The largest of the three new types of smaller combat vessels commissioned by Earth's militaries is the Tristar-class light cruiser. This vessel was meant to be fold-capable, and to perform the tasks that were not important enough to trouble the larger ships with. In addition, the Tristar's heavy armament and large mecha bay would be a welcome addition to the Battle-class destroyers, even though there were only a few of them.

The Tristar was designed to replace the remaining ARMD and Oberth class spacecraft and supplement the smaller Battle and Banshee clasas ships that the RDF were using at the time. The Ship was equipped with an extensive cannon and missile armanent, as well as considerable mecha numbers. When the REF fleet was formed, most of the completed Tristars were assigned to the fleet. The remainisng ships stayed behind to serve as the largest ships of the Southern Cross's Tactical Space Corps. In all, fourty-one Tristars were built, twenty-two of which served with the REF and the rest with the ASC.

The REF and ASC feidled Tristars in their forces. Unfortunately, these ships proved to be no match for the Triolian Motherships, Battleships and Assault Carries that the ASC's forces faced above Earth. Many of them were destroyed by the Master's forces during the ASC's futile attacks. Most of the few ships that survied the war were destroyed by the Invid. Only one ship of the class survived, the Trident that was in storage on the Moon.

The REF's ships faired little better against the Invid, who destroyed the ships through swarms of mecha arather than direct ship-to-ship combat. The REF's ships were largely replaced with the Garfish class vessels. The survivors were either retired or sent back to Earth.

RPG STATS

Ship's Crew (400 men)

Air Group (680-700 men)

ASC Ships

(2021-2024) 420 SF-9 Pirate Fighters or VF-3 Logans

(2024-2030) 360 SF-9 Pirate Fighters or VF-3 Logans and 60 SA-10 Hornet Attack Planes

(after 2030) 420 VAH-1 AJACS mecha.

or (2021 onwards) 420 SA-7A Corsair III Fighters

Optionally can carry VHT-1 Hovertanks or ASC Battloids, but rarely does so. Often also carries a small compliment of HPA-04 Space Harguns

REF (Human Ships)

96 Marine VF-1 Super Veritechs

144 Naval VF-1 Super Veritechs.

60 Naval VAF-6C Alpha Fighters.

6 VF-1E Recon Veritechs

3 SVR-1 Voyuer recon planes

4 SC-32 Gossamer Cargo Shuttles

REF (Zentraedi Corps Ships)

96 Naval VF-1 Super Veritechs.

60 Naval VAF-6C Alpha Fighters.

190 Z1/Z2 Battlepods

Notable Ships of Class:

UES Tristar (Served with ASC 2014-2030; destroyed 2030 by Master's Flagship)

UES Trident (Served with ASC 2014-2030, Mothballed on moon. Last ASC ship of class.)

UES Thunderbolt (Served with REF 2022-2030; returned to earth with Advance Group, destroyed during Invid Invasion)

MDC BY LOCATION:

	Main Railgun Turret				500
	Main Laser Turret (2)				500
	Particle Beam Turret				500
	Laser Turrets (16)				150 each
	Retractable Laser Turrets (20)			100 each
	Hanger Doors (4)				500 each
	Airlocks/Access Hatches (many)			100 each
	Outer Hull (per 12 meter area)			100
	Interior walls (per 6 meter area)		20
	(1) Command Tower				2500
	Forward Section (1/3)				10,000
	Midsection (1/3)				10,000
	(2) Rear Section (1/3)				15,000
	(3) Main Thrusters (4, Rear)			2000 each

NOTES:

1. Destroying the command tower will instantly kill the command staff and deprive the ship of all forms of long range communications, radar and targeting. The range and targeting capabilities of the secondary systems are equal to that of an Alpha. The ship can still operate, but is at -3 on initiative, -3 to strike, and number of attacks per melee of the weapon systems are reduced by half.
2. Depleting the MDC of the rear section means that the back third of the ship has been destroyed. this includes all engines/thrusters, half of the main mecha hangers, and all personnel, mecha & equipment in those sections when it was destroyed. the ship will be adrift in space without any means of propulsion, and on auxiliary life support. However, the command towers, forward mecha hangers, missile launchers, weapon systems and pinpoint barrier are still fully operational.
3. Depleting the MDC of the main engines will force the ship to rely on its secondary engines. Depleting the MDC of the main engines AND secondary engines will leave the ship adrift in space. If in an atmosphere, the ship will crash (destruction of the main engines will render the antigravity system useless due to loss of power).

