I don't know of any reason they wouldn't go for a mixed force reminiscent of the SLDF lineup. All the other Clans seem to have done so.
In an AU where they just don't get reaved they use the same fighters and omnifighters as everyone else. Maybe there's one extra design they developed, but everyone probably else also uses it.
In an AU where they get driven from the Clans but survive they'd have access to their enhanced PPC plus the generally available pre-3823 Clantech: the improved LRMs, SRMs, autocannons, gauss rifle, large laser, and LPL. They presumably also have access to the designs of the Royal and Kerensky Emergency Production model ASF published in association with the Operation Klondike materials.
I consider the STU-K5b the best assault fighter for these swaps. The AHB-443b Ahab gets 10 tons from the missile swap, but a 90 ton fighter has no business deploying NARC pods. If they must be deployed from a fighter it should be something cheap that you don't mind losing and a big, expensive bird should come in only after there are already NARC pods stuck to the target. With the Stuka fitting four Enhanced PPCs I think it's quite nice even if it only frees up one ton from the autocannon swap.
Stuka STU-K5bw
Mass: 100 tons
Frame: Unknown
Power Plant: 300 XL
Cruising Speed: 54 kph
Maximum Speed: 86.4 kph
Armor: Ferro-Aluminum
Armament:
1 PPC
5 Medium Laser
4 Enhanced PPC
1 AC/20
1 Improved Autocannon/20
Manufacturer: Unknown
Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 2823
Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-E-X-X
Cost: 16,750,500 C-bills
Type: Stuka
Technology Base: Clan (Experimental)
Tonnage: 100
Battle Value: 3,115
Equipment Mass
Engine 300 XL 9.5
Safe Thrust: 5
Max Thrust: 8
Structural Integrity: 10
Heat Sinks: 30 [60] 20
Fuel: 400 5.0
Cockpit 3
Armor Factor (Ferro) 297 15.5
Armor
Value
Nose 92
Wings 72/72
Aft 61
Weapons
and Ammo Location Tonnage Heat SRV MRV LRV ERV
Medium Laser NOS 1.0 3 5 0 0 0
Improved Autocannon/20 NOS 13.0 7 20 0 0 0
2 Enhanced PPCs RWG 14.0 15 12 12 12 0
Improved Autocannon/20 Ammo (15) FSLG 3.0 - - - - -
2 Enhanced PPCs LWG 14.0 15 12 12 12 0
2 Medium Lasers AFT 2.0 3 5 0 0 0
In the dogfighting role my pick would be the IRN-SD1b Ironsides. No weight savings, but two ERPPCs go enhanced and five SRM-6s get improved into medium range weapons. The short ammo endurance is very clanlike. The other good option is the Rapier, which frees up 8 tons (20 tons of FAA would turn this fragile heavy into a serious brick, or even 17 tons of FAA with Guardian ECM and BAP) Alternately it could return to its PPC roots saving only 6 tons and needing to put half of them into freezers. The royal Corsair has no swaps to make, the royal Lightning only saves 2 tons on its gauss rifle, and the royal Eagle only saves 3 on its LPLs.
Ironsides IRN-SD1bw
Mass: 65 tons
Frame: Unknown
Power Plant: 260 XL
Cruising Speed: 64.8 kph
Maximum Speed: 97.2 kph
Armor: Ferro-Aluminum
Armament:
1 ER PPC
3 Medium Laser
5 Improved SRM 6
2 Enhanced PPC
2 SRM 6
Manufacturer: Unknown
Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 2823
Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-X-X-X
Cost: 8,900,445 C-bills
Type: Ironsides
Technology Base: Mixed (Experimental)
Tonnage: 65
Battle Value: 2,175
Equipment Mass
Engine 260 XL 7
Safe Thrust: 6
Max Thrust: 9
Structural Integrity: 6
Heat Sinks: 15 [30] 5
Fuel: 400 5.0
Cockpit 3
Armor Factor (Ferro) 220 11.5
Armor
Value
Nose 67
Wings 51/51
Aft 51
Weapons
and Ammo Location Tonnage Heat SRV MRV LRV ERV
Medium Laser RWG 1.0 3 5 0 0 0
Improved SRM 6 RWG 3.0 4 8 0 0 0
3 Improved SRM 6s NOS 9.0 4 8 0 0 0
2 Enhanced PPCs NOS 14.0 15 12 12 12 0
Improved SRM 6 Ammo (30) FSLG 2.0 - - - - -
CASE FSLG 0.5 - - - - -
Medium Laser LWG 1.0 3 5 0 0 0
Improved SRM 6 LWG 3.0 4 8 0 0 0
The SLDF is swimming in fast dogfighters. My pick would be the TKH-63b Tomahawk, which saves 2 tons with improved LLs, has an ERPPC to upgrade to Enhanced, and already acceptable if not great armor. And it's faster than the competition. The RGU-133Eb Rogue saves 7 tons improving its LRMs but has tinfoil for armor and little in the way of non-missile armament. Fixing these problems is kind of mutually exclusive. The HCT-213C Hellcat II saves 2 tons. The SPD-503 saves only 1 ton and desperately needs it as armor which still wouldn't be anything to write home about. The ZRO-116b Zero also saves only a ton and only matches the Tomahawk for armor.
