While Jax McCleary has done a fine job of bringing awareness to people about the various types of ships out there these days, his staff has done a poor job of selecting ships to compare. A Super Hornet vs a Warden? A Sabre vs. a Mustang? This is like comparing a greycat buggy to a 85X Runabout from the 890 Jump. While they will both carry two people and are considered local transport, one gets you from the ship to the port administration building without having to walk, and the other takes you around the planet. You would almost think Jax was being paid by Aegis these past three weeks to highlight their ships favorably.
The real comparison that people have been wanting is the Super Hornet vs. Sabre.
Sabre - One of the newest Aegis creations that has recently taken the market by storm. With the ability to mount four size 3 weapons, usually 227 repeaters, aka Panthers, and formidable shielding, it has become one of the top choices for both arena sim pilots and for combat pilots out in the Stanton-Crusader system. This ship is a beautiful example of the aesthetic that Aegis puts into the design of their ships. This ship is designed to come in from out of nowhere, savaging a target, and then disappear just as quickly, leaving damaged and dead ships in its wake.
Super Hornet - An evolution of the Hornet design, the Super Hornet is bigger, stronger, and deadlier than the ship it evolves from. Like the Sabre, it mounts a heavy array of weapons, but it also has heavy shields and armor. This leaves little doubt to the purpose of this ship, meet the enemy, destroy them, and survive to fight again another day.
While the Sabre is a deadly huntress swooping in to make a quick kill, then vanish; the Super Hornet is a boxer, able to mix it up in the ring, trading blow after blow, and then emerge victorious.
So, now that the introductions are out of the way, let's begin our comparison.
Looks: Aegis designs their ships to be deadly works of art. The smooth and angular lines combine to form a pleasing form that can bring a tear to the eye of the most cynical art critic . The are lovely to look at, and whisper of death. On the other hand, Anvil ships look like the piece of equipment the company is named for: a giant slab of ugly, unwieldy metal. One could say that function was preferred over form anytime those came into conflict. Advantage: Sabre
Maneuvering: This is close both on paper. Both have 8 size 2 thrusters, but weighing in more than 1/3 more than the Sabre, Super Hornet is just not as maneuverable. This means that the Sabre can slip on by an enemy it wants to bypass instead of having to engage it. Advantage: Sabre
Speed: The Super Hornet has one Size 3 engine and is heavier than the Sabre which has two Size 3 engines. This means the Sabre has a terrific "top speed" and acceleration advantage, going from 0 to max in 5.88s vs the Super Hornet which does 0-max in 10.44s with the max cruise having a difference of over 150 m/s, this is a huge advantage, That said, the Super Hornet does have room for a size 4 engine, which should negate some, but not all of this issue. Advantage: Sabre
Range: The Sabre has 25 percent more quantum fuel than the Super Hornet, giving it a longer range, and the ability to quantum out and then back in again and again. However, both tanks are small, and so this is only a slight advantage. Therefore in this comparison, Range is a wash
Firepower: The Sabre can mount 6 size 2 missiles while the Super Hornet mounts 8 size 1. With the countermeasures most craft mount these days, missiles are not currently effective. However, we are awaiting the software upgrades that may make missiles relevant again. Until then the Super Hornet has a slight advantage by being able to throw 8 missiles instead of 6. When it comes to other weapons though, the Super Hornet has an even bigger advantage. Able to load as many as 6 weapons or as few as Three size 3 and 1 size 4, the Super Hornet has a bigger "punch" against enemies, able to deal decisive blows from afar, then move to the next target. Advantage: Super Hornet
Armor: The clear winner of this comparison is the Super Hornet. Why? Because the Sabre doesn't have any! It relies on its shields for protection, leaving only a thin outer skin to cover the hull. Advantage: Super Hornet
Shielding: This is hard to evaluate right now as the shields don't seem to be working as intended. Right now the redundancy is attractive in the Sabre, but there may be a retrofit coming soon to make shielding more redundant for ships like the Super Hornet. Slight Advantage: Sabre.
So, right now, I bet you are looking and saying: Well the Sabre won almost every category, so it's clearly the better fighter. Well, you aren't wrong, but neither are you right. The Sabre is the ship to use when you have a quick in and out hit on a lightly armored/armed target. With any luck, they won't even know you are there until the ship blows up around them. With the Super Hornet, they will see you coming...and they will be shaking in their space boots from the time they spot you till the time you leave. The Super Hornets are hard to kill and pack a bigger punch than the Sabre.
Conclusion: If you were to buy just one and you will be involved in combat maneuvering (the dogfight), get the Super Hornet. If you are going to jump in, sow confusion and damage everywhere, and then jump out again, ALWAYS avoiding the dogfight, then the Sabre is your beast.
