Syphoon class light carrier
Max. Crew: 450 crewmembers
Min. Crew: 120 crewmembers
Atmospheric Flight Capability: No
Length: 720 meters
Weapons:
- 11 Light Laser Turrets (Old Models)
- 8 Medium Plasma Point Defence Cannon Turrets (New Models)
Cargo Capacity: 400m³
Fighters: 70 fighters, 3 shuttles
Shields: Medium Energy Shields (MOD 7)
The Syphoon class Light Carriers were designed during the first year of the Peace Station's operation (insert date here). The carriers were meant to act as fast platforms for the delivering of fighters to the battle zone, and also to act as support ships for larger fleet operations. The Syphoon was also designed to be able to operate on its' own as an individual ship and also to act as a small, independent carrier group for smaller operations and especially scouting. Naturally the weapon systems of the ship didn't really support this plan, but the amount of fighters it carried enabled it to use the fighters as the defensive shield around it, if needed.
The Gigerdi Federation originally had 70 of these carriers built, but during the Secession War and the creation of the Gigerdi Confederation, seven of them were acquired by the Confederal side of the Gigerdians. The two of these ships, which by far are the most famous of the Syphoon carriers around, were the Lexinton and the Intrepid. These two were both destroyed during following conflict with the Timocracy, and when the two Gigerdian governments were reunited, the remaining carriers continued service under a new flag.
The Syphoon class served through the Gigerdian-Bacterian War, but sadly the Lightness War was a bit too much for this old design. During and after the conflict, most of the remaining Syphoon carriers were transferred to the GACDF, which made it their standard carrier in use on operations. The Syphoon class was in fact the standard carrier for the GA especially during the war with the Bacterians, in which it was first used in the role it was originally designed for; as a fleet support ship backing up larger fleets with its' fighters, not operating on its' own like quite often in the Confederal side of the Gigerdians during the Timocracy War.
In terms of design, the Syphoon class was basically just a hangar with a starship built around it to house the crew and the pilots. The large arrow-shaped hangar of the ship went through the entire vessel, enabling pilots to land their fighters from either the back or the front of the ship. The fighter squadrons were usually parked on the hangar deck, and in case of a scramble alert, pilots could run from their quarters to the fighters quickly and launch into battle in a matter of minutes.
The bridge of the vessel was located as a tall, visible tower in the back of the carrier. This was a clear weakness, which especially the Timocracy and later on the Bacterians learned to take advantage of.
The Hephaestus Republic also acquired one of the Syphoon class carriers during their wars of independence, naming it the Yamoto class.
