Sanada Sa-38 Zaosan

The Sanada Sa-95 Zaosan is an Imperial bomber spacecraft developed by Sanada Heavy Industries for the Imperial Navy. It is the primary fleet bomber spacecraft of the Imperial Navy.

Development
Development of the Sa-95 was long and tumultuous, beginning in the 270s as a search for a successor to the long-serving Ka-03 Enosan bomber. After a long series of studies, Sanada Heavy Industries won the design contest for what would emerge as the first iteration of the Sa-95, though at this stage of development the craft still used the typical Niinuma Dynamics twin ion engine arrangement for power. The combination of the high cost of the new spacecraft, the introduction of the new anti-ship missile, and the 280 upgrade program of the Ka-03 to Ka-03 Kai San standard, significantly affected the need for the Sa-95. This led to the program being cancelled in 281, after three prototypes had been built.

Following the Empire-Union War of 287, the Sa-95 project was resurrected as the Ka-03 spaceframe finally began showing the weaknesses of its age during the war, where Imperial bombers were easily outclassed by their Interstellar Union equivalents. One particular complaint by frontline commanders was the Ka-03's inability to carry and deploy the most modern Imperial long-range anti-ship missiles due to the configuration of its internal weapons bay. This capability existed on the Sa-95 prototype, though was not thought to be important enough when the program had been cancelled before due to Imperial Navy tactical doctrine favouring direct capital ship attacks on enemy vessels over bomber strikes.

By this time, Sanada Heavy Industries had bought over the New Axis-based Kakurega Development Corporation, which had developed the highly experimental Particle Destroyer Engine several years prior. This was a radical new propulsion technology which had never been used on such small combat craft before, and promised to solve the speed issues with the Sa-95 prototypes. Two of the three prototypes were heavily redesigned to incorporate the Particle Destroyer Engine technology, and underwent heavy testing.

With the new engine, the Sa-95 prototypes were deemed a success and a worthy replacement for the venerable Ka-03. The first Sa-95s were delivered in late 294 to selected Imperial Navy bomber squadrons, with the type achieving full operational status in 295. As of 307, the Sa-95 has already replaced the Ka-03 in over 80% of Imperial Navy bomber squadrons, and it is considered the primary fleet bomber of the Imperial Navy's order of battle.

General characteristics

 * Crew: 2
 * Length: 21.2 m
 * Wingspan: 13.4 m
 * Height: 4.3 m
 * Powerplant: 1 × Sanada-Kakurega Maa-1-1 Particle Destroyer Engine

Armament

 * Guns: 1 × Sanada Armaments Type-92 pulse-beam gun
 * Ordnance:
 * 4 × 2-cell anti-ship missile launcher
 * 2 × 6-cell multipurpose light missile launcher
 * Hardpoints:
 * 6 × external hardpoint
 * 20-slot internal bomb bay