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                    AeroTech 2 Vessel Technical Readout
                                  VALIDATED

Class/Model/Name:  Slayer SL-20 
Tech:              Inner Sphere / 3067
Vessel Type:       Aerospace Fighter
Rules:             Level 3, Standard design
Rules Set:         AeroTech2

Mass:              80 tons
Frame:             Wakazashi V
Power Plant:       Pitban 320 XL Fusion
Safe Thrust:       6
Maximum Thrust:    9
Armor Type:        *Heavy Ferro-Fibrous*
Armament:          
    2 Large Pulse Laser
    6 Medium Pulse Laser
Manufacturer:   Wakazashi Enterprises
  Location:     Dover
Communications System:  Sony MSF-21
Targeting & Tracking System:  Radcom T11
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==Overview:==
An iconic fighter for House Kurita since the demise of the old Star League,
the SL-15 Slayer has been a durable, multi-role heavy fighter that is just at
home deluging "groundpounders" with over 15 tons of bombs as hunting DropShip
troop transports through the depths of space.


==Capabilities:==
Since the first airplane staggered aloft over eleven and a half centuries ago,
aircraft designers have been using the saying, "airplanes are nothing more
than a series of compromises flying in close formation." That saying is even
truer for military aerospace vehicles that must try to achieve maximum
performance at subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic flight conditions while
being able to function in the alien environment of space.

The Slayer is a no-nonsense answer to many of the problems facing aerospace
vehicles. Its compact, blended wing-body, blunt nose, and flat underside were
(relatively) easy to design for all environments while providing a maximum
volume for low-density liquid hydrogen fuel and handled fast reentries with
low surface heating and a good hypersonic lift-to-drag ratio. The Slayer's
size, dictated by the huge hydrogen tanks, produced surprisingly low wing
loading for a low subsonic stall speed.

There were, of course, some compromises. The fuselage design that answered so
many other problems left little room for aerodynamic control surfaces, and the
blunt nose (good for reducing reentry heating) elevated supersonic drag that
the sharp leading edge sweep tried to avoid. The solution was another
aerospace maxim: with enough thrust, even bricks could fly. The Shinobi 320
engine delivered over two meganewtons of thrust without straining. The brutish
reaction control motors, already oversized to handle vertical landings, would
give the Slayer a grace not available otherwise.

The original SL-15 Slayer was built to fill a multitude of roles and did so in
the same no-nonsense fashion in which its airframe was designed. Only
off-the-shelf, widely available technology was used, so that the Slayer could
be easily maintained in the field. A Zeus 56 Mark IV autocannon and six
Diverse Optics medium lasers (five forward-firing) gave the Slayer a solid
punch, while ten tons of fuel and the Shinobi 320 gave the Slayer the
acceleration and "legs" needed to run down anything from smaller, faster
fighters to DropShops. Twenty heat sinks allowed the heavy fighter to fire its
armament continuously except when the throttle was shoved to the firewall. The
design worked so well that the SL-15 served without substantial modification
throughout the Succession Wars.

Upgrades to the SL-15 were moderate until recently. The widely implemented
SL-15R was not just Wakazashi Enterprises's primary production version since
the 3040s, but also issued as field upgrades for the majority of DCMS SL-15s.
The SL-15K, planned as the replacement/upgrade for the SL-15R, also involved
relatively minor changes.

The break with centuries of Slayer tradition occurred with the SL-20, which
was conceived of as a heavy escort for DCMS WarShips. The SL-20 was not
intended to replace the SL-15K, but rather serve as a dedicated
DropShip-hunting fighter. The SL-20 is the first factory-built Slayer with
substantially altered airframe, engine, and armor. The SL-20 replaced the
reliable Shinobi 320 with a Pitban 320 XL, increased armor protection to
nearly twenty tons of heavy ferrofibrous armor, and traded the Zeus autocannon
for a pair of Diverse Optics Type 75 Heavy Pulse Lasers. Even the traditional
medium laser array was replaced on a one-for-one basis with Diverse Optics
Type 33 Medium Pulse Lasers. To handle the heat load, the twenty standard heat
sinks were updated.



==Variants:==
Based on the observation that missile systems could deliver more firepower per
ton, Wakazashi Enterprises offered a series of unpopular field modification
kits for the Slayer during the Third Succession War. The SL-15A traded the
reliable Zeus autocannon for a 15-tube LRM rack and a 6-tube SRM rack, both
nose mounted and equipped with two tons of ammo each. The SL-15B and -15C had
the same weapons as the -15A, but relocated the launchers. The SL-15B kept the
LRM launcher in the nose but moved the SRM rack to an aft mount, while the
very unusual the SL-15C moved the LRM rack to the rear and left the SRM
launcher in the nose. The kits remain available for special order, but it is
not known if any customer has ordered them since 3045.

