Schrack (Aerospace Fighter class)

Description
First produced by Wangker Aerospace of Mars during the first decade of the thirty-second century, the Schrack is a well-built Medium Class OmniFighter first created for service of the Republic of the Sphere's Armed Forces. The Schrack is principally designed to be a flexible and fast-moving fighter, which in its Omni configurations leads it to have some considerably hard-hitting firepower. The Schrack is used principally as an interceptor and interdiction ship for the Republic's Navy.

The fighter's significant usage was during the 3130s and 40s, when events of Gray Monday caused the ripple effect of the Republic's retreat from the Inner Sphere into its Fortress's Walls. In October of 3136, two squadrons of Schrack were used to fend off Capellan forces attacking Republic forces withdrawing from the world of Aldebaran. These squadrons would fend off Capellan aerospace forces, which included a pair of Lung Wangs Class Assault DropShips. The Schrack pilots eventually forced back the Liao forces at the cost of most of these two squadrons.

During the Republic's isolation during the 3140s, the renegade ComStar forces became a threat to that nation's attempts to recover and rebuild. In 3140, Schrack squadrons assigned to the Republic WarShip, Auspicium would see action. The squadrons of fighters were dispatched a high-speed intercept of ComStar DropShips arriving at Epsilon Eridani's nadir Jump Point. In a high-speed pursuit, these Schracks would engage and destroy the Achilles-Class DropShip, Purity of Purpose at the cost of all but four of their number.

Weapons and Equipment
The Schrack is a fast fighter for its weight class, using its Krupp-built 300-rated Extra-Light Fusion Engine to propel the craft to the speed once belonging solely to Light Fighters used just a century before. The frame of the craft is able to handle 30 tons worth of OmniPod Weapons and Equipment. The hull of the Schrack is protected by 12.5 tons worth of Heavy Ferro-Aluminum armor.

The OmniFighter's Primary Configuration consists of intermediate and short-range weaponry. The configuration's main weapon is an Improved version of the Heavy Gauss Rifle with 3 tons of ammunition. Backing up the gun is trio of Extended Range Medium Lasers found in the nose with a Gauss Rifle. In short-ranges, wing-mounted 2-tubed Streak Short-Range Launchers rounds out the fighter power in an engagement. The Primary Configuration has been used in the roles of Interceptor and its main weapon can aid in the anti-DropShip role.

Alternate Configurations

 * Alt. Config. A : Despite being used as a interceptor, this version of the fighter has considerably more firepower than the Primary. It is armed with a conventional Gauss Rifle in the nose with its 2 tons of ammunition. Each of the wings has array of three ER Medium Lasers each, with an additional laser mounted in the aft. Six additional Double Heat Sinks are fitted to handle the lasers' heavy heat load. BV(2.0) = 2,173


 * Alt. Config. B : Considered to be a close-in dogfighter, the B Configuration firepower comes from pair of Class 5 Rotary Autocannons found in the nose.  Several tons of ammunition is allotted to these guns to give the fighter some longevity during an engagement. A pair of nose-mounted ER Medium Lasers provides fallback firepower for the pilot to rely on once the autocannon's ammo bin runs dry. An additional Double Heat Sink is provided for heat management. BV(2.0) = 2,212

Design Quirks
The Schrack has the following Design Quirks:
 * Easy to Pilot
 * Non-Standard Parts
 * Difficult to Maintain