Deathstalker

Originally unveiled in 2744, the Deathstalker was a visionary Aerospace Fighter concept with a then revolutionary forward swept wing design, however, flaws in the cutting edge fighter led to a publicized crash of a prototype and its shelving until the desperate days of the Word of Blake Jihad.

Developed by Andurien AeroTech as an experimental concept, the Deathstalker revisited the unorthodox and long forgotten concept of the forward swept wing. When properly applied, the alternate wing design produced both a remarkably stable flight profile and allowed the use of lighter and thinner materials, and led to its development as a full design. A powerful weapons array, twenty-five Double Heat Sinks and ten and half tons of armor made the Deathstalker a formidable foe in combat, but at the cost of speed. During trial flights, the Deathstalker was repeatedly outmaneuvered by comparable SLDF and member state designs, though claiming a number of kills before it was defeated.

However, the prototype design specs had an air frame weight imbalance between the wings and fuselage, a flaw devastatingly revealed during a much-publicized demonstration flight when the prototype crashed after one of its wings suddenly tore off. The twenty Deathstalkers constructed were permanently grounded, never seeing live combat, but Andurien AeroTech remained convinced of the forward swept wing concept, leading to a massive redesign which ultimately result in the successful F-90 Stingray.

It was thanks to the Stingrays centuries of service removing the stigma of the forward-swept wing, and the newly independent Duchy of Andurien attempts to bolster their indigenous production of military hardware after the collapse of the League during the Jihad that the Deathstalker finally entered limited production in 3073.

Weapons and Equipment
Intended for an air supremacy role, the Deathstalker carried a nose mounted Imperator X Autocannon/10 backed up by twin Hellion-a III ER Large Lasers in each wing. The large volume of double heat sinks carried allowed the fighter to fire its primary weapons at once, with two wing mounted Hellion-b Medium Lasers providing fallback firepower when cooling down.

Variants

 * F-77a : The upgraded 3073 production model Deathstalker features an Ultra AC/10 in place of the standard model and carries more ammunition for it. While the ER Large Lasers are retained, both standard mediums are swapped for more advanced Diverse Optics ER Medium Lasers and a ER Small Laser has been added to the rear to discourage pursuers. All this heavier and advanced hardware is made possible by the use of a Light Fusion Engine . BV (2.0) = 1,866


 * XF-78 : This upgraded 3068 Deathstalker is protected by fifteen and a half tons of Stealth Armor tied into a Guardian ECM Suite. A Large X-Pulse Laser is mounted in each wing, but the main armament is an Improved Heavy Gauss Rifle mounted in the nose. Equipped with a three ton magazine, this weapon can inflict massive amounts of damage on Aerospace Fighters and DropShips. Eighteen Double Heat Sinks and CASE II protect the Deathstalker.

Design Quirks
The XF-78 Deathstalker variant is subject to the following Design Quirk:
 * Atmospheric Flyer