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Combat, defence, and exploration require a number of very specific capabilities. Since no single vessel can be all things in all situations, military and scientific priorities have tended to guide the composition of most known fleets.

​Although there are exceptions, military powers active in the Milky Way galaxy frequently use vessels which fall into the following categories.

Fleet Backbone Vessels

Jump down to Contingency Vessels

Drones

Drones are small, unmanned craft, usually released in swarms as an offensive measure. They can also be sacrificed to absorb incoming ordnance.

​They are capable of navigating without the assistance of a remote operator, and in large numbers they can deal considerable damage.

Fighters

Fighters are one- or two-person combat craft, easily capable of out-manoeuvring large frame vessels during fleet engagements.

They carry their own independent weapon platforms and are capable of making rapid, precise strikes on areas of a target outside the arc of their parent craft's weapons.

Corvettes

Corvettes are small and manoeuvrable ships, armed with medium- and small-calibre rail guns, and ship-to-ship missiles.

​They are generally used for patrol, light convoy escort, and providing numbers in planetary cordons.

Frigates

Frigates are larger than corvettes, but more agile than battleships. They have their primary armaments mounted in a single, continuous run around the mid-line of the hull, and are typically used for patrol in dangerous territories, hostile reconnaissance, and medium convoy escort.

Some species, notably the Viskr, use frigates as the backbone of their entire fleet, believing that many cheap ships give them firing versatility in ship-to-ship encounters.

Destroyers

Destroyers are medium-frame assault platforms capable of dealing considerable damage. Although fast, they are also extremely durable. Their purpose is to protect heavy convoys and battle groups from fast attack vessels such as corvettes, frigates, other destroyers, and torpedo boats.

​Destroyers are typically armed with medium- and large-calibre rail guns, ship-to-ship missiles, and the full range of defensive counter-measures.

Battleships

A ship-of-the-line, the battleship is the smallest of the large-frame vessels. They generally carry substantial armour, and the full gamut of offensive weapons with the exception of cutting beams, which their reactor output will not support.

​Their main purpose is to provide heavy fire during fleet engagements. They may also be used as a relatively cheap means of protecting task forces travelling to areas where enemy presence is possible, but not anticipated.

Cruisers

A cruiser is a large-frame ship which borrows from other designs to provide a general purpose mission platform.

Cruisers vary widely in their specifications, however what they have in common is that they are good at many things and great at few of them.

Cruisers form the bulk of many planetary defence fleets.

Carriers

Carriers are large-frame vessels which are principally intended to deliver other assets to combat areas. Their complements usually include a large number of fighters, thousands of drones, and enough landers and troops to put an entire battalion on the surface of a planet in one drop.

Carriers are equipped with precision rail guns, and frequently assist battle groups from far behind the lines.

Dreadnoughts

A ship-of-the-line, the dreadnought is a huge vessel which might as well be considered a mobile fortress. Heavily armed and armoured, dreadnoughts typically have significant tactical capabilities, and will always be used aggressively in combat.

Ships of the heavier designs may carry a cutter. This is a laser-based weapon capable of slicing into another ship, which carries a huge energy overhead.

Contingency Vessels

Jump up to Fleet Backbone Vessels

Breaching Pods

A breaching pod is a small tactical shuttle which can adhere itself to an enemy ship's hull, and penetrate to the ship interior. It is used for delivering combat forces to unfriendly vessels.

Because of the tactical risks involved in boarding another craft in this way, breaching pods are not often used by the Imperial Navy. 

Shuttles

A shuttle is a relatively small craft capable of ferrying small groups of passengers and a limited cargo. They are able to dock with ships and stations, or land on terrestrial planets.

Shuttle armour and weapons are usually minimal, albeit enhanced easily. Some Imperial shuttles use stealth plating in place of (or alongside) skinprinting.

Landers

Landers are relatively large armoured craft, designed to ferry troops and small vehicles between ships and planets. They carry conventional countermeasures such as chaff, and are hardened against electronic interference.

Landers can accommodate an entire CAGA platoon and one Kodiak ground vehicle, or two kodiaks when fewer troops are aboard.

Lifters

Lifters are designed to do one thing: LIFT.

They are frequently used to drop Gorilla ground superiority platforms to combat zones, and to retrieve them.

They are also useful for quickly deploying modular buildings on the surface of planets, such as the field hospital used by Life and Rescue on the surface of Woe Tantalum (→LOTD).

Torpedo Boats

A torpedo boat is a small, fast vessel whose sole purpose is to harry enemy formations with rapid torpedo strikes.

Torpedo boats carry minimal armour, however they are extremely nimble as a result. With low inertia they are able to pull rapid reorientation manoeuvres and launch torpedoes at vulnerable targets. 

Guardian Shields

A guardian shield is a vast, roughly-hewn dish, propelled by a long drive module stemming from the centre of the aft surface. No two guardians are exactly alike.

Their purpose is to provide a physical "umbrella", behind which friendly ships can shelter from enemy fire. In the right hands, guardian shields can be used to great tactical advantage.