HMP droid gunship/Legends

Heavy Missile Platform droid gunship "Uh-oh."

- Vilmarh Grahrk upon seeing an HMP

The Heavy Missile Platform (HMP) droid gunship, also simply known as the droid gunship, was deployed by the Confederacy of Independent Systems relatively late in the Clone Wars. It was based on the design of the older Mechanized Assault Flyer.

Characteristics
Manufactured by Baktoid Fleet Ordnance, the HMP droid gunship was an ominous-looking, heavily-shielded aerial missile platform. Designed for air strikes in planetary atmospheres, the droid gunship compensated for its sluggish airspeed with a powerful arsenal of weaponry. An HMP gunship's standard weapons configuration consisted of two laser cannon turrets, one medium laser cannon, two light laser cannons, and 14 missiles. It also had two movable metal mandibles, for an unknown purpose, at its front.

The gunship's modular wings allowed the HMP to carry a wide variety of ordnance, from concussion bombs and torpedoes to electromagnetic pulse missiles. Seven missile launchers were located on either side of the gunship's main body, below the large aft-mounted disc housing the reactor core. The HMP's repulsorlift would steadily drive the gunship in flight, allowing for stable shooting in battle. The gunship ran off an especially superdense radioactive fuel supplied by Phlac-Arphocc Automata Industries.

The gunships were also equipped with ray shields and vocabulators. BX-series droid commandos were capable of riding on and using the gunships as firing platforms.

History
"By your command."

- A gunship to General Kalani during the Battle of Onderon.

Heavy Missile Platform gunships were developed mid-way through the Clone Wars and deployed during many battles including the Battle of Kashyyyk.

There were several variants of the platform, including atmospheric and space transports.

Local dictators like Ado Eemon were often contracted to add to the production of the HMP. They were usually supplied with a small percent of the production run, which were used to supplement their personal forces and help enforce their own rule.

Around 20 BBY, a quartet of gunships were deployed under the command of super tactical droid General Kalani. Although they were able to kill many Onderon rebels, they were all shot down after the rebels received a shipment of missile launchers. A crashed gunship, though, used its last energy to kill the rebel leader Steela Gerrera. General Kalani then evacuated the remaining Separatist forces from the planet after the defeat. The battle supplied the earliest reports of the gunship's use. Six gunships were later used to escort General Grievous' shuttle on-board Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi Venator-class flagship Negotiator. Any droids remaining on the Star Destroyer were destroyed when the self-destruct activated.

Later, an HMP would be used by Gizor Dellso's droid forces to board an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer during the Battle of Mustafar. It was destroyed, along with the droids, by the stormtroopers of the 501st Legion.

Behind the scenes
The Heavy Missile Platform resembles an early concept of the Republic gunship unused for Attack of the Clones. The head of the HMP also closely resembles that of the early concept design of the AT-AT.

In the 2005 video game Star Wars: Battlefront II, HMPs serve as the Separatist space transport unit, and for gameplay purposes are piloted by droid charaters, although other sources such as Star Wars: Complete Locations say the gunships have an integrated droid brain.

For Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the concept art was created by TJ Frame and based off the design of Trade Federation vessels from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. For the script of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season Five episode Tipping Points, they were called "HMP Predators."

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Air Strike
 * Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars: Republic: The Hidden Enemy
 * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
 * Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron
 * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
 * Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron

Non-canon appearances

 * Kowakian Monkey-Lizard
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
 * Kinect Star Wars