Xerxes (Aerospace Fighter class)
Sarna News
- HEXTECH Review - Wave 3 Brings More Urban Options To Your Battlefield
- Your BattleTech News Round-Up For March, 2024
- Crashing 'Mechs With Jennifer Brozek, Author Of The Rogue Academy Trilogy
- Getting The Word Out With Rem Alternis, Catalyst Community & Marketing Director
- Bad 'Mechs - Yeoman
- Read more →
- This article is about the aerospace fighter. For other uses, see Xerxes.
| |
| Xerxes | |
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | Kirin Orbital Works SJ-3 |
| Production Year | 2827[1] |
| Model | Standard |
| Class | Heavy aerospace fighter |
| Tech Base | Clan |
| Cost | 6,549,466 C-bills[2] |
| Technical specifications | |
| Mass | 85 tons |
| Structural Integrity | 8 |
| Frame | Type 42-5 Aero |
| Power Plant | 340 fusion engine |
| Armor | Compound XAS Ferro-Aluminum |
| Fuel | 640 / 8 tons |
| Armament |
|
| Communications System | KOW-Comm Type 9 |
| Tracking & Targeting System | ASG Mark VII |
| Heat Sinks | 12 double heat sinks |
| BV (1.0) | 1,789[2][3] |
| BV (2.0) | 2,350[4] |
Description[edit]
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, this aggressive and brutally straightforward 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.[5]
With respectable speed thanks to its 340-rated fusion engine and eight tons of fuel, the Xerxes' 12 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.[5]
Weapons and Equipment[edit]
Built around a pair of Aero-Model 4 UAC/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 lasers, enhancing the fighter's strafing abilities.[5]
Variants[edit]
- Xerxes 2
- A redesign favored by the Hell's Horses, it trades the autocannons for longer ranged and less ammo hungry Gauss rifles fed with 32 rounds. This greatly improves the fighter's long-range performance as well.[5] BV (1.0) =2,341[6] BV (2.0) = 2,479[7]
- Xerxes 3
- This variant strips out two double heat sinks and all the standard weaponry, replacing them with a pair of HAG/40s. BV (2.0) = 2,743[8]
Gallery[edit]
Original Xerxes from TRO:3067
Strafing Xerxes piloted by Star Commander Marco of Clan Ghost Bear's 54th PGC from Total Warfare
References[edit]
- ↑ MUL online date for the Xerxes (Aerospace Fighter class)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Combat Operations, p. 112
- ↑ AeroTech 2 Record Sheets, p. 156
- ↑ Record Sheets: 3067 Unabridged, p. 296
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Technical Readout: 3067, pp. 168–169
- ↑ AeroTech 2 Record Sheets, p. 157
- ↑ Record Sheets: 3067 Unabridged, p. 297
- ↑ Record Sheets: 3067 Unabridged, p. 298