Avenger (DropShip class)

Avenger TRO3057r.png
Avenger
Production information
Manufacturer Aldis Industries[citation needed]
Defiance Industries[1]
Dynamico Limited[1]
Rashpur-Owens Incorporated[2]
Production Year 2816[3]
Use Military Aerodyne
Type Assault
Tech Base Inner Sphere
Technical specifications
Mass 1,400 tons
Structural Integrity 12
Length 50.5 meters
Width 42 meters
Height 11.9 meters
Drive System GM 9800i
Safe Thrust 3.5 g
Max Thrust 5.5 g
Fuel (tons) 160 tons
Fuel (days) 87 days
Armament
Armor 48 tons standard
Crew 15
  • 3 Officers
  • 8 Enlisted
  • 4 Gunners

(Base Crew Type Requirement)[4]
[5]

  • 2 Pilots
  • 4 Engineers
  • 9 Secondary Engineers

Marines: 15[6]

Escape Pods/Life Boats 2/0
Heat Sinks 70 single
BV (1.0) 4,320[7]
BV (2.0) 5,203[citation needed]

Description[edit]

One of the smallest DropShips in use throughout the Succession Wars, the Avenger class features firepower rivaling that of a Union-class, armor almost the equal of an Overlord-class, and speed and maneuverability surpassing both, despite its size.

The disk-shaped hull gives the class enhanced aerodynamic stability. When viewed from a distance, it can be confused with the TR-7 Thrush aerospace fighter, which has surprised enemy pilots to their detriment.[6] Presumably, it also visually resembles the Kuritan Sholagar fighter, though it is unknown if the disk wing is a danger on atmospheric reentry, similar to those fighters.

Found mostly in the navies of the Successor States, Avengers are typically reserved for major planetary assaults, forming the vanguard of the initial attack and clearing the path for the transport DropShips that follow it. Given its position at the forefront of the largest battles, its attrition rates are quite high. The Federated Suns was the only nation to be able to keep production up to offset losses through the Third Succession War,[6][7][8] with Rashpur-Owens only able to produce a single DropShip every other year.[9] To support troops on the ground, they can also be used for strafing and bombing runs.[8] A special bomb bay beneath the engineering compartment in the ship's rear is inconsistently mentioned.[6]

The Avenger is also notable for being one of the few aerodyne craft built for planetary operations that doesn't feature a secondary transit drive, just the single rear maneuvering drive. On the ground this means "up" is toward the vertical stabilizer, while under thrust "up" is towards the nose. This requires an exotic layout, with long corridors on the ground becoming lift shafts in space, and each room and its furniture being designed to be quickly switched between orientations within 20 minutes.[6][7][8]

Federated Commonwealth-built Avengers were rare among the defense industry, who normally import the cheapest or most numerous weapons systems they can find from across their area. Dynamico Limited's Delavan site instead built the lasers found on Federated Suns-made Avengers itself, shipping the recovered technologies to other contractors found throughout the Federated Commonwealth while it existed.[10]

Armament[edit]

Given its first strike role, the Avenger is impressively armed on all angles. In the nose weapons bay are two AC/5s, an AC/20, an LRM-20, two large and two medium lasers. In each wing are a single PPC, a pair of AC/5s, an LRM-20 rack, and two medium lasers. Facing the rear are an AC/2, an LRM-20, and two medium lasers. The Avenger's large ammo bays, especially for its LRM racks, allow it to keep up a steady rate of fire.[6][7][8]

Cargo[edit]

The Avenger features a single cargo bay, mounted near the drive to the rear of the craft. This dual-purpose bay can also be used as a bomb bay during planetary bombing and strafing runs totaling 20 tons of ordinance and is generally split between this purpose and carrying 15 Marines.[6][7][8]

  • Bay 1: Cargo (126 tons), 1 door

Variants[edit]

  • Upgraded Version 
    The Avenger class was the first Inner Sphere DropShip design to be refitted with rediscovered Star League technology as a result of the rediscovery of the Helm Memory Core, and the only one in actual production before the Clan Invasion disrupted similar upgrades for other classes. The first upgraded vessel slipped its mooring at Dynamico Limited's yards at Delavan in 3048, and in partnership with Defiance Industries of Hesperus II in 3055. The primary changes are a switch to Double Heat Sinks and an updating of its weaponry. Each set of twinned AC/5s in the nose and wings have been replaced by a single Poland Model A Gauss rifle, the large lasers have been upgraded to ExoStar extended range variants and the medium lasers have been switched for Martell new pulse counterparts. The LRM launchers have all been upgraded with Artemis IV FCS, the only weapon removed completely being the sole rear-facing AC/2.[7][8] BV (1.0) = 5,501[7], BV (2.0) = 6,154[citation needed]

Named Vessels[edit]

(See Category:Individual Avenger-class DropShips)

Gallery[edit]

Notes[edit]

  • Technical Readout: 3057, Revised dropped the observation found in previous sources (namely, DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary and Technical Readout: 3057) that the Avenger can provide ground support in the form of strafing and bombing runs, presumably due to changes in the game rules. However, the earlier, unrevised book remains fully canonical. Line Developer Herbert A. Beas had expressly clarified that an omission like this in a follow-up product would not automatically constitute a retcon or decanonisation.
  • In German products, the unit's proper name was translated to Rächer.

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary, p. 15, "JumpShip and DropShip Manufacturers"
  2. Line Developer Ruling on Andurien Industries
  3. MUL online date for the Avenger (DropShip class)
  4. BattleSpace rulebook, p. 63
  5. DropShips and JumpShips: Operations Manual, p. 41
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary, pp. 44-45, "Avenger Class DropShip"
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Technical Readout: 3057 (Revised), pp. 8-9, "Avenger Profile"
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Technical Readout: 3057, pp. 10-11, "Avenger Profile"
  9. Objective Raids, p. 143: "Produced Rashpur-Owens Incorporated Components on Capella"
  10. Objective Raids, p. 93: "Produced Dynamico Limited Components"

Bibliography[edit]