UNSC frigate: Difference between revisions

|image          = [[File:HaloReach - UNSCFrigate.png|350px]]<br>[[File:UNSC Aegis Fate.png|350px]]<br>A ''Paris''-class heavy frigate (top) and a ''Charon''-class light frigate.

|class          = [[Frigate]]

|width          = Variable:

|hull            = {{Convert|60|cm|ftin}} [[Titanium-A armor|titanium-A battle plate]]

|armament        = *[[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]] (1)

*{{Class|Shiva|nuclear missile}}s (1-3)<ref name="Reach111">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 111''</ref>

*[[Directed-energy weapon]]s (Anlace-Class)<ref name="cits">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/calm-in-the-storm '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Canon Fodder: Calm in the Storm'']</ref>|complement      =

|affiliation    = [[UNSC Navy]]

 

==Background==

[[File:Halo Legends - Origins II - EarlyShips.png|thumb|left|250px|Some early frigate designs over [[Earth]].]]

During the [[Human-Covenant War]], UNSC frigates were barely considered a match for even the smallest of Covenant warships. Their armor was susceptible to enemy point-defense [[Pulse laser turret|pulse lasers]] and [[Plasma turret|plasma torpedoes]], and it is outfitted with substandard weaponry. Only ''en masse'' did the UNSC frigate give any UNSC fleet element an advantage against even inferior numbers of Covenant [[capital ship]]s. By 2552, UNSC frigates designs became more technologically advanced as seen with both the [[Strident-class heavy frigate]] and the [[Anlace-class frigate]].

The frigate's speed and maneuvering are its advantage, however, allowing UNSC frigates to provide fire support to other UNSC fighter craft such as [[YSS-1000 Sabre|Sabre]]s or [[GA-TL1 Longsword|Longsword]]s and engage both multiple enemy single ship fighters, such as [[Type-27 Exoatmospheric Multi-role Fighter|Banshee interceptors]] or [[Seraph]]s, and light enemy warships simultaneously; its speed allows it to put down fire on an enemy ship while being able to avoid a large amount of fire from largely superior [[Plasma turret|Covenant weaponry]].<ref>'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[Long Night of Solace (level)|Long Night of Solace]]''</ref> In addition to this, its small size and role as a troop carrier vessel make it ideal for supporting ground operations in planetside theaters of action, capable of laying down suppressive fire against Covenant ground forces while deploying its complement of aircraft and marines to bolster UNSC forces on the surface.

Some frigate classes, namely the ''Charon''-class, also have a large loading [[elevator]] in their rear section which is capable of extending out of the ship's ventral side to deploy vehicles or cargo directly to the ground.<ref>'''Halo 2'''</ref><ref name="h3">'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level ''[[The Ark]]''</ref> The {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}} featured a large rear section which had the capacity of holding several [[D77H-TCI Pelican|Pelicans]] in addition to numerous ground vehicles. These hangar floor elevators have been seen operating in two different modes; the single-sided hinges on the elevator are able to swing down 90° in order to allow aircraft like Pelicans to drop vertically out of the hangar for quick deployment.{{Ref/Reuse|h3}} So far the frigate is the only UNSC warship that has been seen landing and deploying vehicles directly to the surface of a planet (or Installation 00 in the ''Dawn'''s case).

==Specifications==

[[File:Halo3 - MAC muzzle.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The MAC barrel on a UNSC frigate.]]

*1 '''[[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]]''' which is able to fire one round per charge. The MAC runs between one- and two-thirds of a Frigate's total length. MACs are typically spinally mounted to a frigate, though they are not on at least one post-war frigate class.<ref>''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''</ref><ref>[http://community.spartangames.co.uk/index.php?/topic/16805-halo-waypoint-update-with-spartan-new-ships/&do=findComment&comment=303472 '''Spartan Games''': ''Halo Waypoint Update with Spartan - NEW SHIPS!'']</ref>

*3 '''[[Shiva-class nuclear missile]]s''' serve as heavy ordnance.

*40 '''[[Archer Missile|Archer missile pods]]''' which carry around thirty missiles per pod, adding up to a total of 1200 missiles.

*4-12 '''[[50mm point defense guns]]''' function as the last line of defense against [[Type-31 Seraph|single ships]] and incoming missiles, with the ability to later retract into the vessel. They are used for aerial bombardment on occasion. The model and amount of guns possessed by each ship varies by class.

No precise figures are available regarding the crew of a frigate, although numbers have been speculated. Like larger ships, a detachment of Marines and possibly ODSTs would be present onboard. The crew number includes deck crews as well as the command crew, Marines, ODSTs, dropship pilots, and technical personnel. The number of personnel a single frigate is capable of housing numbers at least within the thousands.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 220''</ref> Since many frigates have been seen in ground support roles, it is likely that the complement of Marine and ODST personnel on board is higher in percentage than other ships that are more dedicated to space combat.

In [[2552]] [[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Johnson]] was supposedly able to singlehandedly control the frigate {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}} to aid [[SPARTAN-II Program|Spartan]] [[John-117]] and [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]] on the [[Installation 08|newly rebuilt Halo]], though an auto-pilot function was available with the use of the ship's onboard [[Navigation computer|navigational computer]]. An [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] can monitor and regulate all critical functions without human intervention.

*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''

*''[[Halo Mythos]]''