Banshee Class Frigate

(Version 1.00 - Last Modified: 07/20/2005)

After the Zentraedi Holocaust and Kyron's defeat, the Robotech Defense Forces started rebuilding the Earth's defenses and assembling the Expeditionary Force. During this period, two almost identical requirements surfaced in the Southern Cross Aerospace Forces; one for a medium frigate capable of engaging a Tou Redir sized ship and one for a medium frigate to patrol the outer planets of the solar system. The Robotech Defense Force combined these requirements and the result was the Banshee class. These ships were jacks-of-all-trades. As the smallest major combatants available, they aided larger ships with mecha defense in the Southern Cross Aerospace Forces and added their firepower to that of the larger ships. The Southern Cross also bought a number of Banshee class frigates for use in the outer system.

Although originally designed to fight the Zentraedi, the frigates found themselves pitted against the Robotech Masters and the Invid. The comparable craft in the Tirolian Forces was the Roil Tiluvo Class Assault Corvette, a vessel far superior in mobility and versatility to the Human design, but much smaller with far less armor. However, the frigates were part of the Aerospace Force's mixed battle groups, and relatively few exclusively assault carrier vs. frigate encounters were fought. Against the heavier Tirolian ships, such as the Taul Detrel Class Destroyer, the results of Banshee actions were usually disastrous for the Southern Cross frigates.

After the heavy losses of the Second Robotech War, where four out of every five frigates were destroyed, the remaining ships of the class offered little resistance to the Invid, whose numerical tactics were ill suited for the Banshee frigates. A number of these ships were in the outer reaches of the system and thus escaped destruction or managed to flee the Invid assault (15 Banshees) by deactivating their systems entirely. However, as their supplies dwindled, these fifteen ships were forced to travel to the Jupiter or Lunar bases, which had sufficient life support capability to last the crews indefinitely.

The Banshee frigates had a hull form resembling a Second World War submarine, as did their larger contemporaries. However, instead of a conning tower, the ship sported a raised deck at the back, the front of which housed the main bridge. Beginning at about half-length, there were also two side sponsons that housed the main engines. The Banshees featured a two level fighter hangar amidships, with in the Banshee's a large release chute built into the lower nose, protruding slightly below the keel.

Names and Disposition:

The Banshee vessels were named after mythological monsters. The Southern Cross built a total of 245 Banshee Class Frigates for their Aerospace Forces. The ships were produced in the L5 orbital factories, on Moon Base Luna, and in the Yarrow aerospace yards from 2018 to 2031. The ships served with the Southern Cross from 2021 to the Invid Invasion. Of these ships, 193 were destroyed by the Tirolian forces in the Second Robotech War, 37 were destroyed by the Invid in their initial invasion or during the first months of the occupation, and 15 ships deactivated themselves on various outposts such as the Jupiter base and the Lunar bases to avoid detection and destruction by the Invid. These ships are now mothballed in the Sea of Tranquility depot on the Moon.

Ship Information:

• Ship Class: Frigate
• Year Commissioned: 2018 CE
• Crew: 30
• Troops:
  • Air Group: 68
  • Marines: 12
  • Total: 80
• Total Crew and Troops: 110

Vehicle Complement: (2018 Complement)

• Fighter Complement:

24	SF-7 Chimera Escort Fighter

• Other Complement:

1	Nuclear Warheads (of each long-range type)
1	Reflex Warheads (of each long-range type)

Vehicle Complement: (2026 Complement)

• Mecha Complement:

24	VF-3 Logan Veritech Fighter

• Other Complement:

1	Nuclear Warheads (of each long-range type)
1	Reflex Warheads (of each long-range type)

Vehicle Complement: (2030 Complement)

• Mecha Complement:

12	VF-3 Logan Veritech Fighter
12	VAH-2A AJACS Veritech Attack Helicopter

• Other Complement:

1	Nuclear Warheads (of each long-range type)
1	Reflex Warheads (of each long-range type)

Vehicle Complement: (2031 Complement)

• Mecha Complement:

24	VAH-2A AJACS Veritech Attack Helicopter

• Other Complement:

1	Nuclear Warheads (of each long-range type)
1	Reflex Warheads (of each long-range type)

M.D.C. by location:

