Brightlance Frigate

The Brightlance Frigate is a Paragon Weapons Systems ship. It has been designed for speed and analysis.

Design

The standard-issue Brightlance is 225m long and is 100m across at its widest point. The ship is designed to be able to enter an atmosphere and land, and so has shallow, fixed wings which double as radiators. They can retract or extend, and when fully extended the ship has a wingspan of 146m. There is one VFH-C engine at the ship's stern, along with four VGO-D manoeuvring thrusters, and there is one VFH-B engine beneath the nose to allow reverse thrust. They have a Hyperdrive.

The ship has a 70mx70mx10m He-3 fusion torus behind the rear engines for power, as well as several hydrogen fuel cells which act as backups.

The ship's armour is 5-inch carbide coated on a high-grade titanium alloy containing aluminium, vanadium, iron, and palladium. There is a ceramic heat shield over the ship's underside and there is a petros-NE class repulsor field in each layer.

The Brightlance has been designed for a maximum capacity of 100 Zyrothan-sized crew. Its life support system is class-BB, able to sustain a crew of 30 average Zyrothans for 10 years without setting down should this become necessary.

There are advanced and adaptable sensor arrays, with optical, UV and IR telescopes, RADAR, lidar, and other onboard detectors. It also has a small drone hangar and facilities to contain twelve Manurill-class shuttles. It has no self-destruct facility and is e-hardened.

Armament

The Brightlance carries bearings for six mass cannons, two laser bays, and eight point-defence turrets. It also has four torpedo/missile tubes.

Usage

Lightly armed Brightlances are common survey or reconnaissance ships. More heavily equipped ones are used by several security companies and governments.