Stuka

Description
First designed in 2530 for the Star League Defense Force, the Stuka is meant for prolonged battle, boasting 30 heat sinks that allow it to stay in the fight longer. Though somewhat outgunned by some medium fighters, it has 15 tons of armoring which gives it superior protection, and its Monitor 200 guidance system gives it the maneuverability of a medium fighter. Mostly used by House Davion forces thanks to their monopoly on its construction, the Stukas have proven a thorn in the side of House Kurita forces on many occasions.

Lycomb-Davion IntroTech originally manufactured the Stuka from their facilities on Demeter along with a number of other designs, and the Capellan Confederation struck at and destroyed the facilities on Demeter in an attempt to deny the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns supplies of Stukas. While the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces strike was successful, the Confederation's overall goal wasn't met - unknown to the Confederation, Lycomb-Davion IntroTech were constructing a second manufacturing facility on New Avalon when the Demeter facilities were attacked, and the New Avalon plant was already well on its way to being complete.

Because of similarities in its design, the Stuka has on occasion been mistaken for a Lightning, a mistake which has often proven deadly.

Weapons and Equipment
The STU-K5 Stuka carries a mix of weaponry, a Simpson LRM-20 Rack, Holly SRM-4, and a Martell Medium Laser rounding out the payload in the nose. The wings mount two Exostar Large Lasers each, with the final two Medium Lasers facing to the rear.

Variants

 * STU-D6 : A variant created by the newly created Federated Commonwealth, which introduces recovered Star League technology into the design. Based on the K5, the fighter's weaponry gets additional 2 x LRM 20s on each wing, with two tons of ammunition. The nose launcher is replaced by a pair of SRM 6s with four tons of ammo. The fighter's engine is replaced with a XL Model and it drops 10 of its single heats sinks to upgrade the remaining ones to double strength. BV (1.0) = 1,838


 * STU-D7 : This variant introduces technology that was conceived at the FedCom Civil War. Using the D6 as base design, the two LRM launchers are replaced with Rotary AC/5 Autocannons with two tons of ammunition. The Large Lasers are completely removed for 9 ER Medium Lasers, three placed in each of the wings, one mounted in the nose with the LRM20 / 2 SRM6s, and two facing aft. All of the D7's launchers have been enhanced fitted with a Artemis IV guidence systems. A ship bolsters 21 double heat sinks to counter the massive heat the weapons produce. BV (1.0) =, BV (2.0) = 2092


 * STU-K5b : This variant kept only the medium lasers in the rear arc. To provide long range hitting power, the large lasers were replaced with a pair of ER PPCs in each wing. It replaced the rest of the standard weapon loadout with a nose-mounted Autocannon/20 and medium laser to deal with enemies who came in close. Three tons of autocannon ammunition kept this version in the fight for a long time before it needed to return to base to reload. To keep heat levels manageable, the heat sinks were upgraded to double strength models. BV (2.0) = 2,190


 * STU-K10 : This variant replaced the three Medium Lasers with two extra Heat Sinks and four Exostar Small Lasers. This variant is mostly seen in the Draconis March Militia. BV (1.0) = 1,565 , BV (2.0) = 1,767


 * STU-K15 : This variant that saw limited production reduced the armor by three tons and added six Small Lasers. BV (1.0) = 1,403, BV (2.0) = 1,683