UNH Destroyer

Mobile Assault

If frigates are the backbone of any fleet, destroyers are the arms. The Tempest-class Destroyer mounts an engine practically the volume of a full frigate, providing it with the greatest speed of any Higaaran ship larger than a Corvette, and a system of thrust vectoring combines with extensive thruster arrays to let the Destroyer kill velocity just as well, and twist and tumble to face any threat.

The Tempest's development cycle was one of the most remarkably smooth projects in the history of inter-Kiith efforts; especially considering the dramatically different design methodologies of the Kiith involved. Initially Kiith Soban proposed phasing out the destroyer-class ship entirely in favor of a heavily expanded frigate hull that would replace both the old Revelation and Firelance lines of Destroyers and Frigates respectively. This was however emphatically opposed by both Kiith Nabaal and Manaan who maintained that a class of ships smaller than cruisers but capable of mounting more complex systems than frigates was necessary. In what may be a first since landfall, Kiith Soban conceded the point immediately and proposed a radical compromise. The Tempest design program was tasked with creating a rapid-response unit that would mount enough firepower and armor to serve as a front-line combatant if necessary, and would have the drive endurance and facilities to conduct commerce raiding, rapid attack, and deep strikes. Only recently put into mass production, the five year old Tempest has already won outstanding acclaim and uniform praise from all ship captains and task force commanders alike.

With an array of three large dorsal energy cannon turrets and a pair of light ion beam turrets, the Tempest brings significant firepower to the table, and has the tremendous thrust necessary to bring that firepower to bear on distant targets quickly. With fighter or corvette escort, a squadron of destroyers makes a highly effective assault force that can outmaneuver the larger cruisers and mothership-class vessels with ease. It is best to utilize these powerful ships against the vulnerable rear and side aspects of target ships, although the excellent coverage of its weapons array gives it utility in the midst of a capital ship brawl as well.

Some older admirals mistake the Tempest as a direct successor to the Revelation-class and use it only in a frontal assault role. While indeed effective in such a role, the secret of the Tempest is its phenomenal engine power to mass ratio allowing it twice the maximum speed of a cruiser. Current Higaaran tactical doctrine is to leave slugging matches to wings of frigates screening cruiser squadrons, employing destroyer groups as reserve units to respond to line failures and exploit vulnerable angles of attack. With its ion armament capable of firing directly backwards, the ship is equally at home running away from an opponent as it is charging towards and the best of the UNH admiralty are renowned for their constant maneuvering of these versatile units.