Another lore post, another fun ship to talk about! As before, I will add a concept art image here before too long, G-d willing.
Additionally, the Galaxy Ascendant 3 indiegogo is still ongoing for another week and a half; any support or sharing of the campaign is greatly appreciated! I just finished writing book 4 in the series a few minutes ago, and the success of this crowdfund will greatly help my ability to get more quality books out in a timely manner. That said, enjoy the lore!
Longclaw-class Assault Frigate
Ships of the Line: Swift Strike
Ship Type: Frigate
Manufacturer: Felinar Space Industries
Operator: Royal Felinaris Navy (Swift Strike: Admiral Felivas Kharitzon)
First Deployment: 65 BTA (Before Tyrannodon Arrival)
Length: 350 meters
Width: 137 meters
Height: 213 meters
Crew: 200, in addition to fighter and shuttle pilots
Armament: heavy plasma cannons, particle cannons, ion cannons light plasma cannons, two torpedo launchers (one forward, one aft), three large felinite blades.
Complement: 13 interceptors-class fighters, two shuttles
History & Technical/Development Notes
Once the backbone of the Felinaris navy, the aging Longclaw-class frigates are still a major component of the fleet, and serve in a number of roles, including the support of larger warships, and carrying out hit and jump attacks on enemy positions.
Up until the development of the Longclaw-class, the Felinaris navy had been almost exclusively made up of smaller craft, such as starfighters and gunships, along with a handful of larger craft purchased from others. After another violent, damaging conflict with the Darvian Empire, however, the need for a home-built, effective capital ship class to serve as the core of the battle fleet became apparent. However, given the already well-established emphasis on speed and maneuverability, it was decided to make the center of a new fleet a smaller, frigate-sized ship. Thus, the Longclaw-class was designed, and soon after, the first ships of the class proved themselves in combat, prompting the ordering and production of dozens more.
Over the following decades, following the continued success of the Longclaw-class, new capital ship classes were developed, leading to the recent addition of the Felinar class, but the Longclaw still was by far the most common, most relied upon ship class in the fleet, and to this day, many commanders, prefer Longclaw-class ships, notably including Admiral Felivas Kharitzon, who prefer his old but reliable Longclaw-class ship the Swift Strike, rather than newer, larger vessels such as the Felinar-class.
As with all Felinaris capital ships, the Longclaw’s primary weapons are forward facing, able to fire in a wide arc in front of the ship, and Felinaris combat doctrine prefers for the front of a ship to be facing the enemy to take advantage of their speed and maneuverability. However, the ship is not undefended from its other sides, and also sport a number of point defense weapon systems to complement their single fighter squadron in dealing with enemy starfighters. Most recently, many Longclaws have been upgraded with new sensor-flooding technology, which make one ship appear as many on sensors, confusing targeting systems and making their fast, often closer-range attack runs safer for the crews.
While they are still classified as a frigate, and are of a size more in line with that class, the upgraded Longclaws, with their heavier anti-capital ship weapons, can almost as easily be classified as a light cruiser; especially variants equipped with the latest weapon and shielding upgrades. In line with the Felinaris military ethos of speed and maneuverability being vital, the Longclaw-class still can outpace and outmaneuver any ship of equivalent size, and even some smaller vessels, while packing more of a punch than would be expected of a ship of its size. So long as they’re compatible with newer technology and regularly upgraded, the Longclaw-class is expected to be a major part of the fleet for the foreseeable future.
Writing, Ascendant 