The HMP (Heavy Missile Platform) droid gunship, also known as the HMP Predator gunship, Droid Heavy Missile Platform, or droid gunship, was a model of repulsor liftairs peeder created by Geonosians and manufactured by Baktoid Fleet Ordnance and Haor Chall Engineering Corporation. Operated by an advanced droid brain, they were used by the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars. They were heavily armed with missile pods, and seven laser cannons. Droid gunships were also used to transport B1-series battle droids, B2-series super battle droids, and BX-series droid commandos by use of racks and could deploy them into battle.
The HMP droid gunship, otherwise known as the HMP Predator gunship, was one of the deadlier autonomous vehicles designed by the Geonosians and produced by Baktoid Fleet Ordnance and Haor Chall Engineering Corporation to be fielded by the Droid Army of the Confederacy of Independent Systems in response to the Galactic Republic naval forces’ Low Altitude Assault Transport line of heavy combat airspeeders. 12.46 meters long, 9.75 meters wide, and 2.78 meters in depth, the HMP was envisioned as a tough, heavily ray shielded, aggressive 60,000-credit gunship that could carry heavy ordnance, perform close air support in combat zones, and go toe-to-toe with the Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry gunship.
It was similar in both shape and size to the older, crewed mechanized assault flyer, consisting of a large, heavily armored, saucer-shaped body with a centrally mounted reactor and drive system. A drooping, glowering, vulture-like head faced forward and mounted much of the ship’s energy-based weaponry: a forward-mounted heavy laser cannon and two-forward mounted twin light laser cannons turrets. Small S-foils were mounted at the port and starboard sides of the vessel and carried a pair of medium lasers to round out the gunship’s array of laser weaponry. The ventral surface of the saucer carried modular ordnance racks that could carry and launch any missile, rocket, torpedo, or bomb in the Confederacy navy’s inventory, as well as optional deployment racks for battle droids.
The HMP Predator also had a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour and short-range sensors with an integrated droid brain. It was also equipped with a ray shield generator that was strong enough to repel fire from blaster rifles.