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After establishing air superiority , Blacktron changed tactics and began harassing OrionBlu’s ground operations with ground based guerilla strikes with shock troopers and Harvester Terror Drones. The Harvesters were faster and capable of traversing rocky and hilly terrain better than any ground based vehicle in the OrionBlu arsenal. In order to counter the strikes, Orion Blu initially believed countering Blacktron assaults could be accomplished with retrofitted Grasshopper with stronger ground clearing weaponry. The modifications were unsuccessful as Blacktron implemented several technologies used to confuse the auto-targeting sensors on the Hoppers. OrionBlu tried a second modification by removing the cargo bay doors and adding gunner station inside the bay. This methodology proved in effective as the Hopper’s maneuverability was weak and seriously dangerous as the engine pods also produced heat and radiation that could be lethal to the gunners after the radiation shielded cargo doors were removed. To counteract these problems, OrionBlu commissioned Cerberus Systems to develop a new engine with reduced downward heat and low radiation to employ on the modified Hoppers. As part of the requirements, the new engine design was required to fit inside the same engine housing that fit the current Grasshopper engine pods. Based on the parameters, the new engine pods were completed and built to spec, but the reduced thrust in the new engine modules made the Grasshoppers even less maneuverable than before. As a result, Cerberus designed a fighter specifically designed as a gunship to highlight the benefits of creating a ship with a specific purpose in mind. With its role at the forefront of every design decision, Cerberus created a fast, light, and maneuverable ship with a slight forward rake to keep the gunner always angled for ground view. The engine pods were successful in eliminating nearly all radiation and dangerous levels of heat in the VTOL enegines and a large front mounted search light on the front of the ship was implemented to enhance the ship’s spotting capabilities in poorly light conditions. The ship was idealized as a smaller version of the Grasshopper used to swarm ground based enemies. The ship naturally earned the nickname “Locust” and was quickly approved for production after a porotype cluster of Locusts dispatched an entire squad of Blacktron Harvester Drones with no casualties. The Locust also proved to be an adequate air-to-air fighter with strong forward mounted medium laser cannons and a heavy chain rail guns matching the fire power of the Blue Jacket, though the Locust’s top air speed and maneuverability were considerably less than the Blue Jacket. The result was a gunship that did not require air to air support, but greatly benefitted when included. The Locust also featured a utility drone mounted in a top cargo bay. The utility drones were common equipment on several OrionBlu vehicles of the time and this one was used primarily as a search and recon to help flush out enemies taking cover in tight spaces.