Both manufacturers have a great product and you can't go wrong either of them, but that said, take into account your personal flight style if you are looking to buy one of them.
The real comparison that people have been wanting is the Super Hornet vs. Sabre.
Sabre - One of the newest Aegis creations that has recently taken the market by storm. With the ability to mount four size 3 weapons, usually 227 repeaters, aka Panthers, and formidable shielding, it has become one of the top choices for both arena sim pilots and for combat pilots out in the Stanton-Crusader system. This ship is a beautiful example of the aesthetic that Aegis puts into the design of their ships. This ship is designed to come in from out of nowhere, savaging a target, and then disappear just as quickly, leaving damaged and dead ships in its wake.
Super Hornet - An evolution of the Hornet design, the Super Hornet is bigger, stronger, and deadlier than the ship it evolves from. Like the Sabre, it mounts a heavy array of weapons, but it also has heavy shields and armor. This leaves little doubt to the purpose of this ship, meet the enemy, destroy them, and survive to fight again another day.
While the Sabre is a deadly huntress swooping in to make a quick kill, then vanish; the Super Hornet is a boxer, able to mix it up in the ring, trading blow after blow, and then emerge victorious.
So, now that the introductions are out of the way, let's begin our comparison.
Looks: Aegis designs their ships to be deadly works of art. The smooth and angular lines combine to form a pleasing form that can bring a tear to the eye of the most cynical art critic . The are lovely to look at, and whisper of death. On the other hand, Anvil ships look like the piece of equipment the company is named for: a giant slab of ugly, unwieldy metal. One could say that function was preferred over form anytime those came into conflict. Advantage: Sabre
Maneuvering: This is close both on paper. Both have 8 size 2 thrusters, but weighing in more than 1/3 more than the Sabre, Super Hornet is just not as maneuverable. This means that the Sabre can slip on by an enemy it wants to bypass instead of having to engage it. Advantage: Sabre
Speed: The Super Hornet has one Size 3 engine and is heavier than the Sabre which has two Size 3 engines. This means the Sabre has a terrific "top speed" and acceleration advantage, going from 0 to max in 5.88s vs the Super Hornet which does 0-max in 10.44s with the max cruise having a difference of over 150 m/s, this is a huge advantage, That said, the Super Hornet does have room for a size 4 engine, which should negate some, but not all of this issue. Advantage: Sabre
Range: The Sabre has 25 percent more quantum fuel than the Super Hornet, giving it a longer range, and the ability to quantum out and then back in again and again. However, both tanks are small, and so this is only a slight advantage. Therefore in this comparison, Range is a wash
Firepower: The Sabre can mount 6 size 2 missiles while the Super Hornet mounts 8 size 1. With the countermeasures most craft mount these days, missiles are not currently effective. However, we are awaiting the software upgrades that may make missiles relevant again. Until then the Super Hornet has a slight advantage by being able to throw 8 missiles instead of 6. When it comes to other weapons though, the Super Hornet has an even bigger advantage. Able to load as many as 6 weapons or as few as Three size 3 and 1 size 4, the Super Hornet has a bigger "punch" against enemies, able to deal decisive blows from afar, then move to the next target. Advantage: Super Hornet
Armor: The clear winner of this comparison is the Super Hornet. Why? Because the Sabre doesn't have any! It relies on its shields for protection, leaving only a thin outer skin to cover the hull. Advantage: Super Hornet
Shielding: This is hard to evaluate right now as the shields don't seem to be working as intended. Right now the redundancy is attractive in the Sabre, but there may be a retrofit coming soon to make shielding more redundant for ships like the Super Hornet. Slight Advantage: Sabre.
So, right now, I bet you are looking and saying: Well the Sabre won almost every category, so it's clearly the better fighter. Well, you aren't wrong, but neither are you right. The Sabre is the ship to use when you have a quick in and out hit on a lightly armored/armed target. With any luck, they won't even know you are there until the ship blows up around them. With the Super Hornet, they will see you coming...and they will be shaking in their space boots from the time they spot you till the time you leave. The Super Hornets are hard to kill and pack a bigger punch than the Sabre.
Conclusion: If you were to buy just one and you will be involved in combat maneuvering (the dogfight), get the Super Hornet. If you are going to jump in, sow confusion and damage everywhere, and then jump out again, ALWAYS avoiding the dogfight, then the Sabre is your beast.
Both manufacturers have a great product and you can't go wrong either of them, but that said, take into account your personal flight style if you are looking to buy one of them.
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