Kesanion-class frigate

Kesanion-class frigate

The Kesanion-class frigate was a employed by the Royal Navy of the Golden Empire. Consciously modeled on the and the, as well as the outdated Liquidator-class gunship, it was designed for use as an anti- vessel.

Dimensions
At 280 meters, the Kesanion-class frigate was slightly longer than its Lancer model and substantially longer than the Corellian gunship. It bore a close resemblance to the Liquidator-class gunship employed by Khrado Ragnos and Tak Sakaros, although some of the Liquidator's maneuvering engines were sacrificed in order to make space for stronger weapons. It also had a sleeker look than its ancestor ship.

Much of the internal space of the ship was taken up by its engines and weapon systems. Its engines could reach a maximum speed of 80 MGLT, although rotating the ship too quickly could eat away at its velocity.

Armament
The Kesanion frigate boasted twenty s around its body. It also had two batteries, one just behind the bridge and one just before the ship's engines. Given the space consumed by weapons and engines, the frigate's shields were relatively weak for its size.

Crew and complement
875 enlisted personnel and officers served aboard Kesanion-class frigates, along with an additional 50 gunners to run the weapons emplacements. With weapons and engines taking up so much of the ship's interior, it carried no fighter complement.

Service
The Kesanion-class frigate, named for the pilot and Redblade Squadron leader Kesanion, was designed for one duty: anti-starfighter combat. While it did carry two full turbolasers, Tariun Sakaros referred to them as the "lucky shot guns"; if the Kesanion frigates had an open shot on an unprotected capital ship, they would be capable of taking it, but the turbolasers saw little use in actual practice. Iscali and Doloy shipwrights had long arguments about whether to make the ship smaller, reducing its armament but making it a harder target for capital ships to hit, or larger, giving it more weapons and a higher combat profile.

Ultimately, the Royal Navy settled on a larger, more heavily armed craft, although its shield rating was proportionally below average for its size. As a result, Kesanion frigates usually relied on ships of the line to keep enemy capital ships engaged while they went starfighter hunting. The frigate was fast enough to pursue the slowest of enemy fighters, and had its quad laser batteries all around its body to shoot at fighters from many angles. Like the Liquidator gunship before it, the Kesanion was commonly used to follow up a starfighter charge into enemy fighters; the Kesanion would simply fly right into the remainder of the enemy fighter swarm and carve the ships to pieces.

Although most starfighter lasers did not pose a serious threat to Kesanion frigates, enemy bombers could damage or even destroy the frigates if they got within range in a concerted wave. Crews of Kesanion frigates were drilled regularly to prioritize bombers in target acquisition.