SPEEDS:

Speed(sublight): 0.001 speed of light
Speed(conventional Drives): Capable of a sustained 0.25g acceleration until fuel is exhausted (4 hours). 0.5g of acceleration can be sustained for two hours, 1g for one hour, and emergency 1.2 g is available for 20 minutes before auto-engine shutdown. Emergency engines (4 between the main engines) can deliver 1g until fuel exhaustion
Space Fold: Range Unlimited. Note: when the ship uses the fold, it will transport all vessels within a 1-3 km radius of it.
Planet bound:

Flying speed is about mach 3. Capable of breaching the atmosphere and re-entering under its own power.

Maximum Range: Unlimited (Protoculture generator has an estimated 30 year life span)

STATISTICAL DATA:

Length: 410.6m
Height: 90.4m
Width: 81.2m
Weight: 850,000 tons

Fold System:

Robotech Research Group Mk II Fold System (2015-2028) or Mk III Fold System (2029-2035)

Sublight Drive:

SNECMA RB14 local, monopolar-induced gravitic space-time distortion drive.

Gravity Control System: Internal
Auxiliary Engine:

Westinghouse RT-82 Fusion-Plasma Reaction Thrusters with protoculture energizer.

Radar System: Robotech Resaerch Group sensory systems

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

1. One Main Railgun Turret. A non-retractable double-barrelled weapon turret mounted on the forward section of the hull. Designed to suppress other spacecraft. the turret has a 180 degree arc of fire.
   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault/Defence
   • SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-Warship
   • RANGE: 800km (Half in an atmosphere)
   • DAMAGE: 2D6x100 M.D.
   • RATE OF FIRE: Twice per melee
   • PAYLOAD: 120 shots

2. One Main Particle Beam Turret. Mounted forward of the Railgun turret. Designed to supress large spacecraft. It has 180 degree arc of fire.
   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault/Defence
   • SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-Warship
   • RANGE: 320,000km (Half in an atmosphere)
   • DAMAGE:2D4x100 M.D.
   • RATE OF FIRE: Once per melee
   • PAYLOAD: Effectively unlimited.

3. Two Double-Barreled Laser Turrets. A non-retractable double-barrelled weapon turret. Two are located on the upper hull, between the Railgun turret and the Main particle beam turret.. Designed to suppress other spacecraft. The turret has a 180 degree arc of fire.
   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault/Defence
   • SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-Warship
   • RANGE: 320,000km (Half in an atmosphere)
   • DAMAGE: 1D4x100 M.D.
   • RATE OF FIRE: Twice per melee
   • PAYLOAD: Effectively unlimited.

4. Two SRS-2 Anti-Warship Missile Launchers mounted in the top forward area of the main Hull. The launchers fire large ICBM type missiles.
   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault
   • SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-Warship
   • RANGE: 1,286km (Half in an atmosphere)
   • DAMAGE: 1D6x200 M.D. per missile
   • RATE OF FIRE: One at a time or in volleys of 2
   • PAYLOAD: 2 missiles and 6 relaods per launcher
   • NOTES: Self guided, +3 to strike

5. Two SRS-3 Anti-Warship Missile Launchers mounted in the sides of the main hull, facing forwards. The launcher fires large, Skylord ICBM type missiles.
   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault
   • SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-Warship
   • RANGE: 1,286km (Half in an atmosphere)
   • DAMAGE: 1D6x200 M.D. per missile
   • RATE OF FIRE: One at a time or in volleys of 2 or 3
   • PAYLOAD: 3 missiles and 9 relaods per launcher
   • NOTES: Self guided, +3 to strike

6. Sixteen Double-Barreled Laser Turrets are mounted on the ship, six are located near the forward terminus of the sponsons; two dorsal, two ventral and two to the side on each beam. The other four are mounted one to each main engine. 360 degree rotation and a 180 degree arc of fire.
   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault/Defence
   • SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-Warship
   • RANGE: 160,000km (Half in an atmosphere)
   • DAMAGE: 4D6x10 M.D.
   • RATE OF FIRE: Twice per melee
   • PAYLOAD: Effectively unlimited.

