Editing Charon-class light frigate

{{Title|''Charon''-class light frigate}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{Infobox/Ships
|name            = ''Charon''-class
|image           = [[File:UNSC Aegis Fate.png|300px]]
|caption         = 
|modules         = 
{{Infobox/Ships/Class
|hide-class           = 
|class identification = [[Hull classification symbol]]: '''FFG'''{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}}
|class operator       = *[[CMA Navy]]{{Ref/Film|TFoRAS}}
*[[UNSC Navy]]{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p123}}
|class manufacturer   = [[SinoViet Heavy Machinery]]{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p123}}
|class architect      = 
|class built          = 
|class in service     = [[2501]] or earlier-present{{Ref/Anthology|Id=The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole|Evo|Story=The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole}}{{Ref/Note|The [[Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)]] states that the Charon entered service in [[2520]], which contradicts appearances of two earlier frigates, the insurrectionist vessels [[Bellicose]] and the [[Iliad]]. They where first spotted in [[2501]] and [[2513]] respectively}}{{Ref/Note|Id=ProductionNotes|See [[#Production notes|production notes]] section for full details}}
}}
|hide-characteristics=
|nocollapse      = yes
|type            = [[UNSC frigate|Frigate]]{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22p123|Enc22|Page=123}}{{Ref/Book|Id=H4EVG|H4EVG|Page=186-187}}
|length          = {{Convert|1607|ft|m|sp=us|disp=flip}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p123}}{{Ref/Book|Id=EVG|EVG|Page=74, 76}}{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}}
|width           = {{Convert|510|ft|m|sp=us|disp=flip}}{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}}
|height          = {{Convert|457|ft|m|sp=us|disp=flip}}{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}}
|mass            = 0.65 million tonnes{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p123}}
|power           = 
|maneuver drive  = [[Deuterium fusion reactor|Naoto Technologies: V4/L-DFR]]{{Ref/Site|Id=Bulletin 10.10.12|URL=http://blogs.halowaypoint.com/Headlines/post/2012/10/10/The-Halo-Bulletin-101012-.aspx|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=The Halo Bulletin: 10.10.12|D=30|M=07|Y=2014}}
|slipspace drive = [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine|Series IV CODEN/SFTE]]{{Ref/Reuse|Bulletin 10.10.12}}
|crew            = 782 {{C|includes troop complement and sailors}}{{Ref/Film|Id=FUD 1|H4FUD|Detail=0:36}}
|complement      = 
**At least 2 [[D96 Albatross]]es{{Ref/Map|Id=H3Sandtrap|H3|Sandtrap}}
**At least 2 [[M313 Elephant]]s{{Ref/Reuse|Id=H3Sandtrap|H3Sandtrap}}
**At least 7 [[D77H-TCI Pelican]]s{{Ref/Level|Id=H3TheArk|H3|The Ark}}
**[[M8823 drop pod|M8823 HEVs]]{{Ref/Reuse|H3TheArk}}
**[[M12 Warthog]]s{{Ref/Reuse|H3TheArk}}{{Ref/Reuse|Id=H3Sandtrap|H3Sandtrap}}
**At least 3 [[M808C Scorpion]]s{{Ref/Reuse|H3TheArk}}
**[[AV-14 Hornet]]s{{Ref/Reuse|H3TheArk}}
|troops          = [[UNSC Marine Corps|UNSC Marines]] and [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]]{{Ref/Reuse|H3TheArk}}
|hull            = [[Titanium-A armor]]
|shielding       = 
|sensors         = 
|ew              = 
|armaments       = 
*1 [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|Mark II, Light Coil – 83B6R3/MAC]]{{Ref/Game|Id=H3Model|H3|Charon-class frigate in-game model}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p123}}{{Ref/Reuse|Bulletin 10.10.12}}{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}}
*10 [[M58 Archer missile]] pods{{Ref/Reuse|H3Model}}{{Ref/NoteReuse|ProductionNotes}}
*4 [[M870 Rampart point defense gun|M870 Rampart 50mm point defense guns]]{{Ref/Reuse|H3Model}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p123}}{{Ref/Reuse|Bulletin 10.10.12}}{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}}
|aircraft        =
*3 [[D77-TC Pelican]]s{{Ref/Reuse|H3TheArk}}
*12 [[M8823 drop pod]]s{{Ref/Reuse|H3TheArk}}
|air facilities  = 
*1 primary [[hangar bay]] in the lower mast{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}{{Ref/Reuse|H3TheArk}}
*12 [[drop pod]] launch bays{{Ref/Reuse|H3TheArk}}{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}}
}}
The '''''Charon''-class light frigate''' is a type of [[UNSC frigate|escort ship]] manufactured by [[SinoViet Heavy Machinery]] and formerly in service with the [[CMA Navy]] and [[UNSC Navy]]. Ships of this class are used primarily in fleet escort duties, planetary defense, and the landing & deployment of [[UNSC Marine Corps|mobile troops]].{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p123}}