Tomahawk THK-63bw
Mass: 45 tons
Frame: Unknown
Power Plant: 270 XL
Cruising Speed: 86.4 kph
Maximum Speed: 129.6 kph
Armor: Ferro-Aluminum
Armament:
1 ER PPC
1 Enhanced PPC
2 Improved Large Laser
1 Large Laser
Manufacturer: Unknown
Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 2823
Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-X-X-X
Cost: 5,914,851 C-bills
Type: Tomahawk
Technology Base: Mixed (Experimental)
Tonnage: 45
Battle Value: 1,826
Equipment Mass
Engine 270 XL 7.5
Safe Thrust: 8
Max Thrust: 12
Structural Integrity: 8
Heat Sinks: 12 [24] 2
Fuel: 400 5.0
Cockpit 3
Armor Factor (Ferro) 240 12.5
Armor
Value
Nose 72
Wings 61/61
Aft 46
Weapons
and Ammo Location Tonnage Heat SRV MRV LRV ERV
Improved Large Laser RWG 4.0 8 8 8 0 0
Enhanced PPC NOS 7.0 15 12 12 12 0
Improved Large Laser LWG 4.0 8 8 8 0 0
In the interceptor role the only candidates appear to be the SB-27b Sabre, SB-28 Sabre, the TRN-3Tb Trident, none of which use anything that can be replaced with early Clan equipment. This is the role for which I would first leave the SLDF legacy spaceframes behind, or at least their thrust profiles. I might assay a 280 or 315 XLFE in a Zero before resorting to a clean sheet design.
Zero II ZRO-116bw
Mass: 35 tons
Frame: Unknown
Power Plant: 315 XL
Cruising Speed: 118.8 kph
Maximum Speed: 183.6 kph
Armor: Ferro-Aluminum
Armament:
1 Large Pulse Laser
1 Improved Large Pulse Laser
2 Medium Pulse Laser
Manufacturer: Unknown
Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 2823
Tech Rating/Availability: E/X-X-X-X
Cost: 5,018,836 C-bills
Type: Zero II
Technology Base: Mixed (Experimental)
Tonnage: 35
Battle Value: 909
Equipment Mass
Engine 315 XL 11
Safe Thrust: 11
Max Thrust: 17
Structural Integrity: 7
Heat Sinks: 10 [20] 0
Fuel: 400 5.0
Cockpit 3
Armor Factor (Ferro) 192 10
Armor
Value
Nose 61
Wings 43/43
Aft 45
Weapons
and Ammo Location Tonnage Heat SRV MRV LRV ERV
Improved Large Pulse Laser NOS 6.0 10 9 9 0 0
If the Wolverines were the Blood, C* would have all the pre-3823 Clantech. And at least in aerospace applications I'm pretty sure VSPLs are a terrible idea, especially when your LPLs only weigh 6 tons. Given these early Clan starting points and a demonstration of what the Clans did with them I'd expect the Wobbies to not mess around with gimmicks and try to go straight for mature Clan pulse laser technology. If they succeed, obviously all pulse lasers would be clan standard, but the Wolverines already have the weight savings on the LPL that effect what pod loadouts fit in their Spectral omnifighters.
I'd expect the Shade Invictus to ditch the HPPC for an EPPC and something like a third MPL and a ML. Dominus instead of an LRM-15 gets an improved LRM-20, a third ton of LRM ammo, and a fifth ERML in the nose. Luminos gets two more freezers from the switch to improved LPL.
Rusalka Invictus trades its ERPPC for an EPPC and its LRM-15 for an LRM-20 and a couple tons of ammo. Dominus only saves a ton improving the LPL and I think it goes into missiles because those bins are a bit light. Infernus is silly and doesn't exist. Luminos saves 2 tons improving its LPLs and another 3 trading the HPPC for an EPPC and it looks like it could stand to put all 5 tons into more freezers.
Striga Invictus trades its HPPCs for EPPCs. With all that weight savings it adds an improved LPL in the nose. Infernus trades all the VSPLs for improved LPLs, adds one more freezer, and sticks in an ECM and BAP because it has the space. And lastly, Luminos simply trades all three ERPPCs for EPPCs.
