Xerxes

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 represented their approach to combat and quickly spread to the toumans of all Clans. After the development of the 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.

Weapons and Equipment
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 destroy 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

 * Xerxes 2 : A redesign favored by the Hell's Horses, it trades the Ultra Autocannons for longer ranged and less ammo hungry Gauss Rifles with 32 rounds. This greatly improves the Fighter's long-range performance as well. BV (1.0) =2,341 BV (2.0) = 2,479


 * Xerxes 3 : This variant strips out two heat sinks and all the standard weaponry and replaces them with a pair of HAG/40s. BV (2.0) = 2,743