Author's note: Any resemblance between this fighter and certain craft from the Star Wars Legends continuity is strictly coincidental..
LombardClan Wolf's migration from its original occupation zone turned out to be disastrous for all involved, with the Free Worlds League and the Lyrans both suffering heavy losses at the hands of the new Wolf Empire. Even for the wolves themselves, the price was heavy, leaving behind decades of industrial and infrastructure development that once supported the Touman to start over practically from scratch on newly conquered worlds. The fleet in particular suffered greatly from the loss of its existing support structure and the delay in establishing production of replacement equipment. With enemies and potential enemies on all sides, including the almost insanely aggressive Jade Falcons, the fleet found itself stretched dangerously thin.
To supplement the fleet, Khan Seth Ward (in one of his last acts before his assassination) called on his scientists and engineers to develop a low cost heavy attack platform to support fleet operations. After a greatly abbreviated development time, the first Lombards were flying just in time for the battle of Hesperus II. Key to this rapid turnover from design to production was the use of existing, proven designs, in this case the engine and spaceframe of the venerable Riever heavy fighter. Using examples recovered from Free Worlds forces during the invasion, engineers were able to quickly produce the tooling and equipment necessary to bring the craft into production on Stewart. For the fighter's primary armament, engineers went with a tremendous battery of long range missiles, providing a huge punch, but limited penetration against heavy armor. In addition, even with ten tons of munitions, the craft's ammo load was barely adequate to its needs.
The fighter's heavy armor (as well as its single secondary laser) were the only real hitches in the design process, and clear examples of the "scope creep" that would plague later variants of the design. Despite relatively low supplies, the Warrior Caste insisted the Lombard be armored with Ferro-Lamellor armor, providing terrifying protection, but also tying production to a limited number of foundries and expensive imports from the Sea Fox clan. The improved heavy laser that serves as the sole backup weapon caused similar problems, though to much less of a degree, and pilots are happy to have the punch provided by the laser when their munitions bins run dry.
Deployment:
A full star of Lombards was in service in time for the battle of Hesperus II. Though originally intended for spaceborn operations, the fighters primarily saw action in air to air and ground support roles during prolonged campaign, becoming a feared sight for both the mechwarriors and pilots of the Falcons alike. Their heavy armor served them well during the campaign, with no Lombards lost in air to air combat and only two to ground fire, while accumulating nearly two dozen air and ground kills between them. Reputedly, the craft's legendary durability also worked against the Wolf clan, as both the Jade Falcons and the Lyran relief force were each able to recover a reasonably intact example from the fighting. The appearance of Lombards among Wolf in Exile and Hells Horse forces can be directly linked to these craft.
The Wolves continue production of the Lombard at their factory on Stewart, with first priority going to the ships of the fleet, though the fighter is also appearing in point strength among garrison units scattered across the Empire. Both the Wolves in Exile and the Hells Horses have also begun producing the design, with the Exiles apparently reserving the craft exclusively for the defense of Arc Royal. The Horses have primarily dispersed their Lombards to garrison postings, though reportedly a star of fighters have been transfered to Jade Falcon control.
Variants:
Though entirely capable in its designed role, the Wolves seem unwilling to leave well enough alone, especially with the fighter appearing in the ranks of their enemies. Their first update to the fighter was the Lombard 2, which incorporates an extralight engine to allow for advanced missile control systems and even more armor protection. The Lombard 3 was probably a natural follow on, trading the original missile racks for advanced tactical missile systems. A positively ridiculous amount of ammunition backs these launchers, but accommodating each type of ATM ammunition means that stocks of any one type are quite lean. Finally, a variant in operation with the Exiled Wolves drops the missile launchers entirely for half a dozen large pulse lasers. Though the cooling system is completely inadequate for the full warload, the Exiles believe the Lombard 4 will be far more effective against modern spaceborn targets protected by heavy point defense, while also requiring much less logistical support.
