Editing Deathstalker

{{InfoBoxASF
| image = [[Image:Deathstalker.jpg|191px]]
| name = ''Deathstalker''
| manufacturer = [[Andurien AeroTech - Free Worlds Defense Industries|Andurien AeroTech (FWDI)]]
| model = F-77
| Class = Heavy aerospace fighter
| Tech Base = Inner Sphere
| production year=2744
| year reference=<ref>''[http://www.masterunitlist.info/Unit/Details/4055/deathstalker-f-77 MUL online date for the ''{{PAGENAME}}'']''</ref>
| mass = 80 tons
| frame = [[F-77/X]]
| power plant = [[VOX 240a]]
| armor = [[StarSlab Lite/2]]
| fuel = 400
| armament =
* 1x [[AC/10]]
* 4x [[ER large laser]]s
* 2x [[Medium laser]]s
| communications system = [[Telestar F-61]]<ref name="TRO:3075p266">''Technical Readout: 3075'', p. 266, "F-77 ''Deathstalker''"</ref>
| tracking & targeting system = [[SynCom VAX]]<ref name="TRO:3075p266"/>
| heat sinks = 25 [50] [[double heat sink]]s
| BV (2.0) = 1,603<ref name="TRO3026R"/><br>1,714<ref name="TRO3075"/><br>1,276<ref>''Record Sheets: 3075'', p. 99</ref><br>1,732<ref>''Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged - Age of War'', p. 178</ref>
}}

==Description==
Originally unveiled in [[2744]], the '''''Deathstalker''''' was a visionary [[aerospace fighter]] concept with a then revolutionary forward swept wing design. However, flaws in the cutting edge fighter led to a publicized crash of a prototype and its shelving until the desperate days of the [[Word of Blake]] [[Jihad]]. 

Developed by [[Andurien AeroTech]] as an experimental concept, the ''Deathstalker'' revisited the unorthodox and long forgotten concept of the forward swept wing. When properly applied, the alternate wing design produced both a remarkably stable flight profile and allowed the use of lighter and thinner materials, and led to its development as a full design. A powerful weapons array, 25 [[double heat sink]]s and 10.5 tons of armor made the ''Deathstalker'' a formidable foe in combat, but at the cost of speed. During trial flights, the ''Deathstalker'' was repeatedly outmaneuvered by comparable [[SLDF]] and member state designs, though claiming a number of kills before it was defeated. <ref name="TRO3026R">''Technical Readout: 3026 Revised'', p. 101-101 - "F-77 Deathstalker"</ref> <ref name="TRO3075">''Technical Readout: 3075'', p. 266 - "F-77 Deathstalker"</ref>

However, the prototype design specs had an air frame weight imbalance between the wings and fuselage, a flaw devastatingly revealed during a much-publicized demonstration flight when the prototype crashed after one of its wings suddenly tore off. The 20 ''Deathstalker''s constructed were permanently grounded, never seeing live combat, but Andurien AeroTech remained convinced of the forward swept wing concept, leading to a massive redesign which ultimately result in the successful ''[[Stingray|F-90 Stingray]]''. <ref name="TRO3026R"/> <ref name="TRO3075"/>

It was thanks to the ''Stingray''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s centuries of service removing the stigma of the forward-swept wing, and the newly independent [[Duchy of Andurien]] attempts to bolster their indigenous production of military hardware after the collapse of the League during the Jihad, that the ''Deathstalker'' finally entered limited production in [[3073]]. <ref name="TRO3075"/>

==Weapons and Equipment==
Intended for an air supremacy role, the ''Deathstalker'' carried a nose-mounted [[Autocannon/10#Imperator-X|Imperator X]] [[AC/10]] backed up by twin [[Hellion-a III]] [[ER large laser]]s in each wing. The large volume of [[double heat sink]]s carried allowed the fighter to fire its primary weapons at once, with two wing-mounted [[Hellion-b II]] [[medium laser]]s providing fallback firepower when cooling down. <ref name="TRO3026R"/> <ref name="TRO3075"/>

==Variants==
*; F-77a : The upgraded [[3073]] production model ''Deathstalker'' features a [[UAC/10]] in place of the standard model and carries more ammunition for it. While the [[ER large laser]]s are retained, both standard [[medium lasers]]s are swapped for more advanced [[Diverse Optics]] [[ER medium laser]]s, and an [[ER small laser]] has been added to the rear to discourage pursuers. All this heavier and advanced hardware is made possible by the use of a [[light fusion engine]]<ref name="TRO3075"/>. BV (2.0) = 1,866<ref>''Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged - Age of War'', p. 179</ref>

*; XF-78 : This upgraded [[3068]] ''Deathstalker'' is protected by 15.5 tons of [[stealth armor]] tied into a [[Guardian ECM suite]]. A [[large X-Pulse laser]] is mounted in each wing, but the main armament is an [[improved heavy Gauss rifle]] mounted in the nose. Equipped with a three ton magazine, this weapon can inflict massive amounts of damage on aerospace fighters and [[DropShip]]s alike. 18 [[double heat sink]]s and [[CASE II]] protect the ''Deathstalker''.<ref name=XTRO:Pp11>''Experimental Technical Readout: Phantoms', p. 11</ref>

==Design Quirks==
The ''XF-78 Deathstalker'' variant is subject to the following [[Design Quirk]]:<ref name=XTRO:Pp11/>
* [[Atmospheric Flyer]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Deathstalker.jpg|Original ''Deathstalker'' from ''[[Technical Readout: 3026 Revised|TRO:3026 Revised]]''
</gallery>

==References==
<references/>

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Experimental Technical Readout: Phantoms]]''
* ''[[Record Sheets: 3075]]''
* ''[[Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged - Age of War]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3026 Revised]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3075]]''


[[Category:Aerospace Fighter classes]]
[[Category:Heavy Aerospace Fighter classes]]
[[Category:Free Worlds League Aerospace Fighters]]