
Acceleration: 750 k/s^2
Fuel: 360
Max Pitch: 35 dps (26 GBA)
Max Yaw: 20 dps (26 GBA)
Max Roll: 25 dps (26 GBA)
Rotational Arc." 20 degrees
Decoys: 48
Shield Power: 1600 (300 GBA)
Max Recharge: 42
Default Recharge: 28
Minimum Recharge: 2.8
Front Shield (default): 800 cm eq (500 GBA)
Rear Shield (default): 800 cm eq (500 GBA)
Front Armor: 350 cm
Rear Armor: 225 cm
Left Armor: 300 cm
Right Armor: 300 cm
Weapons: None (Light GBA)
Cloaking: No
Jump Capable: Yes
ESM: Yes
ECM: Mk. 2
Radar: 30000 km
