Pugilist Interceptor

"BREAK RIGHT!"

The VRNF pilot turned his Pugilist on the call from his wingman, the engine opening to maximum thrust to make the 6G pivot. He chuckled at the streaming trails of missiles that shot off into deep space, unable to follow his agile fighter's track. He finished the quick turn facing the missile thrower, a Shilone with a flaming black spider badge on its red hull. Yet another bandit that had thought he could pick on one of the
Veiled Republic's merchant ships. He snapped a shot from his PPC to get its attention, and the Shilone came at him, its lasers blazing as he jinked.

"All right, contender or pretender? Step in the ring..." With that, he cycled the stick, drifting left, jinking down, then up and flipping over as he popped the Shilone repeatedly with his PPC. He gave the Shilone a blast from his lasers as they passed canopy to canopy, and snapped a burst from his tail guns for good measure.

Left or right? Neither. He stayed "upside down", not that "down" meant anything in zero G, and pulled back hard on the stick, skidding through a half loop and coming up under the Shilone as it was halfway through its turn. He opened the engine wide, then slammed on the brakes as he cut in behind it with guns blazing.

"Surprise!"

To the bandit's credit, the Shilone's pilot didn't panic. A salvo of tailgun missiles spat in the Pugilist's face, detonating across its nose armor. The VRNF pilot let up on the throttle, drifting back out of missile range but staying behind his foe, taking long deflection shots as they wove back and forth across space, the heavier Shilone trying to shake the more agile Pugilist.

Then suddenly, the Shilone did the one thing he wasn't expecting; it simply slammed on full braking thrust. The Pugilist shot past, just in time to take a salvo from the bandit's guns across its tail. He cursed and threw the throttle wide, pushing a full ninety degrees "up" from his course, out of the Shilone's arc of fire. He rolled over at the top, turning back to find his foe.

No more dancing. It was time for the knockout.

The Pugilist shook as it dove at the Shilone, both from its roaring engine and from its pilot tweaking the stick. Another pass, another hard turn, and he was behind the Shilone again. He opened up all guns, pounding at its tail and wings. The bandit was on the ropes. He held his position, concentrating fully on his throttle and target, ignoring the missiles from the Shilone's tail as it ducked and dodged back and forth, trying to escape the rain of blows.

Then suddenly it was over. The dodging bandit gave a strange, slight wobble as it lost thrust for a split second, and then exploded. The Pugilist rolled right, passing clear of the flaming wreck. The VRNF pilot laughed, and announced his victory with one word over the radio.

"DING!"

Code:

AeroTech 2 Vessel Technical Readout
                                  VALIDATED

Class/Model/Name:  Pugilist Interceptor
Tech:              Inner Sphere / 3067
Vessel Type:       Aerospace Fighter
Rules:             Level 2, Custom design
Rules Set:         AeroTech2

Mass:              45 tons
Frame:             Republic Pugilist
Power Plant:       RDC 270 XL Fusion
Safe Thrust:       8
Maximum Thrust:    12
Armor Type:        RDC Ferroplate Ferro-aluminum
Armament:         
    1 ER PPC
    5 ER Medium Laser
Manufacturer:   Republic Defense Contractors
  Location:     New Normandy
Communications System:  RDC Comlink
Targeting & Tracking System:  RDC Firelink
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==Overview:==
The Pugilist is a swift medium fighter from the Veiled Republic. It is designed to be an interceptor and dogfighter, and its name fits it well. The Pugilist fights like a welterweight boxer, using its speed to gain position, wearing its foes down with quick jabs from its weapons, and outpacing them with its endurance.

Though ground support is not its true specialty, the Pugilist is sometimes deployed for such missions. It can carry a fair load of bombs at good speed, and is a respectable strafer.

==Capabilities:==
The Pugilist is built for both speed and endurance. Its large XL engine gives it a full six G's of thrust, enabling it to overtake and fly circles around its foes. Its tanks hold six tons of fuel to feed the hungry engine, ensuring it a long time on station.

The Pugilist is credibly armed, though not so heavily as other medium fighters. A nose-mounted ERPPC gives the Pugilist a long reach and some concentrated power; this is backed up by a trio of forward-firing ER medium lasers. Since the Pugilist is a dogfighter, it has two ER medium lasers guarding its tail.

What surprises foes most about the Pugilist is not its speed, but its armor protection. 11.5 tons of ferro-aluminum armor make the Pugilist incredibly tough for its size; this is one fighter that definitely does NOT have a glass jaw. 

==Variants:==
One variant of the Pugilist is used by the VRNF. This variant, called the Haymaker, sacrifices all of its lasers, one ton of fuel and one ton of armor, to mount a second ERPPC in its nose. The Haymaker is often assigned to system defense, where it quickly engages foes with a knockout punch. Pilots of the Pugilist and Haymaker are often rivals, with each side arguing the benefits of their own style of combat.

==Deployment==
The Pugilist is the VRNF's more common medium fighters. It is widely deployed in space, where it often protects the VRNF's slower Gwyar assault fighters. It is also widely used by ground based units, mostly for air defense. 

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Class/Model/Name:  Pugilist Interceptor
Mass:              45 tons

Equipment:                                                              Mass
Power Plant:  270 XL Fusion                                              7.50
Thrust:  Safe Thrust: 8
      Maximum Thrust: 12
Structural Integrity: 8                                                   .00
Total Heat Sinks:    15 Double                                           5.00
Fuel:                                                                    6.00
Cockpit & Attitude Thrusters:                                            3.00
Armor Type:  Ferro-aluminum  (206 total armor pts)                      11.50
                           Standard Scale Armor Pts
   Location:                            L / R
   Nose:                                 71
   Left/Right Wings:                  51/51
   Aft:                                  33

Weapons and Equipment      Loc        SRV    MRV    LRV    ERV  Heat    Mass
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1 ER PPC                   Nose        10     10     10     --   15      7.00
1 ER Medium Laser          Nose         5      5     --     --    5      1.00
1 ER Medium Laser          RW           5      5     --     --    5      1.00
1 ER Medium Laser          LW           5      5     --     --    5      1.00
2 ER Medium Laser          Aft          5      5     --     --   10      2.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                                                    Heat: 40     45.00
Tons Left:                                                                .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        6,157,646 C-Bills
Battle Value:      1,432
Cost per BV:       4,300.03
Weapon Value:      2,141 (Ratio = 1.50)
Damage Factors:    SRV = 24;  MRV = 19;  LRV = 2;  ERV = 0
BattleForce2:      MP: 8,  Armor/Structure: 5 / 0
                   Damage PB/M/L: 3/3/1,  Overheat: 0
                   Class: FL;  Point Value: 14