• PB-4 Particle Beam Cannons (5) - 200 each
• LT-5 Point Defense Laser Turrets (3) - 150 each
• RG-2 Point Defense Rail Guns (2) - 150 each
• SMS-10 Vertical Missile Launchers (5) - 200 each
• Retractable Weapon Hatches (13) - 100 each
• Airlock Access Hatches - 80 each
• Command Tower - 1000 *
• Main Engines (3) - 1500 each **
• Maneuvering Thrusters (23) - 200 each
• Hull Regions (25, Main Body) - 200 each
• Hull Regions (15, Engine Section) - 200 each
• Main Body - 8000 ***


M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 8
M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 16
Notes:

*	Destroying the command tower will destroy the command bridge, but the auxiliary command bridge will remain functional.
**	If all three main engines are destroyed, the ship will float dead in space or will crash if the damage occurs in atmosphere. The loss of one or two engines will reduce the ship's rate of acceleration by 33% and 67% respectively. Even if the main engine is destroyed, all other systems will continue to function.
***	Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will shut down the entire ship, including life support, gravity control, communications, weapons, and engines.

Speed:

• Sublight: Can travel at up to 15 percent of the speed of light (0.15c) and accelerate / decelerate at a rate of 0.12 percent of light (0.0012c) per melee.
• Atmospheric Propulsion: Mach 3 (2235 mph / 3600 km/h), can enter and leave an atmosphere under its own power, but it is not designed for atmospheric flight.
• Maximum Range: Effectively unlimited by drive system, but onboard supplies for the crew and troops will last for 1 month before the ship needs to be restocked. Water stores were recycled almost completely and hydroponics installations provided the crew with a limited supply of fresh foods.

Statistical Data:

• Height: 136' (41.5 m)
• Width: 169' (51.5 m)
• Length: 640' (195.1 m)
• Weight: 43,652 tons (39,600 metric tons)
• Reactor System: Mk-II Protoculture Reactor with a life span of 25 years.
• Propulsion System: Chemical Rocket
• Gravity System: Internal

Weapon Systems:

1. PB-4 Particle Beam Cannons (5)
   These retractable cannons are an improved version of the PB-2 Particle Cannons used on the old Oberth destroyers. These cannons are not quite capable enough to be effective against ships larger than the Zentraedi Tou Redir scouts, the Tirolian Roil Tiluvo assault corvettes, or the Invid Mollusk carriers. There are two cannons on the upper hull, two on the forward hull sides, and one on the ventral hull.
   • Range: 31.1 miles (50 km) underwater, 62.1 miles (100 km) through an atmosphere, and 62,137 miles (100,000 km) in space.
   • Damage: 4D4x10 M.D. per single blast.
   • M.D.C. Weapon Rating: 24
   • Rate of Fire: Each cannon can fire six times per melee round.
   • Payload: Effectively unlimited
2. LT-5 Point Defense Laser Turrets (3)
   The LT-5 lasers are designed to deliver heavy firepower on very close targets. A double-barrelled laser with a round sensor between the barrels, the LT-5 is stored inside the hull, but elevates upwards from under movable panels into firing position. Two turrets are mounted on the dorsal hull and one on the ventral hull.
   • Range: 1.6 miles (2.5 km) underwater, 3.1 miles (5 km) through an atmosphere, and 310.7 miles (500 km) in space.
   • Damage: 2D6x10 M.D. per single blast.
   • M.D.C. Weapon Rating: 23
   • Rate of Fire: Each turret can fire four times per melee round.
   • Payload: Effectively unlimited
3. RG-2 Point Defense Rail Guns (2)
   These rail gun turrets are a development of the Retractable Howitzer Turrets on the SDF-1. The two cannons are mounted in the ship's superstructure.
   • Range: 1640' miles (500 m) underwater, 1.2 miles (2 km) through an atmosphere, and 124.3 miles (200 km) in space.
   • Damage: 2D4x10 M.D. per round.
   • M.D.C. Weapon Rating: 10
   • Rate of Fire: Each cannon can fire five times per melee round.
   • Payload: 4000 rounds per cannon..
4. SMS-10 Vertical Missile Launchers (3)
   This system replaces the Pepperbox launchers used on old RDF ship designs. This new system consists of two rows of five launch tubes for each missile launcher, this allows for an even higher rate of fire. These launchers are located forward of the upper cannons and fire sideways from the side sponsons.
   • Missile Design: SCAR Spacelord Long Range Missiles
   • Missile Type: Anti-Spaceship only.
   • Missile Guidance Systems: Select any one available guidance system.
   • Missile Warhead: Armor Piercing, Fragmentation, High Explosive, Plasma / Napalm, Fuel Air Explosive, Kinetic Energy, Multi-Warhead, Nuclear, Proton Torpedo, and Reflex only.
   • Range: 800 miles (1288 km) in an atmosphere and 935,525 miles (1,505,582 km / 5.0 light seconds) in space.
   • Speed: 2500 mph (4023 km/h) in an atmosphere and an acceleration of 4% of light (0.04c) per melee in space, with a maximum duration in space of 16 melees and a maximum safe speed in space of 55% of light (0.55c).
   • Damage and Blast Radius: Varies with type of missile warhead.
   • Rate of Fire: One at a time or in volleys of any size up to 10 missiles. Each launcher can fire three times per melee round.
   • Payload: 60 missiles per launcher, for a total of 240 long range missiles.
   • Modifiers: Increase range in space by 25%, but reduce warhead strength by 10%. Automatically hits a stationary target in space, has more advanced targeting equipment that gives a bonus of +6 to strike a moving target, but has a penalty of -10 to strike any target under 500 tons (453.6 metric tons).

