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“A fleet is only as good as it's ships. I think, then, based on that definition, you'll find that the TIAF has one of the best fleets in the Gigaquadrant.”
Throughout the Federation's history, the military has used a wide variety of ships and vessels for combat and transportation, ranging from the smallest fighters to the largest dreadnoughts. Every ship has been designed with a certain function in mind, though many can be organized into a ship class based on their design parameters and their purpose. This page seeks to catalog the various ships of the Federation, both past and present.
Generally, TIAF ships are first sorted by general naval class, a standardized classification based on the size and armaments of the ship. Within the naval class, there are more specific design classes, which are based on more specific parameters such as hull shape, internal layout, power systems, and many other "hard-wired" aspects of ships of that class. Ships within the same design class can have variations on things such as weapons systems and internal optimization, which is typically dictated by the captain of the ship. While captains are given creative freedom over the specifications of their ship, they still have to meet Federation standards for both their design and naval class.
All modern TIAF military vessels use the prefix USS, which stands for United Star Ship. Prior to the establishment of the federalized Assault Armada and Domestic Defense, TIAF military vessels used the prefix used by the navy which built or contributed the ship to the TIAF military.
Dreadnoughts[]
Dreadnoughts are the capital ships of the TIAF fleet, being powerful, menacing juggernauts designed to overwhelm any opponent with raw, unyielding firepower. To this end, TIAF dreadnoughts are typically designed with countless gun decks and assault craft hangars for offensive power, and thick hull plating and state-of-the-art shielding systems for defensive bulk. The result is a massive ship that can dish out damage and soak it up as well.
However, such power has a few disadvantages. Dreadnoughts are by far the most resource intensive ships of the TIAF fleet, requiring large crew complements and regular maintenance to ensure all parts of the ship are running smoothly, and being the most expensive to replace when felled in battle. Their heavy armament and armor also makes them relatively sluggish in combat, having very slow maneuvering speeds and lacking engine power compared to the capital ships of the TIAF's peers.
In TIAF naval doctrine, however, these drawbacks are considered insignificant next to the implacable power of the dreadnought, and dreadnoughts are typically used as line-of-battle ships alongside their more mobile counterpart, the battlecruiser. While the advent of hyperspatial warfare in the Great Xonexian Schism have made the dreadnought obsolete in Xonexi military doctrine, the TIAF still maintains their dreadnoughts as flagships and line ships, as many of the TIAF's modern military adversaries do not follow the hyperspatial military doctrine that has since become widespread throughout Xonexi.
- Current ships
- Devastator-class
Dating back to shortly before the TIAF's Intergalactic Contact, the Devastator-class was one of the first dreadnought classes built with intergalactic travel capabilities, with the original USS Devastator being commissioned shortly after the Portea Expedition, the first major success with intergalactic travel in TIAF history. Normally, a nearly 60-year old ship class should have been obsoleted by now, though the Devastator has proven to be surprisingly resilient against the tide of time. Military scientists accredit this to a combination of a certain fondness for the Devastator by some veteran commanders and a determination to keep the ship class alive by those same commanders.
The original standard design of the Devastator-class from the Intergalactic Contact era pitted it as the heavier counterpart to the other dreadnought class at the time, the Rigel-class, which has since been fully phased out. At the time, it was considered the epitome of TIAF dreadnought design, featuring gun deck layouts designed to optimize raw firepower output, and fitted with powerful tactical engine systems that allowed it to compete with the battlecruisers of the Intergalactic Contact era at full engine power. Boasting full adamantium-vibranium armor plating from top to bottom, thanks to major advancements in TIAF metalworking technology, the Devastator was an exceptionally bulky and surprisingly agile ship for its naval class.
After the Days of Darkness, naval planners began to discuss the replacement for the aging Devastator-class, which would eventually become the Retribution-class. Despite having its replacement already in the pipeline by the end of the Intergalactic Era, many of the fleet's current Devastator dreadnoughts showed a remarkable flexibility in terms of upgrades and retrofits. The tactical optimization of the Devastator, which had made it a favorite of First Bunsen War-era captains, proved to be the saving grace of a number of the fleet's Devastators, with its varied and numerous weapons decks facilitating the arrival of new weapon technology, and its power systems able to sustain the newer generator and engine systems of the Intergalactic Era and Twilight Era.
