Foxbat Class

name
General Plans and Schematics
Class	Foxbat-class
Type	Fighter/Bomber
Statistics
Price	5,250 credits
Maintenance costs	200 credits per year
Maximum weight	100 tons
Cargo capacity	8 tons
Fuel capacity	800lbs (100 hours)
Crew capacity	2
Armament	One 2 pound autocannon 1,500-round magazine 4 tons of bombs Sixty-four of the following missile types: 50 pound short-range missiles 20 pound medium-range missiles 10 pound long-range missiles
Other equipment	5 tons of armor

[Source]

The GB-106 Foxbat fighter/bomber was a small combat craft and dedicated ground support platform armed with a light autocannon, a variety of missiles, and 4 tons of free-fall bombs. As it was a short-range craft with no pulse drive the Foxbat was either surface-based or operated from ships, typically the Longbow Class patrol cruiser.

Physically, it strongly resembles the Alliance skiff, and was sometimes confused with that atmospheric craft during the heat of battle.

Details

Since I'm counting down by tonnage, my perfect segue into an ASREV is interrupted by the Foxbat-class Fighter/Bomber, found on pg. 75 of Six-Shooters & Spaceships and coming in at 100 tons. It's got vehicle-scale guns (presumably for strafing runs), 3 tons of unspecified bombs, and 64 missiles; either short-range 50 pound missiles, medium range 20 pound missiles, or long-range 10 pound missiles. I don't know the official details of the bombing of Shadow, but enough of these seem capable of doing that kind of damage, and they're perfect for the kind of advance strike force that, in real life, precede dedicated bombers or a landing force, with the ability to lay down suppressing fire, target AA guns and SAM sites, and bomb high-priority targets (e.g. bunkers).

Trivia

• Foxbat is the NATO reporting name for the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25.

Appearances

• Firefly – "Serenity"

Sources

• Six-Shooters & Spaceships