==Overview==
===Design details===
At 490 meters in length, the ''Charon'' is one of the smaller vessels in UNSC service. It utilises the standard design style followed by its siblings, the {{Class|Paris|heavy frigate}} and {{Class|Stalwart|light frigate}}, with twin hull booms located at the ship's fore - one of which containing the ship's primary keel-mounted [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]]. The sides of the ship contain flight pods with reaction control system (RCS) thrusters and defensive turrets, alongside ventral elevators for loading supplies down onto a planetary surface.{{Ref/Reuse|H3Model}} 

Owing to its enlarged hangar bay, the ''Charon''-class frigate is better suited to landing forces groundside than other frigate classes.{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}} The ship's sublight power plant is a [[Deuterium fusion reactor|Naoto Technologies: V4/L deuterium fusion reactor]]. Translight power is provided by a [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine|Series IV CODEN Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]].{{Ref/Reuse|Bulletin 10.10.12}}{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}} 

===Crew and complement===
The Charon has a maximum crew and complement of 782.{{Ref/Reuse|FUD 1}} It can carry several [[Pelican]] dropships as well as an assortment of ground and air vehicles. These include [[M808 Scorpion]]s and its variants, [[AV-14 Hornet]]s, and various varieties of [[M12 Warthog]]s. 12 [[drop pod]] deployment bays line the aft-most portions of the ship's ventral surface, each capable of deploying an [[M8823 drop pod|M8823 Human Entry Vehicle]].{{Ref/Reuse|H3TheArk}}

The ''Charon'' boasts one of the largest hangar bays by volume of any frigate in the fleet,{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p123}} with the lower hangar fitted with a large opening on its aft wall. Three elevators are installed in the floor of the bay, which can either retract to allow for the launch of its embarked Pelicans, or extended to deploy its fleet of Scorpions and Warthogs to the surface.{{Ref/Reuse|H3TheArk}} 32 lifeboats of unknown class are installed on the ship - three on the port and starboard sides of the [[bridge]], 8 on the upper MAC boom, and five on the ventral hulls of the port and starboard modules.{{Ref/Reuse|H3Model}}

===Armament===
The ''Charon''-class is lightly armed when compared to its peers. With the ship well-suited for carrying and landing troops onto a planet,{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}} its armaments are more geared toward providing local fire support.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22p123}} frigate's primary armament is a [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|Mark II, Light Coil – 83B6R3 Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]].{{Ref/Reuse|Bulletin 10.10.12}} It also boasts 10 [[Archer missile#M58 Archer|M58 Archer missile]] pods, with two lining the port and starboard sides of the upper MAC boom and a further pod mounted on each of the two large "wings" flanking the engines of the ship. A further Archer pod is located on the ventral surface of each of the port and starboard modules, with a final Archer located on the port and starboard sides of the ship's belly, just forward of the SOIEV deployment bays.{{Ref/Reuse|H3Model}}{{Ref/NoteReuse|ProductionNotes}}

Supplementing the MAC and missiles are four dual-mount [[M870 Rampart point defense gun]]s installed on the port and starboard hangar bays, one on the dorsal surface and one below.{{Ref/Reuse|H3Model}}{{Ref/Reuse|Bulletin 10.10.12}}{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}} Additionally, the ''Charon'' sports three [[M4093 Hyperion nuclear delivery system]] silos{{Ref/Reuse|Bulletin 10.10.12}}, which are capable of destroying an unshielded {{Pattern|Zanar|light cruiser}}.{{Ref/Level|H4|Dawn}}{{Ref/Reuse|H4EVG}}

==Ships of the line==
;[[UNSC Navy]]
*{{UNSCShip|Aegis Fate}} (FFG-307)
*{{UNSCShip|Charon}}
*{{UNSCShip|Chioglossa}} (FFG-127)
*{{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}} (FFG-201)
*{{UNSCShip|Providence}} (FFG-334)
*[[Unidentified UNSC frigate (Algolis)|Algolis-based frigate]]

;[[CMA Navy]]
*[[CMA Arabia|CMA ''Arabia'']]
*[[CMA Vostok|CMA ''Vostok'']]