While today only a handful of Devastators remain in the fleet, the fact that there are even any remaining in capable condition even with the Retribution-class fully implemented is a testament to the class' enduring design. Regardless of their current capabilities, which may finally be reaching their limit, the Devastator will also remain the iconic TIAF ship of the First Bunsen War and the TIAF Civil War.
- Ships in class
- USS Devastator (HDN-44) - On active duty; commanded by Admiral Alexander Khoffman of the Assault Armada 2nd Regiment. Launched 29 Aprellus 1721 SY, commissioned 7 Juliara 1726 SY.
- USS Thunderbolt (HDN-49) - On active duty; commanded by Admiral Robin Mermus of the Assault Armada 1st Regiment. Launched 17 Octrobes 1739 SY, commissioned 26 Aegosto 1742 SY.
Battlecruisers[]
Battlecruisers, while not nearly as heavy or menacing as dreadnoughts, are still forces to be reckoned with. Representing the second largest naval class of TIAF ships, battlecruisers are also line-of-battle ships with strong battlefield presence. Battlecruisers are less heavily armed and less heavily armored than dreadnoughts, but shedding that extra weight makes battlecruisers much easier to maneuver in battle. Being a little bit lighter and smaller than dreadnoughts also makes battlecruisers cheaper to produce than dreadnoughts.
Of course, it naturally follows that battlecruisers are easier to destroy than dreadnoughts and do not hurt nearly as much. However, this does not mean that they are not tough or powerful themselves. In fact, battlecruisers do not have much in the way of glaring disadvantages; they are excellent all-around in most of their attributes. They are, however, outclassed in single combat with larger ships, and are not capable of taking on enemy capital ships without fleet support in the same way that TIAF dreadnoughts are capable of. They are also high-maintenance ships similarly to dreadnoughts, and arguably higher maintenance as their lighter defenses can make it easier for enemies to land crippling blows.
The frontline role played by battlecruisers and their superior mobility over dreadnoughts leads many battlecruiser captains to brag that battlecruisers "get all the real work done in a fleet." Indeed, in TIAF military doctrine, battlecruisers play an important role on the line of battle, as they are typically in larger numbers than dreadnoughts. Depending on the design class, a squad of battlecruisers can outstrip a dreadnought in damage output, and their mobility allows them to take advantage of weak points in the enemy line or cover gaps in their own line. While, like dreadnoughts, they may fall victim to obsoletion as a result of hyperspatial military doctrine, they may yet still find a role to play as mobile front-line damage dealers.
- Current ships
Destroyers[]
Designed with versatility in mind, destroyers are the middle of the road in terms of TIAF ship design, both in structure and function. Many destroyers are designed for a wide range of specific functions in battle, ranging from front-line interference tasks to rear-guard relays and flank defense. As a result, destroyers can wildly vary in terms of armament, defenses, and mobility, making it hard to define the destroyer class based solely on their parameters. As a general rule of thumb, however, most destroyers are not capable of matching the firepower or bulk of dreadnoughts or battlecruisers, while at the same time not being as lightly armored or armed as cruisers or frigates.
The tendency of destroyers to have narrow specializations makes them vulnerable in situations where their expertise is useless at best, or actively detrimental at worst. Many destroyers are unlikely to find themselves taking heavy fire for extended periods like dreadnoughts and battlecruisers do, though in the times that they do, they are often ill-equipped to fight back or outlast their assailant. In a smaller task force, where a destroyer's specialties may be critical to the task at hand, it typically falls on the destroyer's escorts to shield the more fragile destroyer from attack ships.
The versatile roles of destroyers make them indispensable members of any effective fleet, executing their functions with an effectiveness that not even dreadnoughts or battlecruisers can match. TIAF military doctrine makes heavy use of destroyers in key support roles, freeing up other ships for frontline combat and overall optimizing the internal cohesion of the fleet. In a way, whereas line ships like the dreadnought and battlecruiser can be considered the muscle of the navy, the destroyer's critical support role makes them the backbone.
