Type: Defender Class AA Cruiser In Service: 2767 Number in Service: Star League 10 Capellan Confederation 5 Mass: 650,000 tons KF Integrity: 14 Sail Integrity: 3 Thrust: 4/6 Fuel: 5000 tons SI: 70 Armor: 720 Tons of Lamellor Ferro-Carbide Armor (120 + 7 per side) Heatsinks: 7000 Docking Collars: 2 Small Craft: 0 Crew: 350 Lifeboats: 0 Escape Pods: 70 Grav Deck: 2 both 125 meters Cargo: 54,590 tons Bays: Bay 1: Cargo Weapons: Forward: 4 NAC10 2 Heavy NPPC 10 ER Large Lasers 10 ER PPC 10 LRM20 w/Artemis 20 SRM2 Streak 20 Medium Lasers 10 Gauss Rifles 10 AC/20 20 LB-10X Fore Left/Right: 2 AR10 10 ER Large Lasers 10 ER PPC 10 LRM20 w/Artemis 20 SRM2 Streak 20 Medium Lasers 10 Gauss Rifles 10 AC/20 20 LB-10X LBS/RBS 4 NAC10 4 NL45 3 Heavy Naval PPC Aft Left/Right: 2 AR10 10 ER Large Lasers 10 ER PPC 10 LRM20 w/Artemis 20 SRM2 Streak 20 Medium Lasers 10 Gauss Rifles 10 AC/20 20 LB-10X Aft: 4 NL45 10 ER Large Lasers 10 ER PPC 10 LRM20 w/Artemis 20 SRM2 Streak 20 Medium Lasers 10 Gauss Rifles 10 AC/20 20 LB-10X Ammo: LRM20: 200 tons Steak 2: 100 Tons Gauss: 300 Tons AC20: 200 Tons LB-10X: 300 Tons NAC10: 200 rounds White Shark: 100 missiles Baraccuda: 100 Missiles Overview: The Defender was a very unusual design for a Star League Warship, as it was intended to be used against fighters, rather then other Warships. The Defender class was designed in response to the New Vandenberg Uprisings of 2765, where several Star League ships were lost to massed fighter attacks. The Star League Naval Command finally acknowledged that the use of missiles to defend the fleet against fighters was ineffective, and that future designs would need a mount more capable fighter defenses. As an interim measure, the SLDF worked with Delhi Warships to build a light cruiser capable of defending the fleet against massed aerospace fighter attacks. The design work was almost completed when Amaris took over the Terran Hegemony. As all work on the Defender was being done at DelhiÕs Facility at Capella, the work continued uninterrupted and the final design was presented to the SLDF. The SLDF was pressed for any weapons they could get their hands on, due to the loss of Terra, and immediately accepted the design for production. The funding for production came from a very unusual source. Chancellor Barbara Liao agreed to continue funding of the ships for the SLDF for the duration of the Amaris Crisis. From Liao documents that have been recovered it appears this was not an altruistic gesture on the part of the Chancellor. It appears Chancellor Liao had doubts that the Star League would survive the war and this was a way to provide the Confederation with advanced ship building capability, on par with that of the Terran Hegemony. The first defenders entered service in 2767 and were rushed to the SLDF forces. A total of 10 ships were built before the SLDF left the inner sphere. Production continued for the Confederation after the SLDF Exodus until the Delhi facilities were destroyed by the Free Worlds League in 2789. Capabilities: The Defenders are the most capable AA cruisers ever built. Designed for the single purpose of destroying aerospace fighters, the ships mount an impressive anti-fighter weapons array. This was done at the expense of the capital class weapons, making the ship out matched by all but the smallest corvettes. The Defender uses a variety of anti-fighter weapons to provide a layered defense for the fleet. The ship carries 8 AR10 launchers to provide a first strike capability against enemy aerospace fighter squadrons. For long range defense the ship carries a number of advanced lasers, particle cannons, gauss rifles and LRM missiles. As enemy fighters get closer to the fleet the Defender relies on SRMs, lasers and autocannons to deal with the threat. Particularly deadly are the LB-10x series autocannons which can provide heavy flak cover for the fleet. The Defenders have a very limited capital class weapons array, mounting only a few Naval Autocannons, Medium Naval Lasers and Heavy Naval PPCs. These weapons are intended primarily for use against dropships, which may be supporting the enemy fighters, rather then for use against Warships. SLDF fleet doctrine called for the other fleet elements to screen the Defenders from enemy warships. The armor on the Defender is relatively light, but the ship does make use of the latest Lamellor Ferro-Carbide alloys to improve the protection. While there was some thought to increase the armor protection, this was rejected as the designers felt the armor was adequate for a ship that was not intended to fighter other warships. The ship was provided with enough speed that it can maneuver around many of the ships which it is defending. While the ship did not carry any fighters, the two docking collars were typically use to carry either Leopard CVs or Titan fighter carriers. Deployment: The first 10 Defenders were deployed by the SLDF during the Amaris Crisis. They proved valuable ships and are credited with the destruction of thousands of enemy aerospace fighters. Even so the class took heavy losses with only 2 ships surviving to the Exodus, the SLS Protector and the SLS Guardian. Both ships survived to the formation of the clans. The Protector is in a cache fleet of the Steel Vipers and the Guardian is in the possession of the Snow Ravens. There is some indication that the Steel Vipers want to refit the Protector to use against their foes, the Snow Ravens, but as only the Snow Ravens have the ability to perform the refit, it does not appear that this will happen. The Snow Ravens have, however, begun renovating the Guardian. It appears they plan to use the ship as part of their training program, to teach their pilots how to attack a heavily defended warship. The Capellan Confederation also deployed a total of 5 Defenders during the 1st Succession War. These were built to the exact same specifications as the Star League versions. These ships were primarily deployed against the Free Worlds League which maintained a strong carrier force and numerous Aerospace fighter regiments. In several early battles of the war, the Defenders destroyed several FWL aerospace regiments that attempted to engage the Liao fleets. Many times the Defenders would come racing through the Liao fleet to beat off a wave of aerospace fighters that was attacking a Capallen Warship. The sight of a Defender coming towards a FWL fighter regiment was enough to make the regiment retreat. At the Battle of Calloway VI, the Confederation lost 3 of these ships when the FWL fleet sent several Sian Class Battlecruisers to engage them. The two remaining ships, the CCS Spirit and CCS Phoenix fought with the remnants of the Confederation fleet at Oriente in 2810. The two ships successfully destroyed several aerospace fighter regiments deployed by the FWL carriers. The Spirit was destroyed during the battle when she was caught by 2 FWL destroyers. The Phoenix was badly damaged in the battle of Oriente, but she was able to escape with the remnants of the Confederation Fleet. The ships headed for Anegasaki where the Confederation used the Phoenix to set a trap for the FWL ships that followed. The Phoenix was left orbiting the planet while the Confederation fleet hid behind AnegasakiÕs moon. When the Free Worlds Fleet attacked the Phoenix, the Confederation ships appeared from behind the moon and destroyed the FWL Fleet, but not before the Phoenix was destroyed.