With the lack of manpower faced by the ISP, drones are used to fill combat roles where possible. To that end, the Eagle-class has become the mainline starfighter of the ISP military. Capable of both dogfighting and performing a strike role, the Eagle is cheap, easy to produce, and fielded in large numbers to make up for its lack of skill compared to living pilots.
Lightly armored, Eagles lack polarity shields, so they are easily destroyed when caught in an enemies gunsights. They rely on a pre-programmed set of evasive maneuvers to avoid enemy fire and stay in the fight, though they will always prioritize destroying their target before saving themselves.
Eagles are armed with a pair of 30 mm chemically propelled machine guns that they utilize for dogfighting. While their lack of guided munitions puts them at a disadvantage in a dogfight, their weapons are still capable of detroying enemy craft with a few bursts of fire. They can accelerate at up to 530 G’s, making them extremely fast compared to peer fighters, and allowing them to rapidly close to gun range. For tackling larger targets, Eagles use an interesting weapon. Instead of using torpedoes or anti-ship missiles, they are armed with a 100 mm railgun, firing depleted uranium APFSDS or HE rounds.
Though not the deadliest fighter in use today, the Eagle is nonetheless an effective platform, and they continue to improve as their programming becomes more and more advanced. Many ISP programmers are pushing to collaborate with the Teron Combine to learn more about their field; if such work were to take place, there is no doubt that these drone fighters would see a sharp spike in their combat capabilities.