VTOL to close bomb bays. The primary heavy bomber of the Olympian Air Force, they were designed to address the shortcomings of the earlier Hercules; its poor bombload and defensive firpower. To this end, it was fitted with seven guns for five defensive positions; two waist or beam guns, one bow gun, one stern gun, and one on the dorsal tail. It was also fitted with extensive armor plating. The type earned the respect of PAF fighter pilots, who referred to it as a "plated spiny rat", a mammal native to Paternia known for its thick, scaly skin and bristling array of sharp quills which it fires when threatened, much like a contemporary porcupine-armadillo hybrid. The skin is so tough that small-caliber bullets fired by hunters fail to penetrate its skin. However, despite these improvements and its reputation, there were not many of them, and the Pummeler proved more than capable of bringing them down with its eight guns. Most were stripped of all bomb-carrying gear and defensive guns, and converted into transports. The ones that retained their armament were used as patrol aircraft.