Editing Chaos Heavy Cruiser (section)

====Hecate====

[[File:HecateClass.jpg|300px|right|thumb|The master of mixed weapons.]]

The Hecate-Class Heavy Cruiser is the average joe of Heavy Cruisers.

Developed in late M33 as a replacement for the Styx Class Heavy Cruiser, it was seen as more well-rounded for fleet engagements and solitary patrols. The ships were being built at Cypra Mundi when newer designs from Mars were deemed more suitable for the Imperial Navy. Most were decommissioned by the Imperium in late M35.

By M36, a number of vessels had turned renegade, leading many to fear some inherent design flaw made these ships susceptible to corruption within the Warp. As a response, the Imperial Navy was quick to decommission whatever of the Cruisers remained. Since then, the class is frequently seen in the armadas of Chaos Space Marine fleets and in particular the [[Black Crusade]]s of [[Abaddon the Despoiler]].

The Hecate finally appeared in BF:A2 when it was released with the Chaos Campaign expansion, the Hecate drops two of the launch bays carried by the Styx to provide a more front line combat carrier type of vessel, with a much better DPS/CPM profile and a nice chunk of savings on points. The Hecate seems to be an alternative carrier for when you want to bring squads but still need the raw firepower to deal with any unexpected surprises that could end up running your squads dry or proving them to be ineffective, even in large numbers (ie: Necrons and their aoe fighter killing ability).

The Hecate’s weapons and defenses would be good for tearing up a normal cruiser’s shields and breaking its defense turrets. Then some fighters and a lot of bombers could pretty easily wreck havoc on an opponent with fighters distracting and engaging remaining turrets while bombers deal damage. Or use the attack craft before/during the engagement to weaken a target’s offensive capabilities to make them easier prey for the Hecate. Against an opposing attack craft heavy fleet, mixed carriers would probably be better suited using their fighters defensively and their bombers for targets of opportunity already suffering significant damage.

The ship is armed with 1 Triple Barrel [[Macrocannon|Heavy Macro Turret]], 2 Heavy [[Macrocannon|Macro Battery Weapons]], 2 Launch Bays carrying a complement of [[Swiftdeath Fighter]]s, [[Doomfire Bomber]]s, [[Dreadclaw|Dreadclaw Assault Pod]]s or more rarely, [[Kharybdis Assault Claw]]s, 1 Double-Barrel [[Lance Weapon|Lance Turret]] and 1 Triple Barrel [[Naval Missile Turret|Super Heavy Missile Turret.]]

*'''Length:''' 5.3-5.4km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 29 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 62,000 crew, 10,000 pilots and support personnel; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 5.3 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx