Pallas PL-Z1

As the Inner Sphere began to tear itself apart in the midst of the First Succession Wars, those out in the Rimward Periphery knew they would need assets to survive, even at their end of the galaxy. Detroit Consolidated contracted their Aerospace wing to develop a cost effective fighter for both planetary and orbital defense and offense capabilities. The Pallas PL-Z1 aerospace fighter was the result, with a total cost of 1,716,773 per unit. Weighing in at 35 tons, the Pallas was powered by a 175-rated Fusion engine and first built in 2811.

Two SRM4 launchers were included, one under each wing. A Large Laser provided a potent direct energy weapon and was equipped in the nose. A single ton of short range missile ammunition was included and stored in the body of the craft. Fifteen single heat sinks easily kept the design cool. One weakness of the Pallas was its fuel load. It included only a two ton tank, giving it limited operational capacity.

With the advancements that came thanks to the Helm Memory Core and the Clan Invasion, Detroit finally updated their design in 3056. The armor was upgraded to Ferro-Aluminum and upped from 8 to 10 tons total, giving it superior protection. The SRM4s were replaced with Streak SRM2 launchers, while the Large Laser in the nose was upgraded to a new Extended-Range model. In addition to these changes, two Medium Pulse Lasers were added as well, making the Z2 a deadly, accurate fighter. The heat sinks were upgraded to double-strength models as well to keep this new armament running cool.

A model built in 3066 as a result of the Trinity Alliance, the Z3 was exported to the Capellan Confederation, Magistracy of Canopus and the Taurian Concordat and featured an eclectic mix of weaponry. Two Light PPCs were stored in the nose while a Thunderbolt 5 launcher was fitted under each wing, with a ton of ammunition for each carried in the body. To make room for these changes, the armor was reduced by one ton. With the armor reduced by a further ton, the Z4 of 3096 came equipped with a Large X-Pulse Laser and two MML5 launchers with a ton each of short and long range ammunition.

A unique version of the fighter was first used in 3119 by a Taurian extremist. Known as the PL-ZX Scorpius, it was rebuilt from the inside out. Powered by a 175 XL Engine, it was protected by 8 tons of Heavy Ferro-Aluminum armor. Each wing carried four racks of Rocket Launcher 15s, while an ER PPC and two Small X-Pulse Lasers were situated in the nose. An Anti-Missile System was installed in the aft and fed by a single ton of ammunition, giving the Scorpius increased survivability.