The Avenger is very well armed and armored, rivaling the Union for firepower. The design’s small size and considerable speed enable the Avenger to outmaneuver the majority of opposing craft, providing Avenger crews with a decisive edge in almost all cornbat.
         These craft are rare and expensive, however. Most are owned by the navies of the Successor States, who usually reserve them for major planetary assaults. Avenger, along with other attack craft, form the vanguard of an assault force, neutralizing any opposition to the DropShip transports that follow. And once an invasion force has achieved aerospace superiority, it often uses Avengers to "soften up" an LZ with bombing and strafing runs.
         Unlike most aerodyne craft, the Avenger has only a rear maneuvering drive. This means the Avenger’s interior must be reconfigured each time it enters or exits atmosphere. In atmosphere, "up" is toward the Avenger’s vertical stabilizer, while in space, "up" is toward the ship’s nose. As a result, the craft is sparsely furnished with fittings that can easily be altered to match the craft’s orientation. Similarly, the craft's accessways are designed for use in either orientation. A ladder mounted in one wall provides an additional means of ascending the shafts when the craft is in space.
         The Avenger was the first craft routinely refitted with new technology. The first such upgraded vessel slipped its moorings at the Dynamico yards at Delavan in early 3048. The new Avenger remained the only newtech production craft for several years as the Clan invasion interrupted DropShip production in the Inner Sphere. In 3053, Dynamico negotiated a deal with Defiance Industries of Hesperus II, allowing the Inner Sphere’s premier weapons producer to expand its range of products. The two firms then unveiled a joint refitted version of the Avenger two years later.
         As with most other craft, the vessel's weaponry has been the primary area refitted. Each set of twinned AC-5 autocannons in the nose and wings has been replaced with a Poland Model A Gauss rifle, which provides increased firepower and range without causing extra heat. The firepower and range of the original Avenger’s nose-mounted large lasers has been supplemented by a pair of ExoStar ER large lasers. The eight medium lasers carried by the old model have also been replaced with the new Martell medium pulse lasers, which boost the craft’s close-in weaponry.
         Avengers have been involved in numerous actions, both against the Clans and other Inner Sphere powers. The most notable of these occurred in November of 3055, when a Liao fleet, including a new Lung Wang attack craft, raided the Federated Commonwealth world of Lee. In the brief battle that followed, a refitted Syrtis Fusiliers Avenger outmaneuvered the new Capellan craft and inflicted major damage to it. But as the Avenger closed for the kill, a volley of missiles from the Lung Wang penetrated the Avenger's hull, rupturing the fuel tank and causing a massive explosion.