- Current ships
Cruisers[]
A naval embodiment of "good things come in small packages", cruisers are small, but powerful vessels designed to combine mobility and offensive potential. Cruisers are designed to provide various forms of support fire, from close-range bombardment to long-range interception. Usually, cruisers specialize in one or two types of weaponry in order to take on specific kinds of enemy ships or targets; an interdiction cruiser might carry equipment designed to disrupt and destroy enemy support ships, for example. The mobility of cruisers also allows them to easily assume positions which most benefit their combat role. With their speed and firepower, cruisers are often described as "flying swords".
That sword can be double-edged, however. The offensive specialization of cruisers tends to come at the cost of defense, and not many cruisers can take more than a few direct hits before being destroyed or forced to retreat. While they are designed to maneuver into advantageous positions, cruisers are also vulnerable if forced into a encounter that does not suit their armaments. A close-range battery cruiser can do little against an enemy long-range attacker if it cannot close the gap, for example.
Cruisers can be considered the more combat-capable cousins to destroyers, as they also fill important battlefield roles, with more combat-focused support more so than other kinds of support operations. TIAF cruisers will often find themselves close to the line of battle where they can easily take provide supporting fire to the line ships while being shielded from the brunt of enemy fire, shoring up the main weakness of TIAF cruisers. Close-range cruisers can also be seen frequently on the front line itself, where they quickly take advantages of exposed targets before quickly dodging back to the safety of the advance guard.
- Current ships
Frigates[]
If cruisers can be considered "flying swords", then frigates can be considered "flying bricks". Frigates have similar size and mobility to cruisers, but instead of being designed to dish out damage, frigates are designed to absorb tremendous amounts of damage relative to their size. Frigates are given thick, durable hull plating worthy of the front lines, and are typically equipped with defense-oriented weapons systems to cut down on the number of hits the already sturdy frigates have to take.
In contrast to cruisers, frigates have little in the way of offensive firepower. While having similar tactical mobility as a cruiser, they are not designed to pursue or hound enemies, nor necessarily destroy them; frigates are better at holding a line than they are at pushing the line forward. Their typically defensive weapons systems are ill-equipped to do more than stall or repel an enemy, as frigates are meant to defend until stronger forces can arrive to support. Their small size and weak armament also means that they can be easily overwhelmed if cornered by a larger enemy force as they lack the firepower to defeat enemy ships faster than a group of ships can defeat a frigate.
With their high durability and good speed, frigates have a variety of military roles to play, not just in battle. In TIAF military doctrine, frigates are commonly used for scouting operations, with scouting frigates able to quickly move between reconnaissance targets while also being able to survive potential skirmishing from enemy anti-scouting forces. Outside of the context of war, frigates are also very commonly used for commerce defense and border patrols. Frigates are the "front line" in TIAF patrol units, hunting down or harassing enemies caught in the patrol net and calling in support from accompanying cruisers and destroyers.
- Current ships
Fighters[]
The smallest main combat naval class of the TIAF military, fighters make up the bulk of what is considered "small craft" in the navy. The astronautical fighters of the TIAF navy are descendants of the fighters and bombers of classical terrestrial air forces, having functions ranging from the close-range dogfighting of air fighters to the high-altitude bombing of air bombers. Typically being fast, powerful, and relatively cheap to produce, a swarm of TIAF fighters can be just as menacing as any large craft.
On an individual basis, the expendable nature of fighters becomes clear. Fighters lack the carrying capacity for heavy hull plating or powered armor plating, and will mount very flimsy resistance against any direct hit, including that of enemy fighters. The strength of shields on fighters can vary from design to design, but the hard limit on how much energy a fighter's engine can produce means that fighter shields are easily worn down by sustained fire, and a powerful strike from an enemy line ship can potentially punch through a fighter in one hit.
The unrivaled power and mobility of the fighter still gives it an important role to play in spite of their weak individual defenses. As fighters typically operate in large swarms, their individual lack of resilience is mitigated by the fact that the loss of a single fighter is not nearly as damaging as the loss of any large craft. This is key in the TIAF doctrine regarding fighters, where fighters mostly play a frontline support role by dealing precision strikes against enemy line ships and shielding friendly line ships from other hostile fighters. It is usually expected for a significant number of fighters to be downed either from dogfighting or enemy anti-fighter defenses, but the sheer number that the TIAF is capable of producing and housing means that the only real tactical concern about fighter losses is personnel losses.
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