The original SL-15 had a standard class-10 autocannon rather than the modern
LB-10X. The SL-15 remains in common service throughout backwater regions of
the Draconis Combine and was in production from licensed factories in the
Outworlds Alliance until the recent arrival of Clan Snow Raven in Alliance
space.

With access to ComStar's advanced, Star League-era technology in the 3030s,
the prolific Slayer was targeted for upgrades that finally reached production
in the early 3040s. The most widely fielded modification (and the easiest),
was the SL-15R. The modification was straightforward, only changing the Zeus
56 Mark IV autocannon to a Zeus 62 Mark V LB-X autocannon and an additional
ton of ammunition.

The very successful nature of the SL-15 and -15R made the Combine slow to
"mess with success." It was only the widespread availability of extended range
lasers and double strength heat sinks that led the Combine to order a new
production model from Wakazashi Enterprises, the SL-15K, in 3068. The SL-15K
was an upgraded SL-15R that replaced all of the Diverse Optics medium lasers
with extended range versions and updated the heat sinks. The SL-15K is also
available as a depot-level refit kit. The DMCS hoped to make the SL-15K its
new standard, but the recent troubles in the Inner Sphere have disrupted the
standardization program.



==Notable Vessels & Crews:==
Chu-i Troy McClure: Chu-i McClure of the Sixth Benjamin Regulars was ensconced
in DCMS lore when Marduk’s skies filled with AFFS DropShips in 3039. McClure
led one of three squadrons sent to disrupt the landings. He and his wingman,
Minerva McClure, were among the few pilots to reach the DropShips. Facing the
giants with insufficient firepower, the husband and wife died as Kuritan
warriors, ramming and destroying two Unions in quick succession. The remaining
Kurita fighters were only able to cripple one Overlord. DCMS propaganda has
made Troy and Minerva a staple of (wildly inaccurate) Combine romances.

Sho-i Minerva McClure: Minerva’s family had enough clout to get her into
flight school, but her non-Asian heritage and gender relegated her to
secretarial duty in the Sixth Benjamin Regulars for an up-and-coming Sho-i,
Troy McClure. McClure was a capable officer, an unexceptional pilot, and a man
with predilections toward a certain unmentionable fetish. As his adjunct,
Minerva learned of McClure’s inclinations and offered him a deal: she would
deflect questions about his chaste bachelorhood by marrying him if she was
assigned to pilot a Slayer. 

Robert, ever sensitive to appearances, accepted and had little trouble using
Minerva’s exceptional piloting qualifications to make her his wingman, while
using her beauty to end certain embarrassing inquiries from fellow pilots. It
was Minerva’s skill that made the pair shine in combat and her courage that
inspired the effective final run on the First Robinson Unions. 
Minerva would be irked to see the Combine's politically correct, tawdry
romances have reversed her marriage’s roles in the retellings of the couple's
heroic tale: she now cast as the dutiful wife and supportive wingman to the
bold and talented husband.

==Deployment==
The SL-15R has been fielded across the length and breadth of the Draconis
Combine for over three decades, and will likely serve beyond the end of the
century.

Wakazashi licensed the SL-15 to the neutral Outworlds Alliance (United
Outworlders Corporation on Ramora) and Taurian Concordat (Wingman Enterprises,
Ltd. of Pinard), where it remains in production. The Magistracy (Alliance
Aerospace Group) licensing attempt is in limbo owing to current confusion in
the Combine’s government.


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Class/Model/Name:  Slayer SL-20 
Mass:              80 tons

Equipment:                                                              Mass
Power Plant:  320 XL Fusion                                             11.50
Thrust:  Safe Thrust: 6
      Maximum Thrust: 9
Structural Integrity: 8                                                   .00
Total Heat Sinks:    20 Double                                          10.00
Fuel:                                                                   10.00
Cockpit & Attitude Thrusters:                                            3.00
Armor Type:  *Heavy Ferro-Fibrous*  (386 total armor pts)               19.50
                           Standard Scale Armor Pts
   Location:                            L / R
   Nose:                                123
   Left/Right Wings:                 101/101
   Aft:                                  61

Weapons and Equipment      Loc        SRV    MRV    LRV    ERV  Heat    Mass
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Large Pulse Laser        Nose         9      9     --     --   20     14.00
1 Medium Pulse Laser       Nose         6     --     --     --    4      2.00
2 Medium Pulse Laser       RW           6     --     --     --    8      4.00
2 Medium Pulse Laser       LW           6     --     --     --    8      4.00
1 Medium Pulse Laser       Aft          6     --     --     --    4      2.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                                                    Heat: 44     80.00
Tons Left:                                                                .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        12,574,753 C-Bills
Battle Value:      1,802
Cost per BV:       6,978.22
Weapon Value:      2,688 (Ratio = 1.49)
Damage Factors:    SRV = 49;  MRV = 15;  LRV = 0;  ERV = 0
BattleForce2:      MP: 6,  Armor/Structure: 10 / 0
                   Damage PB/M/L: 5/2/-,  Overheat: 0
                   Class: FH;  Point Value: 18