Defender (Conventional Fighter)

The Defender is a Star League era conventional fighter from the Free Worlds League that has spread across the Inner Sphere. During the first Star League, Imstar AeroSpace engaged in a massive marketing effort that made the Defender known in every Successor State and Periphery nation. It became so ubiquitous, in fact, that it's also known as the Medium Strike Fighter across the Inner Sphere. A cheaper alternative to expensive AeroSpace Fighters, the Defender and its variants are easy to build with locally produced components.

Weapons and Equipment
Though an AeroSpace Fighter will probably destroy the Defender fairly quickly in a dogfight, the nose mounted SRM-2 and wing mounted LRM-5 launchers allow the Defender to successfully attack other conventional fighters, VTOLs, and harass ground targets. Though 'Mechs are probably not going to fear the damage inflicted by a single Defender, an entire squadron can quickly cause problems for an arrogant MechWarrior.

Cargo
The Defender has five external hardpoints which allow it to carry bombs. This is useful when attacking ground defenses or destroying bridges to slow enemy forces.

Variants
Due to the popularity of the Defender, it has become the de-facto Medium Strike Fighter across the Inner Sphere. It has therefore become the basis for several variants.


 * Steinadler : A Lyran copy of the Defender. BV (2.0)= 226


 * Kaiseradler : Produced by the Lyran Commonwealth during the Second Succession War, this variant removes a ton of fuel and the standard armament. Instead, the Kaiseradler carries V/STOL equipment for carrier and short runway operations, and is armed with two Machine Guns in the nose and an SRM-4 launcher in each wing. BV (2.0)= 214, 186


 * Crane : A Capellan variant produced on St. Ives that replaces the SRM with a third LRM-5. All the LRM launchers are connected to a shared ammunition bin. BV (2.0)= 293, 274


 * Defender II : Introduced by the Free Worlds League in 3038, this variant replaces the SRM with Artemis IV fire control systems for the LRM launchers. This version, like its forerunner, also became popular across the Inner Sphere. BV (2.0)= 253, 234


 * Defender IIC : This Wolf Empire variant carries four AP Gauss Rifles and three Medium Chemical Lasers.

Custom Variants

 * Drake : The Drake Medium Fighter is an Experimental Technology prototype which was constructed by Basantapur Fine Metals of Colorado in 3073. Based on the Defender II variant, this fighter has been heavily modified, now featuring a 210 Rated Fusion Engine. The Drake was given 2 tons of Vehicular Stealth armor and a Guardian ECM Suite, allowing it to be nearly invisible to prey. The ship has also been given Modular Armor on all of its sections. The Modular Armor adds more protection to the ship, but slows it down until ejected from the ship. The ship's main weaponry include a pair of nose mounted MML-3 Launchers with two tons of ammo. Serving as a backup weapon, the ship has a single ER Small Laser. BV (2.0) = 452


 * Drake Medium Stealth Fighter : This production version of the Drake changes the weapons and armor extensively. Though it uses Vehicular Stealth armor and a Guardian ECM system like it's progenitor, the Modular Armor and ER Small Laser have been removed. In their place is a Light Autocannon/5 and a ton of ammunition. The MML-3 of the prototype Drake also remains. Between the LRMs that can be fired from the missiles and the reach of the Light AC, the Drake Stealth Fighter offers a great deal of long range punch. It has become a popular fighter with most Federated Suns militia units. BV (2.0) = 389

Design Quirks
The Drake Medium Stealth Fighter custom variant is subject to the following Design Quirks:
 * Atmospheric Flyer
 * Difficult to Maintain
 * Non-Standard Parts

Related Designs

 * Hurricane Conventional Fighter - Primitive Conventional Fighter.