Special Systems:

1. Electronic Warfare System
   The ship is equipped with a standard Southern Cross EW suite.
   • ECM: 3
   • ECCM: 3
   • EWS Abilities: Attract Tracking Device, Break Tracking Device Lock-On, and Scramble Communications.

Standard Systems:

1. Life Support System
   The ship has a fully operational life support system that provides fresh atmosphere throughout the ship. The life support system can sustain a maximum of 150 people indefinitely or 500 people for a short period of time in case of an emergency.
2. Communication Systems
   The ship is equipped with three communication systems. The first is a long range laser system with a maximum range of 100,000 miles (160,934 km), the transmissions travel at the speed of light, but they rely on line of sight, so it cannot communicate with a ship that is on the other side of a solid object. The second system is a long range radio system with a maximum range of 10,000 miles (16,100 km), the transmissions travel at the speed of light, but they are easy to intercept and jam. The third system is a satellite relay system that allows the ship to boost the range of the other communication systems indefinitely by using satellites or other ships to relay the transmission. The ship's communication array can maintain contact with up to 500 ships simultaneously.
3. Sensor Systems
   The ship is equipped with three sensor systems. The first is the Electromagnetic Detection Equipment that detects other sensor systems at twice the maximum range of their transmitter. The second is a powerful array that uses standard radar waves, which are fairly easy to jam, but it is obvious when the radar array is being jammed. The sensor can track tiny targets at a range of up to 150,000 miles (241,402 km), small targets at a range of up to 1.5 million miles (2.4 million km), medium targets at a range of up to 3 million miles (4.8 million km), and large targets at a range of up to 4.5 million miles (7.2 million miles). The third is a Subspace Mass Sensor that uses gravity-based technology to detect target's at real time speed. The sensor can track tiny targets at a range of up to 100,000 miles (160,934 km), small targets at a range of up to 1 million miles (1.6 million km), medium targets at a range of up to 2 million miles (3.2 million km), and large targets at a range of up to 3 million miles (4.8 million km). See Human Ship Systems for more details on sensor systems.
4. Targeting Computer System
   Connecting the ship's sensor systems with the weapon systems is the Targeting Computer System. The system is designed to control all of the weapons currently equipped on the ship. This system can track up to 75 targets simultaneously, providing detailed information about the targets from the ships data files. All direct fire weapons receive a bonus of +2 to strike and missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems receive a bonus of +1 to strike. These bonuses are in addition to any previously stated bonuses or penalties.

Combat Summary:

• ECM: 3
• ECCM: 3
• EWS Abilities: Attract Tracking Device, Break Tracking Device Lock-On, and Scramble Communications
• Combat Actions: 4
• Strike: +2 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +1 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Dodge: +2 to dodge.
• Targeting System: Can track up to 75 targets simultaneously.