HK-Aerial

The term HK-Aerial, Aerial HK,^[1] or Flying HK,^[2] refers to a wide variety of Skynet's large, airborne, VTOL-capable Non-Humanoid Hunter Killers. Featuring a devastating array of under-slung and wing-mounted lasers, missiles and plasma cannons, the HK-Aerial is fearsome and terrifying to behold.

SpecificationEdit

Often operating in support of ground sweeps by swarms of Series 800 Endoskeletons, they are one of the more dangerous targets for the members of the Resistance to engage.^[3]^[4]

HK-Aerials can be brought down by shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles.^[5]

Known variantsEdit

In the original timeline, there were two known models of HK-Aerials: Mark Seven Aerial, which looked like a helicopter, and Mark Eight Aerial, the newest model.^[6]

There are light raiders seen patrolling the wastelands of the Future War,^[7]^[3] massive and heavily-armed ground support craft,^[8] as well as troop transport variants^[9] which on occasion have been captured and subverted for use by the Resistance.^[10]^[11]The HK-Aerial has been deployed in many configurations by both Skynet and the Soviet Artificial Intelligence MIR.^[9]

In the Salvation timeline, an HK-Aerial is able to carry T-700 Terminators onboard,^[12] while a Transport is capable of storing two HK-Aerials.

In the Genisys timeline, an HK-Aerial is able to store and carry a Spider Tank.

In the Dark Fate timeline, Legion force also deployed HK-Aerials to hunt humans.

HK-BomberEdit

Main article: HK-Bomber

HK-VTOLEdit

Main article: HK-VTOL

Continually engineering upgrades to the original design, a smaller, more agile air unit is available in a sleeker, more organic design with the HK-VTOL,^[13] a unit powerful enough to carry a Boeing 747 jet engine in a cargo sling.

NotesEdit

The HK-Aerial was the very first Hunter Killer seen, appearing in the opening moments of the first film of Terminator series.
A HK-Aerial is capable of storing several Mini Hunters as seen in T2 3-D: Battle Across Time.
The HK-Aerial was redesigned for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (as Hunter-Killer Aerial Weapons Platform), Terminator Salvation, and Terminator Genisys, which can be explained as a result of the alternation of the timelines in-universely. The original design is used in the beginning of the comic Terminator 3: Before the Rise and later in the Future War scene at the beginning of the film Terminator: Dark Fate.
In Terminator Salvation: Movie Preview, a Hunter-Killer Aerial Weapons Platform from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is depicted as the HK-Aerial, rather than the HK-Aerial as shown in Terminator Salvation film.