Corsair (Aerospace Fighter)

The Corsair was originally introduced as a means to replace the horrific losses suffered by the Star League Defense Force following the end of the Amaris Civil War. The compact laser system and sleek design of the Corsair made it a superior aerospace fighter in an atmosphere, rivaling the capabilities of Conventional Fighters. It was well protected by thirteen and a half tons of armor, while sixteen heat sinks kept the all-energy weapon loadout from overheating. It carried a fuel load of five tons and its GM 200 power plant could achieve a maximum thrust of four and a half gravities, with a safe thrust factor of three gravities.

A working prototype of the Corsair had already been produced when the SLDF approached Wangker Aerospace for an easy-to-refit Aerospace Fighter, which allowed them to begin full-scale production within months. Unfortunately the original V1 series had serious flaws: the fuel tank would rupture when the craft made turns operating in an atmosphere, the landing gear could not support its weight in an emergency landing, and the life support system in the cockpit was easily shattered. While such faults would have killed most other designs, the positive aspects of the Corsair were so impressive the Star League permitted its continuation while Wangker fixed the issues. The fuel tank problem would be corrected in the V2 series, while the life support issues were hashed out in the V3 through V8 series, with continuing improvements up to the V12 series

Most of Wangker's Corsair factories were located in the Federated Suns, and so when the Star League fell five years after its introduction House Davion managed to seize control of them, with the Free Worlds League capturing a single production line on Connaught. Within five years of the start of the First Succession War however all of these factories had been destroyed, though through salvage efforts Wangker managed to piece together a new line on Axton and keep it open over the centuries of constant raiding. When the Connaught facility was destroyed in the opening shots of the war only a few hundred had been produced for the FWLM, and these eventually fell into the hands of the Principality of Regulus. When the Federated Commonwealth was formed debate raged on whether the Corsair or the Lucifer should be the AFFC's standard medium fighter, and in mock combat trials the Corsair won more often than not.

Weapons and Equipment
Geared towards short range combat, the Corsair carries a a total of two Martell Medium Lasers and four Exostar Small Lasers, while two Exostar Large Lasers gives it some additional reach. Both medium lasers are located in each wing, with the large lasers and two of the small lasers filling the nose. For coverage to the stern, the remaining two small lasers are mounted to the rear and tied directly into the targeting systems, giving the pilot extreme accuracy in his rear field of fire. The compact laser systems are also well-suited for a ground-attack role, while the presence of sixteen heat sinks means the Corsair can continuously fire both large lasers and fire the medium and small lasers with negligible heat buildup.

Variants

 * CSR-V12b : Almost identical to the V14 variant, this version used during Operation Klondike removes the standard weaponry and replaces it with two nose mounted ER Large Lasers, a nose mounted Medium Laser, and a Medium Pulse Laser in each wing. It also mounts fifteen double heat sinks. BV (2.0) = 1,388


 * CSR-V12M (aka Sand Hawk): A House Marik design, it was introduced among the Regulan aerospace forces in an attempt to preserve their dwindling number of Corsairs. One of the large lasers was replaced for two more tons of armor and three additional heat sinks.  While increasing the craft's survivability it is disliked by many for reducing the Corsair's firepower. Also known as the Sand Hawk to House Kurita military units.  BV (1.0) = 1,039 ,  BV (2.0) = 1,121


 * CSR-V14 : The V14 was introduced during the early 3050s, which consisted of a simple refit of the standard Corsair, with the craft's large lasers exchanged for Extended-Range Large Lasers. Also as a part of the re-design, its heat sinks were upgraded to double capacity. The upgrade came in the form of a refit kit for House Davion Corsairs and had completely replaced all vintage Corsairs by the start of the FedCom Civil War. BV (1.0) = 1,259, BV (2.0) = 1,330


 * CSR-V18 : An upgrade of the V14 design, this variant was introduced during the early portion of the Jihad. In addition to the fighter's ER Large Lasers, the craft's forward small lasers were removed and it was given a pair of Light PPCs. The rear facing ones were upgraded to Extended Range Small Lasers while seventeen double heat sinks keep it cool.  Finally the power plant was replaced for an XL Engine and it's armor exchanged for Heavy Ferro-Aluminum.  Though the outbreak of the Jihad disrupted the distribution of these modern Cosairs, they have since made their way to many AFFS units and received good reviews. BV (1.0) = 1,127, BV (2.0) = 1,127


 * CSR-V20 : This variant was introduced by House Davion during the Succession Wars. It replaces the medium and small lasers with an SRM-6 system and ammo. V20s were typically seen in the Davions' Avalon Hussars 42nd Regiment. BV (1.0) = 986, BV (2.0) = 1,112


 * CSR-X12 : Developed under the auspices of the RIGID NIGHT project during the Jihad, this Corsair variant uses an experimental XXL Engine to provide approximately 50% more speed than the standard CSR-V12. The existing weapons systems are replaced with Clan produced pulse lasers: Two Small Pulse Lasers cover the rear, while another pair of small pulse lasers and four Medium Pulse Lasers fire forward. The weight savings from the XXL engine allowed engineers to add an extra five tons of standard armor. BV (2.0) = 2,000


 * CSR-12D : This production version of the Corsair RIGID NIGHT prototype removes the Clan-spec lasers and the XXL engine. Instead a standard XL Engine provides power to the Corsair while the weapons consist of a Large X-Pulse Laser and Medium X-Pulse Laser in the nose, an ER Medium Laser in each wing, and another Medium X-Pulse Laser covering the rear. The slightly smaller engine provides nearly 90% of the XXL engine of the RIGID NIGHT, a loss of speed that was thought acceptable. Finally the entire airframe is covered in fourteen and a half tons of Heavy Ferro-Aluminum armor, which provides enough protection for most dogfights. The variant use a Rander 200B communications system. BV (2.0) = 1,619

Custom Variants

 * Corsair Bob : Flown by a pilot in the Tsamma Crucis March Militia, this variant of the Corsair replaces the standard CSR-V12's weaponry with a Rotary AC/5 and Streak SRM-6. Engine and speed performance remain the same as the CSR-V12, but an additional half-ton of armor is on the airframe. Three tons of autocannon ammo keep the Corsair Bob in the fight and the ammo efficient Streak launcher only gets one ton of ammunition. BV (1.0) = 1,216

Design Quirks
The CSR-12D Corsair variant is subject to the following Design Quirks:
 * Easy to Maintain
 * Weak Undercarriage