Azor Light Strike AeroFighter

A relatively simple light aerospace fighter, the Azor trades the usual speed of other craft in its class for additional armor protection. Originally developed as a lighter supporter for the Peregrine, the Azor was not particularly helpful in that regard. Those fighters that the Peregrine couldn't outfly it could already outgun and outarmor; the Azor's sextet of medium lasers is about average and its speed is below average, so the only advantage it has is taking damage. This led to its re-branding as a light strike fighter, where the medium lasers make it an effective strafing platform and its heavier armor makes it far more durable against ground fire.

On the TME engineering side of things, this re-branding simplified the craft immensely. The first prototype run of the Azor roughly matched the Peregrine's complex aerodynamic control surfaces, including all-moving canards. The canards were less effective due to the 'cheek' blisters carrying the bulk of the medium laser gear, and when a more stable platform was desired, the canards were deleted. While the blisters forced turbulent air into the inlets at high speeds, the loss in aerodynamic and engine efficiencies were considered acceptable as the blister's position protected the inlets from ground fire and foreign object damage during taxi, takeoff, and landing.

On the sales side, on the other hand, the first limited customers of the Azor quickly learned that it was a substandard ground attack platform. Already being slower than other light aerospace fighters, it carried less external ordnance; being lighter than other effective strike platforms, it carried less weaponry and armor. The Peregrine the Azor was intended to support was a much better strike platform without ever intending to be. The Azor could not even claim to be a poor man's strike platform due to its usage of an expensive and relatively rare 120 XL fusion engine.

With sales threatened by the fact that the Azor was only good at taking fire and not exploding as quickly as older, more fragile craft in its class like the Seydlitz--which admittedly made it popular with scout pilots--the Azor program found itself in the midst of a crash redesign. The Azor's first problem was speed; to make it more competitive with other light aerospace fighters, its extra-light engine was upgraded to a 180 rating at the cost of swapping its six medium lasers for twin medium pulse lasers. The bulbous blisters and even the apertures for the lost lasers were retained for 'growth;' TME Industries offered, as a production option, trading still more weaponry mass for electronics warfare gear or imaging systems for reconnaissance variants.

This retooled Azor-A 'close aerospace dogfighter' series, including the Azor-AE electronic warfare and Azor-AR recon variants, were more successful. Amusingly enough, the Azor-AR is what turned the line a profit: it wasn't expected to engage in combat, it could outrun most opposition, it was a stable imaging platform (which still harmed the Azor-A in atmospheric combat), and it could be relied upon to take a few errant hits and make it back home with precious intelligence data.

As the Azor-AR sold steadily, the original production rates for the Azor and Azor-A were allowed to die a quiet, natural death, to be replaced with aftermarket upgrade kits to convert the strike and dogfighter versions to the reconnaissance version. Other than there being a few unusually slow Azor-0Rs flying around, that there were ever actual 'fighter' Azors soon faded from memory.