Free Worlds League Military (FWLM)
Aerospace Assets
Standard FWLM Aerospace Organization
| Unit | Component Units | Total Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Lance | 2 aerospace fighters | 2 |
| Squadron | 3 lances | 6 |
| Wing | 3 squadrons | 18 |
| Reinforced Wing | 4 squadrons | 24 |
| Regiment | 3 wings | 54 |
Words of Wisdom
"Deadly yet fragile, aerospace forces are the wild cards in any modern military. Though incapable of holding terrain on their own, they are often the decisive factor in victory or defeat."
From "A Primer of Tactics and Strategy" by Aleksandr Kerensky, SLDF Press, 2742
The Free Worlds League was the first Inner Sphere military power to use recovered-technology aerospace craft in line units and now leads the way in the use of upgraded aerospace designs. Free Worlds factories are currently producing nearly a dozen such designs, ranging from the F-11 Cheetah reconnaissance craft to the heavy F-700 Riever. League areospace designers are also testing numerous prototype craft with advanced avionics and weapons systems; the best known of these being the SHV-O Shiva OmniFighter produced by Andurien AeroTech on Lopez and the LX-2 Lancer aerospace fighter produced by Gutierrez Aerospace on Trellisane. In addition to these advanced designs, the League continues to produce a number of older designs and also imports aerospace craft from other Inner Sphere realms.
League aerospace units fall into two categories: attached units and independant units. Attached units are permanently or semi-permanently assigned to ground units, most often ´Mech forces. Independant aerospace units operate as part of a League fleet. Generally, Free Worlds aerospace assets are grouped according to the standard organizational scheme used by most Inner Sphere militaries.
Most attached units consist of a wing of eighteen aerospace fighters. Those units with their own transport assets are commanded by commodores; those that rely on external transport assets are led by lieutenant commanders. Typically, attached units are integrated with ´Mech forces at a ratio of one aerospace lance per ´Mech company. Ground commanders may be given tactical control over the deployment of attached aerospace units, but such units remain under a separate aerospace chain of command.
Independant units fall into two organizatioanl categories: independant fighter wings and Free Worlds fleets. Independant fighter wings are eighteen-fighter units with their own trasnport assets—usually small groups of DropShips and a single JumpShip. Independant fighter wings are commanded by commodores and deployed as needed at the direction of the League Central Coordination and Command (LCCC).
Each Free Worlds fleet consists of three to six JumpShips and ten to fifteen DropShips. Commanded by admirals or vice admirals, fleets comprise at least one escort fighter wing and represent much of the League´s interstellar transport capabilities. Since 3057, several fleets have been formed around League WarShips, though considerable secrecy surrounds the operations of such fleets.