;[[Insurrectionist]]
*''[[Bellicose]]''  - formerly UNSC ''Bellerophon''
*''[[Iliad]]''

==Production notes==
{{Main|Cut Halo 3 vehicles#Frigates}}
During an {{file link|H3 Script FirstDraft.pdf|early draft}} of the ''Halo 3'' script written by Rob Stokes, the role fulfilled by the ''Charon'' in the final game was given to the ''Stalwart''-class originally introduced in ''[[Halo 2]]''. In this early draft, [[Battle Group Victory]] was to consist of [[seven]] vessels, with a handful named as {{UNSCShip|Providence}}, {{UNSCShip|Madrid}}, {{UNSCShip|Ningbo}}, and {{UNSCShip|Ophir}}. The ''Providence'' was an early production name for what would become ''Forward Unto Dawn'' in the final game, and appears in a few pieces of early concept art. During the frigate's production, a concept produced by [[Isaac Hannaford]] depicts a ship by the name of {{UNSCShip|Andraste}} - notably, this design differs in several key areas from the final ''Charon'' design, and was later recreated near 1:1 in ''[[Halo: Reach]]'' as the ''Paris''-class heavy frigate. This artwork would ultimately appear in ''[[The Art of Halo 3]]'' and the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]'', well before ''Reach'' had finished development.

===''Halo 4'' redesign, canon status, and inconsistencies===
The ''Forward Unto Dawn'' was [[UNSC Forward Unto Dawn|drastically redesigned]] in ''[[Halo 4]]'', including a restructured hull and the addition of several point defense guns. Though [[343 Industries]] writer [[Jeff Easterling]] has clarified that the ''Charon''{{'}}s original design is canon,{{Ref/Site|Id=canonfodder|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-have-s-moa|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Have S'moa|D=16|M=3|Y=2021}} the redesign served as the basis of the {{Class|Strident|heavy frigate}}.{{Ref/Book|H4EVG|Page=192}} The ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)]]'' later intentionally used an image of UNSC ''Forward Unto Dawn'' from ''Halo 3'', confirming this intent.

The ''Halo 4''-provided statistics for the weapons complement of the class are inconsistent with the canon ''[[Halo 3]]'' visual design for the frigate. While the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'' did reuse these figures, this Halopedia page has intentionally chosen to ignore these numbers due to the irreconcilable discrepancies. The primary reason here is that the numbers provided for weapons are based on the ''Halo 4'' iteration of the ship, which was [[:File:FUD H3-Hyperion H4-scaled2.jpg|several times larger]] than the canon ''Halo 3'' iteration. While the ''Halo 3'' model is consistent with the stats' single MAC and 4 M870 Rampart defensive turrets, the missile complements are wildly off. The ''Halo 4''-provided stats list 50 M58 Archer missile pods and 3 massive [[M4093 Hyperion nuclear delivery system|M4093 Hyperion silos]] - a missile loadout that would never feasibly be able to fit inside the ship. For comparison, a ''Paris''-class heavy frigate has 26 M58 Archers, a {{Class|Mulsanne|light frigate}} has 20, and the ''Stalwart''-class light frigate has 16. The canon ''Halo 3'' in-game model for the ''Charon''-class frigate has 10 Archer pods, something much more consistent with the other established numbers for the similarly-sized frigates of the UNSC Navy. As such, Halopedia has chosen to ignore 

The 2022 ''Halo Encyclopedia'' introduced a further inconsistency for the ''Charon''{{'}}s service life, establishing the vessel as entering service in [[2520]]. This is contradicted by the insurrectionist-captured ''Charon''s ''[[Bellicose]]'' and ''[[Iliad]]'', which have been observed as active in [[2501]] and [[2513]], respectively. As such, Halopedia has also chosen to treat the 2520 number as a [[Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)#Mistakes|mistake]] within the encyclopedia, until such a time as a clarification can be provided from [[343 Industries]].

==Trivia==
The class potentially is named after either [[Wikipedia:Charon (mythology)|Charon]], a minor god who ferried the souls of the dead to the underworld in Greek mythology, or after a [[Wikipedia:Charon (moon)|natural satellite]] of [[Pluto]].