Clan experimental
100 tons
BV: 3,446
Cost: 8,680,500 C-bills
Movement: 5/8
Engine: 300
Heat Sinks: 20 [40]
Structural Integrity: 10
Armor: 336 (Ferro-Lamellor)
Armor
-----------------------------
Nose 102
Left Wing 82
Right Wing 82
Aft 70
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
LRM 15 RWG 5
LRM 15 RWG 5
LRM 15 RWG 5
LRM 15 LWG 5
LRM 15 RWG 5
LRM 15 LWG 5
LRM 15 LWG 5
LRM 15 LWG 5
Improved Heavy Medium Laser NOS 7
Ammo Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
LRM 15 Ammo LWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo LWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo RWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo LWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo RWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo RWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo LWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo RWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo RWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo LWG 8
Lombard 2
Clan experimental
100 tons
BV: 3,881
Cost: 19,409,250 C-bills
Movement: 5/8
Engine: 300 XL
Heat Sinks: 20 [40]
Structural Integrity: 10
Armor: 357 (Ferro-Lamellor)
Armor
-----------------------------
Nose 108
Left Wing 87
Right Wing 87
Aft 75
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
Improved Heavy Medium Laser NOS 7
LRM 15 RWG 5
LRM 15 RWG 5
LRM 15 RWG 5
LRM 15 RWG 5
LRM 15 LWG 5
LRM 15 LWG 5
LRM 15 LWG 5
LRM 15 LWG 5
Ammo Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
LRM 15 Ammo RWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo RWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo RWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo RWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo RWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo LWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo LWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo LWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo LWG 8
LRM 15 Ammo LWG 8
Equipment Loc
----------------------------------
Artemis IV FCS RWG
Artemis IV FCS RWG
Artemis IV FCS RWG
Artemis IV FCS RWG
Artemis IV FCS LWG
Artemis IV FCS LWG
Artemis IV FCS LWG
Artemis IV FCS LWG
Lombard 3
Clan experimental
100 tons
BV: 3,760
Cost: 19,334,250 C-bills
Movement: 5/8
Engine: 300 XL
Heat Sinks: 20 [40]
Structural Integrity: 10
Armor: 357 (Ferro-Lamellor)
Armor
-----------------------------
Nose 108
Left Wing 87
Right Wing 87
Aft 75
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
Improved Heavy Medium Laser NOS 7
ATM 12 LWG 8
ATM 12 RWG 8
ATM 12 RWG 8
ATM 12 LWG 8
Ammo Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
ATM 12 Ammo RWG 5
ATM 12 Ammo RWG 5
ATM 12 Ammo RWG 5
ATM 12 Ammo LWG 5
ATM 12 ER Ammo RWG 5
ATM 12 ER Ammo RWG 5
ATM 12 ER Ammo RWG 5
ATM 12 ER Ammo LWG 5
ATM 12 HE Ammo RWG 5
ATM 12 HE Ammo RWG 5
ATM 12 HE Ammo RWG 5
ATM 12 HE Ammo LWG 5
ATM 12 HE Ammo LWG 5
ATM 12 HE Ammo LWG 5
ATM 12 ER Ammo LWG 5
ATM 12 ER Ammo LWG 5
ATM 12 Ammo LWG 5
ATM 12 Ammo LWG 5
Lombard 4
Clan experimental
100 tons
BV: 3,294
Cost: 7,723,500 C-bills
Movement: 5/8
Engine: 300
Heat Sinks: 22 [44]
Structural Integrity: 10
Armor: 336 (Ferro-Lamellor)
Armor
-----------------------------
Nose 102
Left Wing 82
Right Wing 82
Aft 70
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
Improved Heavy Medium Laser NOS 7
Large Pulse Laser RWG 10
Large Pulse Laser LWG 10
Large Pulse Laser RWG 10
Large Pulse Laser LWG 10
Large Pulse Laser RWG 10
Large Pulse Laser LWG 10
