HEL-class patrol and assault drone "HEL"
Production information
Manufacturer:	Hahne-Kedar Solutions
Model:	Model G
Series:	RAGNAROK-series
Cost:	1,000 credits
Variants:	VULTURE-class JALUT-class BLADE-class
Technical specifications
Size:	3.7ft
Features:	4, cross-aligned red optics Spherical chassis Lightly armoured Built-in twin medium machine guns and a rocket pod system Very simple VI: incapable of complex tactics or thinking Specializes in patrol, security work, patrol, surveillance, infantry support, ground attack, strike operations Can be modified
Weapon system(s):	2 M11 HV-AP medium machine guns (can be modified) 1 ventral DICER rocket system (can be modified)
Role:	Security Ground attack and aerial strike Assassination and surveillance Patrol and apprehension
Targeting system(s):	Heimdall-class VI
Usage
Era(s):	Asari Cycle Pax Galactica Era Human Cycle Reformation Era Dominion Era
Nomenclature:	HEL Model-G G-Frame Assault drone Gunball
Commissioned:	24 March 2184 CE
Decommissioned:	22 November 2220 CE
Affiliation:	Hundreds of corporations and governments across the galaxy
Succeeded by:	TYR-class

The HEL-class patrol and assault drone (HEL-class PAD), also known as the Model G or G-Frame, and more simply known as the HEL drone or just HEL, was one of four RAGNAROK-series mech frames manufactured by Hahne-Kedar Solutions. Following the Battle of the Citadel in 2183 CE, the RAGNAROK-series mechs were designed and built by Hahne-Kedar as one of many new types of mechanized, automated forces in the face of the rising security challenges presented by the brazen geth assault on the galaxy's seemingly impregnable capital. The RAGNAROK-series proved to be the most popular and successful, and the HEL-class proved to be a highly versatile frame for use in a wide range of situations. The HEL-class was a small, compact, spherical-shaped that sported light armor and shields in favor of fast movement, the ability to navigate through narrow spaces and high altitude capabilities that included limited exoatmospheric utility, all of which allowed the drone to excel as a fast, easy-to-deploy patrol, security and strike unit. The primary armaments of the HEL-class included a twin pair of M11 HV-AP medium machine guns on its sides, along with a deployable rack along its bottom containing a set of cluster missile pods: baring the trademark RAGNAROK customizability, these weapons could be modified, removed and/or replaced however the customer saw fit. The VI and CPU housing were situated within the drone's central compartment, and the drones could be programmed en masse through a central computer mainframe. Being the only frame in the RAGNAROK-series having aerial capabilities, the HEL-class was designed on the principle of a nimble strike package with a small enough silhouette to make them difficult to hit with surface-to-air weapons or small arms fire: this made them useful as a surveillance option for law and intelligence agencies, able to spy on suspects from a high altitude or distance, and with further modifications, the HEL-class could be customized for more specific roles: the VULTURE-class was a version specifically was customized by Cerberus with high quality cameras for long distance surveillance, retaining its machine guns for use in assassinations or self-defense: the SIA, and its successor Prometheus, would later use those damn designs for similar operations against insurrectionists during the Batarian Occupation Crisis, and a similar version called the JALUT-class customized by the Special Tasks Group would be used as well. Meanwhile variants such as the BLADE-class leaned more heavily into the drone's combat potential, reinforcing it with thicker armor that made it slower, along with extending the ammo capacity of its machine guns, outfitting it with a flamethrower, and a self-destruct protocol that would detonate with enough force to destroy anything in a twenty meter radius, designed and used by the Hierarchy Armed Forces. The HEL-class drone was outfitted with a Heimdall-class VI, which Hahne-Kedar specifically designed and programmed specifically to be used as the VIs in their RAGNAROK-series frames.

As it was, the HEL-class was used in a variety of unique roles and became a staple across the galaxy following its introduction in 2184 CE. HEL-class were often used by border police, law enforcement agencies, criminal gangs, mercenary companies and militaries in a variety of roles, which included patrol duties, facilitating arrests, wetwork, surveillance, ground attack, engaging enemy aerial assets, escort, security and more. Due to their small size and speed, they were often much more effective than the bulkier, high altitude drones used by most governments, allowing for their use in more covert operations, and their small arsenal made them an excellent deterrent for use in mercenary units and in security entourages. Human colonial populations, especially those in the Terminus Systems that could not rely on the Systems Alliance for protection, would buy a small army of HELs to protect their colonies from attack and provide limited law enforcement and crime deterrence. Numerous mercenary and private military corporations bought FENRIS mechs in bulk to supplement their own infantry forces, either as cannon fodder or strategic assets, with Eclipse sporting hundreds of thousands of HELs in their own arsenals. HELs also saw saw more use among Council militaries than any of the other RAGNAROK frames, with both the larger and smaller Council militaries making use of HELs as force multipliers. Fleets of HEL drones would often be employed by corporations for either security or for use in their corporate wars, as was the case with conflicts such as the War for Garvug. The mech's name, much like all of Hahne-Kedar's mech-related products, is derived from Norse mythology, with the HEL drone in particular being named after the female overseer of the underworld, Hel.

Like the rest of the RAGNAROK-series, the HEL drone would continue to remain in service right up until after the Post-Apocalyptic War, although by this time it was already becoming obsolete. The Systems Alliance, and later the Systems Coalition, supplementing the losses they took in the Reaper War, employed large amounts of HEL drones to replace their aging Hastati and Triarii-class drones. In 2218 CE, Hahne-Kedar unveiled the then-new ASGARD-series, which included the HEL's direct successor, the TYR-class. In 2220 CE, the HEL-class ceased production and was fully replaced by the TYR-class, and by 2240 CE, very few HELs remained in service, as it was not only cheaper to simply replace them with TYR frames, but the parts needed to maintain them were no longer even produced by Hahne-Kedar, therefore making maintenance on the HELs far too cost-prohibitive to be worth keeping.