Lucius Zhao

Lucius Zhao Escort Carrier
Production information
Manufacturer	Lebedev Nautical Enterprises
Use	Planetary Defense, Public Relations, Search and Rescue
Tech Base	Inner Sphere
Chassis Type (Size)	Naval, Large (Template D)
Equipment Rating	D/C-E-D-D
Introduced	2615
Technical specifications
Mass	15,000 tons
Top Speed	64.8 km/h
Power Plant	PowerTech Industrial ICE
Fuel (Type/Range)	Natural Gas/4,088 km
Armament	6x Thumper artillery piece 2x LRT-20 2x SRT-6 24x AC/2 8x machine gun
Heat Sinks	0
Armor	Durallex Naval 7
Barrier Armor Rating (BAR)	7
Crew	137 (20 officers, 51 enlisted/non-rated, 66 gunners)
BV (2.0)	14,160

Description

The Lucius Zhao is a Capellan light blue water aircraft carrier originating from the Succession Wars era. The fragile carrier is primarily found as part of planetary garrisons on water-heavy worlds, usually one Zhao per world, carrying out patrols within its limited operational range. Focal points of propaganda and public events in port cities, Lucius Zhao carriers are also extensively used for search and rescue operations.

Production of Lucius Zhao carriers has depended on Capellan control of Tikonov. During the Federated Commonwealth's time controlling the planet, no Zhaos were built, and sales were similarly lacking under the Republic of the Sphere.

Equipment and Capabilities

The standard Lucius Zhao design lacks in protection. Beyond six Thumper artillery pieces for coastal bombardment, its weapons are primarily defensive, but insufficient to deal with fighters. Thin armor does not help, and while the carrier is prepared to carry two squadrons of aerospace fighters and two VTOLs, its fragility means it is often left with conventional fighters and support aircraft instead.

The carrier is maneuverable, but its limited fuel and cargo storage means it has a short operational range, keeping patrol routes tightly linked to port cities.

Variants

• Arrow IV 

  Using recovered Star League technology, this upgraded variant replaced machine guns with anti-missile systems and swapped the forward Thumper pieces with Arrow IV artillery systems.

• Helicarrier 

  This variant replaces the flight deck with helipads and aerospace bays with additional light vehicle bays, allowing it to carry three full companies of VTOLs. The cargo bay is also vastly expanded. The result is a better-protected vessel with highly expanded search and rescue capabilities.

Named Vessels

• Divine Will
• Tarnished Blade

Bibliography

• Master Unit List
• Technical Readout: Irregulars