Aozora A119A Lightning

### Armament

2x pulse phasor cannons, 2 miniature photon torpedo tubes (16 torpedoes total), 8 external hardpoints

The **Aozora A119A Lightning** is the mainline starfighter of the Imperial Teienai Navy and a number of smaller, local governments as well as several private security firms. Although getting on with the years, an A119A in the right hands is still a formidable opponent. The A119A is currently in the process of being replaced by the Aozora A135A Thunder, both starfighters being built by Aozora Light Engineering.

The A119A is able to enter and leave atmospheres under its own power and was, with a mid-life service upgrade, equipped with a Class 1 Hyperdrive. However, while it can travel at up to 10 times the speed of light, if only for short bursts, the fighter is too small to carry the computers necessary to make jump calculations on its own and thus has to rely on an external data feed for jump coordinates and vectors.

One of the most well-known Lightning-Squadrons is the 181 Ronin Squadron, flying from the Tamaki-class Light Carrier *RTNS Manaka*.

## Design

The Aozora A119A Lightning is a 26.8 metres long, 6.5 metres hight starfighter with a wingspan of 18.1 metres, a classical angular design.

The main hull, a housing the central engineering unit with the CHI-6ABWR Light Vessel Reactor, the sensor package, the electronic warfare unit, the long-range communication unit, the hyperdrive engine and a small cargo bay for up to 100 kilograms of cargo (usually containing the survival kit), sits at the centre, with the two wings spreading out of the hull.

Two booms extend backwards, containing the decoy and countermeasure launchers. They also cover the engine units, which sit close to the main hull under the wings, two air-intakes allowing cooling while operating in atmospheres. Between the engine units and the main hull, the two miniature photon torpedo tubes with their eight-torpedo-magazines sit.

The pilot's cockpit cantilever protrudes from the front, it serves as both the cockpit and as the pilot's escape pod. The cantilever contains also the radar and lidar in the nose, as well as the short-range communication system. The pilot has a canopy, but while it can be removed, the pilot enters and leaves the A119A through an elevating pilot's seat. While the cockpit is both pressurized and has a life-support system, the pilot is advised to wear a Shinaru-Series Flight Suit.

The A119A is equipped with two Cosmo Heavy Industries CHI-12NKC Impulse Engines (which have thrust vectoring), which provide enough thrust to give the A119A a maximum standard atmosphere speed of 4,000 km/h - in space, the maximum speed is closer to 25 *kilometres per second*. Starting with the Model 60, the A119A was equipped with a Class 1 Hyperdrive Unit, enabling the A119A to fly at up to ten times the speed of light for short, in-system bursts. The A119A is sitting on a tricycle undercarriage, one steering wheel under the nose.

The Lightning is the basis for the Aozora G120A Sensei, a trainer, the Aozora B125A Falcon, a fighterbomber, and the Aozora D133A Eagle, an AWACS. The civilian version is the Aozora Kyofu, a two-seater orbital runabout.

### Armour and Shielding

The A119A is built of a Titanium-A Frame and armoured in Titanium-B Composite Armour. The molecularly modified and strengthened alloys of Titanium-50 is also embedded with thermal superconducting radiators, transferring the heat of the vessel into space. While Titanium-B Armour Plates are excellent in making kinetic weaponry plink off, it is not very efficient against energy weaponry - in order to increase the survivability of the vessels, Titanium-B *Composite* Armour is made of layers of Titanium-B Armour Plates, elastic polymers and intermetallic laminate, as well as shock-hardening fluids (the latter reducing spall from impacts and sealing minor hull breaches). A lining with tungsten for further protection against cosmic radiation, as well as radiation hardened computers and electronics, ensure operational capability in its natural element of Space.

The Canopy is made of aluminum oxynitride.

Additionally to the armour, the A119A is equipped with a light vessel shield generator,

### Armament

* 2x pulse phasor cannons: Shirada API-99 Pulse Phasor Cannon
* 2 miniature photon torpedo tubes (16 torpedoes total)
* 8 external hardpoints

### Sensors and electronic warfare

* Radar, LIDAR, Heat Emmission Sensors
* ECM, ECCM, Chaff, Flares