==Gallery==
{{Linkbox|gallery=yes|gallerypage=Images of Charon-class light frigates}}
===Canon ''Halo 3'' design===
<gallery>
File:H3 SpaceBattle Concept.jpg|Concept art for the [[Battle of Installation 00]], featuring UNSC ''Providence'' and multiple frigates.
File:H3 ProvidenceBattle Concept.png|More concept art, as used in the 2009 ''Halo Encyclopedia''.
File:H3 UNSCAndraste Concept.png|''Charon''-class concept art later reused for the ''Paris''-class in ''Halo: Reach''.
File:H3-UNSCForwardUntoDawnFrigate.png|UNSC ''Forward Unto Dawn''.
File:H3-UNSCFrigateAegisFate.png|UNSC ''Aegis Fate''.
File:Mac.jpg|A trio of ''Charon''s assault the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] near [[Voi]].
File:Storm1.jpg|Two frigates incapacitated by the activation of the [[Portal at Voi]].
File:UNSC Longsword and Frigate siz comaprisson.jpg|A comparison between a [[GA-TL1 Longsword|Longsword]] and a ''Charon''-class frigate.
File:Forward Unto Dawn Landing.jpg|The underside of a ''Charon''-class frigate.
File:UNSC Frigate HEV drop hatches.jpg|A ''Charon''-class frigate's SOEIV hatches (along the center).
File:DawnBase.jpg|A ''Charon''-class frigate lowering its cargo bay for the insertion of ground forces and vehicles onto the battlefield. Note the hinged arms on the right side.
File:Fud bridge.JPG|The bridge of a ''Charon''-class vessel.
File:HM SiegeAtVoi.jpg|The seven ''Charon''s of Battle Group Victory during the [[Battle of Voi]].
</gallery>

===Non-canon ''Halo 4'' design===
<gallery>
File:Planet 1.jpg|The aft half of the ''Dawn'' being pulled into Requiem in the [[Halo 4 announcement trailer|''Halo 4'' announcement trailer]].
File:H4FUD Forward Unto Dawn.jpg|The ''Dawn'' in ''[[Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn]]''.
File:H4 DawnCryoBay Preproduction Concept.jpg|Extremely early pre-production concept art for ''Forward Unto Dawn''s cryo bay in ''Halo 4''.
File:H4-Concept-Dawn-Explorations-1.jpg|Early concepts of the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' for ''[[Halo 4]]''.
File:H4-Concept-Dawn-Explorations-2.jpg|Profile design concepts of the ''Forward Unto Dawn''.
File:H4-Concept-Charon-Frigate.jpg|Finalized concept art of the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' prior to being "halved".
File:H4-Concept-Dawn-Explorations-3.jpg|Engine design concepts of the ''Forward Unto Dawn''.
File:H4-Concept-Dawn-Explorations-4.jpg|Engine design concepts of the ''Forward Unto Dawn''.
File:Infinity fud scale.jpg|Size comparison between the ''Infinity'' and ''Forward Unto Dawn'' in ''Halo 4''.
File:H4fudback.jpg|The ''Dawn''{{'}}s aft half drifting in space in ''Halo 4''.
File:Dawn.jpeg|The ''Dawn''{{'}}s cryobay.
File:H4-Dawn-OperationsRoom.jpg|The ''Dawn''{{'}}s operations room.
File:Covenant fleet surrounding FUD.jpg|Jul 'Mdama's fleet converging around the ''Forward Unto Dawn'' in ''Halo 4''{{'}}s [[Terminal (Halo 4)|terminals]].
File:Megabrand - Forward unto Dawn.jpg|An intact ''Halo 4'' ''Forward Unto Dawn'' signature toy by [[MEGA Brands]].
File:H4 UNSC Forward Unto Dawn render.jpg|A side view of the model used in ''Halo 4''.
File:H4 UNSC Forward Unto Dawn views-renders.jpg|Angled views of the model used in ''Halo 4''.
File:H4TEVG-FUD-AftHalf-Side.png|Model as seen in ''Halo 4''.
File:HE-DawnAft.png|The aft section of the UNSC ''Forward Unto Dawn'' as seen in ''[[Halo: Escalation]]''.
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: First Strike]]'' (2010) {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 3]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]''
*''[[Halo: Helljumper]]''
*''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[Origins]]''
**''[[Prototype]]''
*''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]''
**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Boot Camp|Boot Camp]]''
*''[[Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn]]''
*''[[Halo 4]]''
*''[[Halo: Escalation]]''
*''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series]]''
*''[[Halo Mythos]]''
*''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]''

==Notes==
{{Ref/Notes}}
==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

{{Human Ships}}

[[Category:Charon-class light frigates| ]]
[[Category:Frigate classes]]
[[Category:UNSC ship classes]]
[[Category:CMA ship classes]]