ASFs in the 90 to 100t range are my preferred aerospace superiority designs, because vectored movement makes high thrust less important than armor and weaponry, but selecting from the requested 35 to 40t range, I'd opt for the following in alphabetical order by mass:
Picaroon - Immune to thresholds by Med Lasers and has a HPPC that will threshold most fighters, even some with reflective armor.
Poignard - Immune to thresholds by Med Lasers and the three variants have decent weapon selections, apart from the LAC5 on the PGD-Y3.
Zero ZRO-116b - The other Zeros do have great firepower but are vulnerable to Med Laser thresholds on the wings. The Royal Zero is immune to Med Laser thresholds and has strong short to mid range firepower.
Sternensturm - Despite being the most heavily armored, it is vulnerable to Med Laser thresholds from the rear. The strong protection on the other facings and Omni capability allow me to overlook this flaw. Being an Omni does allow it to overcome the sub-standard fuel for longer endurance missions. The firepower is decent its small payload, and the C config is a great choice in a DropShip/WarShip fight. I desperately wish this AFS had just three points of armor moved to the rear.
Given my druthers, I'd prefer a Sternensturm with the armor redistributed as noted above and a smaller engine, reducing the thrust from interceptor levels to give a bigger weapon payload.
