Samurai

Description
The first Samurai were introduced for the Terran Hegemony even before the Exodus when Terran forces realized the need for a strong, capable ground-attack fighter. Fairchild Dornier managed to design a fighter which would meet these expectations, and so Samurai production began. The Amaris Civil War however led to the destruction of Samurai factories, stopping the production in Production Ceased::2774.

By the late thirty-first century, the Fairchild Dornier had rebuilt the Samurai's production line for the Lyran Alliance during the Jihad. This was due to disruptions in production of its mainstay medium fighter, the Lucifer during that time period.

Weapons and Equipment
The SL-25 is a 50 ton Aerospace Fighter with 5 Medium Lasers firing forward to attack ground units and additional single Medium Laser for attacks while moving away. Additionally short range Small Lasers allow it to attack fighters of same size or larger, while a single aft-mounted Small Laser is useful for dogfights with more agile enemies.

Variants

 * SL-26 : After over 150 years of service Dornier redesigned the Samurai to take advantage of Star League technology; this version was introduced in 2620. This variant comes with XL Engine, Ferro-Aluminum armor and 18 Heat Sinks, while two Medium Lasers mounted on the wings were replaced with ER Large Lasers. BV (1.0) = 1,364, BV (2.0) = 1,385


 * SL-27 : Thanks to Dornier contracts with Lyran Alliance and ComStar new Samurai could be built, and introduced this variant in Reintroduction Year::3068 . Based mostly on the SL-26 the 27 mounts 15 Heat Sinks, 2 Pulse Lasers, 2 ER Medium Lasers, 2 ER Small Lasers, a single anti-aircraft Plasma Rifle and an additional aft-mounted ER Medium and ER Small laser. BV (1.0) = 1,200, BV (2.0) = 1,631

Notable Pilots
Elden Berardinelli – One of the original members of the command lance of Sorenson’s Sabres. Berardinelli’s Samurai was maintained in perfect condition.