UNSC frigate

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UNSC Frigate
Production information
Manufacturer	UNSC
Technical specifications
Engine unit(s)	Deuterium nuclear fusion reactor
Slipspace drive	Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine
Shielding	None
Hull	60 centimetres (2.0 ft) Titanium-A battleplate
Length	478 metres (1,570 ft)
Width	151.9 metres (498 ft)
Height/depth	112.3 metres (368 ft)
Armament	Magnetic Accelerator Cannon (1) Shiva Nuclear Warhead Missiles (1-3) Archer missile pods (40) 30 missiles/pod Point Defense Gun (8) Twin Defensive Rail Gun Turrets (5) (in some variants)
Complement	Marines ODSTs Albatross dropships M312 Elephant HRVs M274 Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicles Pelican dropships D77-TC or D77H-TCI M808B Main Battle Tanks M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicles M12G1 Light Anti-Armor Vehicle M831 Troop Transport AV-14 Attack VTOLs Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicles Clarion Spy Drones (3)
Function information
Role(s)	Protection of larger fleet ships
Affiliation	UNSC Navy

The UNSC Frigate is a warship classification in the UNSC Navy. Although it significantly lacks the amount of armor, armament, and firepower compared to its larger cousin, the UNSC Destroyer, the frigate is smaller and thus more maneuverable. It is cheaper to produce, allowing greater numbers to be fielded against the Covenant.

Background

With current human technology, UNSC frigates are barely considered a match for even the smallest of Covenant warships. It is outrun even by smaller Covenant ships, its armor is susceptible to enemy pulse lasers and plasma torpedos, and it is outfitted with substandard weaponry. Only en masse does the UNSC frigate give any UNSC fleet element an advantage against even inferior numbers of Covenant vessels.

Layout

The Bridge of the Frigate is located in the uppermost part of the ship, in the section at the stern-most tip of the MAC gun shaft (in the case of the only seen version of the UNSC frigate, there is another layout variation similar in appearance to the Halcyon-class Cruiser, Template:UNSCship. The commanding officer's chair is located behind the two primary consoles within the bridge. There are numerous other consoles located at the sides of the room. There are four bridge stations: Navigation, Operations, Weapons, and Communications.

A UNSC Frigate also possess 12 SOEIV bays, located in the rear of the ship, which facilitate the deployment of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers.

UNSC Frigates are capable of hovering in an atmosphere and even landing. They also have either a garage or cargo bay in their rear section which is capable of extending out of the ship's ventral side to deploy vehicles or cargo directly to the ground. The Template:UNSCship carried three Pelican dropships in this rear section in addition to several ground vehicles.

Specifications

Dimensions

A typical frigate of 2552 appears to be around 478 metres (1,570 ft) long, 151 metres (500 ft) wide and 112 metres (370 ft) tall. It is one of the smallest warships fielded by the UNSC.

Propulsion

Like other human ships, the UNSC Frigate is powered by thermonuclear fusion reactors which use deuterium (a stable hydrogen isotope) as fuel. The engines almost certainly use the energy obtained from this process to heat some form of reaction propellant which is expelled out of rear-facing exhausts to generate thrust. There are four exhausts visible on frigates; two large and two small.

For translight voyages, the Frigate carries a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine. Although they cannot be seen, it can be safely assumed that frigates also possess multiple maneuvering thrusters to adjust a vessel's attitude in three dimensions. Finally, frigates have several times been observed to hover in an atmosphere. It is possible that they vector thrust downward in order to accomplish this feat, but no downward-pointing exhaust nozzles are visible. It is also possible that they employ some form of Covenant-derived antigravity mechanism, or perhaps electrostatic or magnetic levitation.

Armament

The MAC barrel on a UNSC frigate.

A typical UNSC frigate carries the following armament:

• 1 Magnetic Accelerator Cannon which is able to fire one round per charge. The MAC runs between one- and two-thirds of a Frigate's total length.
• 3 Shiva-class Nuclear Missiles serve as heavy ordinance.
• 40 Archer missile pods which carry around thirty missiles per pod, adding up to a total of 1200 missiles.
• 8 50mm point defense guns function as the last line of defense against single ships and incoming missiles.

Crew

No precise figures are available regarding the crew of a frigate, but it is likely relatively small, (less than a hundred would be stationed on a frigate). Like larger ships, a detachment of Marines and sometimes ODSTs would be present onboard. The crew number includes deck crews as well as the command crew, Marines, ODSTs, dropship pilots, and technical personnel. The number of personnel a single frigate is capable of housing numbers at least within the thousands.

In 2552 Sergeant Major Avery Johnson was supposedly able to single-handedly control the frigate Template:UNSCship to aid SPARTAN John-117 and Arbiter Thel 'Vadam on the newly rebuilt Halo, though this was likely performed using an auto-pilot function. An AI can monitor and regulate all critical functions without human intervention.

Superstructure

A frigate from the side.

The armor of a frigate is relatively poor compared to that of its larger cousins and counterparts such as the destroyer, with only 60cm of Titanium-A battle plate. However, due to its relatively light weight, the frigate's strength lies instead in maneuverability and speed. The frigate's relatively wide design is supported by structural support ribs, allowing it to perform orbital incursions.

Known Frigates

Template:UNSC Frigate

Gallery

Halo reach spacebattle.jpg

A Sabre and the Template:UNSCship engaging a Covenant Corvette over Reach.

Two UNSC frigates engaging Covenant ground units over Reach.

Saber Assault.png

The frigate Template:UNSCship engaged with a Covenant Corvette during Operation Uppercut.

A UNSC frigate picking up survivors from Algolis.

As shown here, Longsword fighters are not too large to be carried by frigates.

UNSC frigate's HEV SOEIV hatches (along the center).

A UNSC frigate carries a cargo bay for the insertion of ground forces and vehicles onto the battlefield.

UNSC Aegis Fate over Sandtrap.

UNSC In Amber Clad in High Charity.

UNSC Forward Unto Dawn (FFG-201).

A frigate firing a round from its Magnetic Accelerator Cannon.

The Archer pods of the Forward Unto Dawn.

Frigate Scale.

Template:UNSCship (FFG-307).

Reach friggit wreck.png

A destroyed frigate over Reach.

UNSC Arabia and UNSC Vostok being destroyed at the First Battle of Harvest.

A UNSC frigate, the Commonwealth, being taken apart, partially showing the ship's internal structure.

A scale comparison of two frigates and Liberty Island near New York.

UNSC Frigate In Amber Clad compared to the Prophet of Regret's Assault Carrier.

The UNSC Savannah over Reach.

UNSC Forward Unto Dawn on the surface of Installation 00.

List of appearances

Halo: The Fall of Reach Halo: First Strike Halo 2 Halo Graphic Novel Halo: Ghosts of Onyx Halo: Uprising Halo 3 Halo: The Cole Protocol Halo Wars Halo: Helljumper Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe Halo 3: ODST Halo Legends Halo: Reach

External

• Stephen Loftus's extensive analysis of the UNSC frigate