7. Twenty Rapid-Fire Laser Turrets are mounted on the ship, Four near the bridge, four each on the top and bottom of the main hull and four on each side. Each is operated by a gunner from within the ship. The +1 strike bonus is added to the gunner's own hand to hand combat bonus (if any). 360 degree rotation and a 180 degree arc of fire.
   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Anti-Mecha
   • SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-Missile
   • RANGE: 2.4 km (Half in an atmosphere)
   • DAMAGE: 1D4x10 M.D.
   • RATE OF FIRE: Six times per melee
   • PAYLOAD: Effectively unlimited.

8. Four Long Range Missile Silos. The ship mounts four missile launching silos, two forward of the main bridge and another two on the underside. The silos are covered until needed, whereupon the large missile doors slide back revealing the launcher. The missiles launch vertically and turn towards their targets. Carries only long-range missiles.
   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Anti-Aircraft
   • SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-Warship
   • MISSILE TYPES: Any type of Long Range Missile can be used. Reflex missiles are commonly used to avoid hitting friendly aircraft.
   • RANGE: Varies
   • SPEED: Varies
   • DAMAGE: Varies
   • BLAST RADIUS: Varies
   • RATE OF FIRE: One at a time or in volleys of 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10
   • PAYLOAD: 10 missiles per silo plus another 80 reloads for a totasl of 90 missiles per launcher.

SYSTEMS OF NOTE:

• ANTIGRAVITY PROPULSION SYSTEM: The Tristar battleshipss are equipped with an anti-gravity propulsion system used for planetary landings and liftoffs. The system is good for vertical ascent/descent only and can lift the ship at speeds of up to 1,320 feet (400 m) per minute. The system will function so long as the main engines can supply energy to it.
• HYPERSPACE COMMUNICATIONS: Based on the same technology as the space fold system, the hyperspace communications relay allows faster-than-light communication between the Tristar ships and other vessels or planetary bases. Hyperspace communications are still not instantaneous, however. Audio/video communication travels through hyperspace at a rate of about 5 seconds per light year, so messages communicated over vast distances can still take days, weeks, or months to arrive.
• LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS: The battleships have sufficient life support to provide breathable air and comfortable temperatures for 32,000 people for up to 12 years (air is recycled). In an emergency the life support system can support up to 120,000 people at one time, though living conditions onboard will get extremely cramped at that point.
• LONG-RANGE LASER/SATELLITE RELAY COMMUNICATIONS: The impressive communications array of the battleship can communicate with up to 1,000 craft simultaneously at ranges of up to 900 miles (1,440 km). This range can be boosted indefinitely by using satellites or other spacecraft as to relay communications.
• LONG-RANGE RADAR: The radar array of the battle carrier is equally as impressive as the communication system, and can track and identify up to 2,000 craft simultaneously. The radar system has a 2,000 mile/3,200 km range.
• SPACE FOLD SYSTEM: For FTL propulsion, the battleship is equipped with a Robotech Research Group Mk II Fold System. The range of the fold drive is theoretically unlimited except by the life expectancy of the spacecraft. The Mark II fold system was somewhat unreliable, so the ships were later refitted with Mark III fold systems
• SUBLIGHT ENGINES: As a backup to the Fold System, the battleship is equipped with a SNECMA RB14 local, monopolar-induced gravitic space-time distortion drive that can propel the craft at speeds up to 0.001 speed of light in space. Note that these engines are mainly intended for rapid movement inside a planetary system and are not suited for long voyages between star systems. In a planetary atmosphere the carrier is limited to subsonic speeds maximum due to hull stress.
• SUBSPACE MASS SENSORS: The Tristar battleships are equipped with subspace sensors, which are based on the same principles as the hyperspace communications array. These sensors can essentially instantly detect mass readings and movement of objects up to 1 AU (93 million miles) distant from the carrier, and the readings are used both for early warning and for navigation when travelling at sublight speeds. Readings taken with the subspace sensors are not very detailed (-25% penalty when trying to identify a detected object) and cannot detect objects of less than 60,000 kg (this includes most mecha).

Designers Notes

Japanese Name: Unknown Super Dimensional Cavalry: Southern Cross

Episodes Seen in: #53, #54, #55, #57, #59

The info on the Tristar is limiteds only to examining the footage of it in action in various episodes.

The designation as a Tristar class ship is taken form the name of General Emerson's flagship.