Nikeah-class Battle Flagship

The Nikeah-class Battle Flagship is the primary command vessel employed by Esper Union Aerospacy fleets. It is a sizeable and strong vessel, designed to be capable on multiple fronts. It was designed to be a more economic successor to the Hosluft-class ship, though the Aerospacy does maintain one such ship (the Hannibal de'Zama). It has yet to engage in any serious conflicts, beyond skirmishes with the Unbound, but has proven a reliable ship thus far.

History

The split between the Sky Riders Aerospace Navy and Esper Union left the fledgling Aerospacy with only one ship suitable to be a flagship. The other candidates had been a handful of larger ships fighting in Esper III's atmosphere, that had largely been destroyed or heavily damaged by the Scandian war effort. It quickly became apparent that a new ship would be needed, but in the post-war reconstruction, the EU no longer had the resources to commit to large flagships like the Hosluft-class vessels. Instead, it was decided to design a smaller, but effective flagship vessel. The Nikeah-class ship was the result.

The Nikeah-class vessel lacks the raw power of its predecessor on many fronts, but its cost effectiveness allowed for numerous vessels to be produced. Sixteen ships have entered service since the first one's hull was laid in 39 WR. Since then, these vessels have proven effective in the limited capacities that they have been used. However, the lack of a prolonged space conflict and a continued alliance with the SRAN has kept most of these ships protecting Esper III. Only three have seen brief use against the Unbound. As a result, these ships have not been tested in fleet combat.

Schematics

• Manufacturer: Fort Locke Research Group
• User: Esper Union Aerospacy
• Length: 2400 meters
• Crew: 278 officers, 1,434 enlisted
• Troops: 400 infantry (4 companies)
• Compliment:
  • 24 Shiva fighters
  • 24 Stray fighters
  • 24 KN Garrison mecha
  • 12 Ramuh bombers
  • 2 Ranchmen shuttles
• Fixed Armament:
  • Giga Merton cannon (on the bow)
  • 16-inch Merton guns x 10
  • 12-inch Flare guns x 14
  • 75mm gravitic point defense cannons x 72
  • Anti-warship torpedo racks x 18
  • Anti-fighter torpedo racks x 26

In many senses, the Nikeah-class is simply a scaled down version of the Hosluft-class. It boasts a smaller complement of weaponry and fightercraft, but has a similar make-up and design. It has the classic sleek of Esperian capital vessels, drawing to a point at its bow, and growing wider behind it. Its bridge tower, however, is further back than the Hosluft-class, and sleeker and longer, with a narrow main view port. In addition, the bow can split down the middle, up to half of the length of the ship, to fire the Giga Merton cannon. This composes the majority of the vessel's firepower. It is painted in the standard olive-and-red of the Aerospacy.

It can act as a modest carrier, bringing a good number of assault craft to the table. This allows it to fulfill its primary mission, which is assisting the fleets it commands. This makes it one of the primary providers of fightercraft in Esperian fleets, along the Spear-class escort carriers. It has a good command center, allowing it to coordinate entire battles from within. However, its operations center can only direct forces up to the operational level.