Xerxes (Aerospace Fighter class)

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Xerxes.jpg
Xerxes
Production information
Manufacturer Kirin Orbital Works SJ-3
Model ???
Class Heavy
Tech Base Clan
Cost 6,549,466[1]
Technical specifications
Mass 85
Structural Integrity 8
Frame Type 42-5 Aero
Power Plant 340 Fusion
Fuel 640 / 8 tons
Armament

2 x Ultra AC/20s
2 x ER Large Lasers

Communications System KOW-Comm Type 9
Tracking & Targeting System ASG Mark VII
Heat Sinks 12 Double Heat Sinks
BV (1.0) 1789[1]
BV (2.0) ???

Derisively known as the "Hunchback IIC of the skies", the heavily armed and armored Xerxes AeroSpace Fighter is a highly effective air superiority and ground support fighter.

Developed and produced primarily by Clan Smoke Jaguar, the aggressive and brutally straight-forward fighter ideally representing their approach to combat and quickly spread to the toumans of all Clans. After the development of OmniFighter, the Xerxes was shunted to DropShip and WarShip escort roles and production wound down. With the SLDF's assault on the Smoke Jaguar capital of Huntress, Clan Hell's Horses secured all the Jaguar facilities on their shared Kerensky Cluster world of Kirin, ensuring the Xerxes production line survived Clan Smoke Jaguar's destruction.

With respectable speed thanks to its 340 rated Fusion Engine and eight tons of fuel, the Xerxess twelve Double Heat Sinks and nine tons of Compound XAS Ferro-Aluminum armor give the design good endurance for its weight and weapon load, though pilots must take care to use Volley fire to avoid heat related shutdowns.

Armament

Built around a pair of Aero-Model 4 Ultra AC/20s, one mounted in each wing, the Xerxes is able to unleash a tremendous hail of lead that can cripple or destory almost any opposing fighter, ground vehicle or BattleMech in a single pass. Four tons of reloads are generally enough for a single Clan sortie, but the mammoth autocannons are supported by two nose-mounted Series S6a ER Large Laser, enhancing the fighter's strafing abilities.

Variants

AeroSpace Fighter Gallery


References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Combat Operations, p. 112

Bibliography