Avenger (DropShip class)

Avenger
Production information
Manufacturer	Aldis Industries Defiance Industries Dynamico Limited Rashpur-Owens Incorporated
Production Year	2816
Use	Military Aerodyne
Type	Assault
Tech Base	Inner Sphere
Technical specifications
Mass	1,400 tons tons
Structural Integrity	12
Length	50.5 meters meters
Width	42 meters meters
Height	11.9 meters meters
Drive System	GM 9800i
Safe Thrust	3.5 g
Max Thrust	5.5 g
Fuel (tons)	160 tons
Fuel (days)	87 days
Armament	2x PPC 1x AC/20 6x AC/5 1x AC/2 4x LRM-20 2x large laser 8x medium laser
Armor	48 tons standard
Crew	15 3 Officers 8 Enlisted 4 Gunners (Crew Types) 2 Pilots 4 Engineers 9 Secondary Engineers
Escape Pods/Life Boats	2/0
Heat Sinks	70 (single)
BV (1.0)	4,320
BV (2.0)	5,203

Description

One of the smallest DropShips still in use, despite its size, the Avenger class features firepower rivaling that of a Union-class, armor almost the equal of an Overlord-class, and speed and maneuverability surpassing both. The disk-shaped hull gives the class enhanced aerodynamic stability. When viewed from a distance, it can be confused with the TR-7 Thrush aerospace fighter, which has surprised enemy pilots to their detriment. Presumably, it also visually resembles the Kuritan Sholagar fighter, though it is unknown if the disk wing is a danger on atmospheric reentry, similar to those fighters.

Found mostly in the navies of the Successor States, Avengers are typically reserved for major planetary assaults, forming the vanguard of the initial attack and clearing the path for the transport DropShips that follow it. Given its position at the forefront of the largest battles, its attrition rates are quite high. The Federated Suns was the only nation to be able to keep production up to offset losses through the Third Succession War. with Rashpur-Owens only able to produce a single DropShip every other year. To support troops on the ground, they can also be used for strafing and bombing runs. A special bomb bay beneath the engineering compartment in the ship's rear was mentioned.

The Avenger is also notable for being one of the few aerodyne craft built for planetary operations that doesn't feature a secondary transit drive, just the single rear maneuvering drive. On the ground this means "up" is toward the vertical stabilizer, while under thrust "up" is towards the nose. This requires an exotic layout, with long corridors on the ground becoming lift shafts in space, and each room and its furniture being designed to be quickly switched between orientations within 20 minutes.

Federated Commonwealth-built Avengers are rare among defense industry companies, who normally source the cheapest or most numerous weapons systems they can find. Dynamico Limited's Delavan site instead builds the lasers found on Federated Suns-made Avengers, shipping the recovered technologies to other contractors found throughout the Federated Commonwealth when it existed, while the sizeable Defiance Industries of Hesperus II made much of its advanced tech for DropShips, BattleMechs, and export.

Armament

Given its first strike role, the Avenger is impressively armed on all angles. In the nose weapons bay are two AC/5s, an AC/20, an LRM-20, two large and two medium lasers. In each wing are a single PPC, a pair of AC/5s, an LRM-20 rack, and two medium lasers. Facing the rear are an AC/2, an LRM-20, and two medium lasers. The Avenger's large ammo bays, especially for its LRM racks, allow it to keep up a steady rate of fire.

Cargo

The Avenger features a single 93-ton capacity cargo bay, mounted near the drive to the rear of the craft. This dual-purpose bay can also be used as a bomb bay during planetary bombing and strafing runs and is generally split between this purpose and carrying 15 Marines.

Variants

• Upgraded Version 

  The Avenger class was the first Inner Sphere DropShip design to be refitted with rediscovered Star League technology as a result of the rediscovery of the Helm Memory Core, and the only one in actual production before the Clan Invasion disrupted similar upgrades for other classes. The first upgraded vessel slipped its mooring at Dynamico Limited's yards at Delavan in 3048, and in partnership with Defiance Industries of Hesperus II in 3055. The primary changes are a switch to Double Heat Sinks and an updating of its weaponry. Each set of twinned AC/5s in the nose and wings have been replaced by a single Poland Model A Gauss rifle, the large lasers have been upgraded to ExoStar extended range variants and the medium lasers have been switched for Martell new pulse counterparts. The LRM launchers have all been upgraded with Artemis IV FCS, the only weapon removed completely being the sole rear-facing AC/2. BV (1.0) = 5,501, BV (2.0) = 6,154

Named Vessels

(See Category:Individual Avenger-class DropShips)

Gallery

• 

  Original illustration of the Avenger from DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary

• 

  Upgraded Avenger from TRO:3057

Notes

• Technical Readout: 3057, Revised dropped the observation found in previous sources (namely, DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary and Technical Readout: 3057) that the Avenger can provide ground support in the form of strafing and bombing runs, presumably due to changes in the game rules. However, the earlier, unrevised book remains fully canonical. Line Developer Herbert A. Beas had expressly clarified that an omission like this in a follow-up product would not automatically constitute a retcon or decanonisation.

• In German products, the unit's proper name was translated to Rächer.

Bibliography

• BattleSpace
• DropShips and JumpShips
• Objective Raids
• Technical Readout: 3057
• Technical Readout: 3057 Revised