Rear Admiral
- Intent: To create a fast and agile cruiser for use in skirmishing, ambush, and patrol operations
- Image Source: Steve Wang - Headers by Kainan Wolfe
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions:
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Karavin Concern
- Affiliation: Eternal Empire
- Market Status: Closed-Market
- Model: Vikaander-class Light Cruiser
- Production: Minor (Eternal Empire Only)
- Material: Durasteel, Alusteel, Titanium, Glasteel, Ship Components
- Classification: Light Cruiser
- Length: 750 Meters
- Width: 225 Meters
- Height: 225 Meters
- Armament: High
- (4) KC-M44 ‘Hellstorm’ Macro Cannons
- (1) Port-Dorsal Mounted (along 45-degree plating)
- (1) Port-Ventral Mounted (along 45-degree plating)
- (1) Starboard-Dorsal Mounted (along 45-degree plating)
- (1) Starboard-Ventral Mounted (along 45-degree plating)
- (4) KC-RV308 ‘Ravager’ Assault Missile Pods
- (2) Port Broadside Mounted
- (2) Starboard-Broadside Mounted
- (4) KC-3N209 ‘Growler’ Ion Beam Cannons
- (2) Dorsal-Center Mounted (On either side of central spine)
- (2) Ventral-Center Mounted
- (32) KC-505 Tigris Repeating Turbolasers
- (8) Fore-Dorsal Mounted
- (8) Fore-Ventral Mounted
- (8) Aft-Dorsal Mounted
- (8) Aft-Ventral Mounted
- (4) KC-M44 ‘Hellstorm’ Macro Cannons
- Defenses: Average
- Durasteel armor plating (exterior)
- Alusteel armored under-plating
- Titanium Superstructure
- Military Grade Shield Generator
- Reinforced Bulkheads
- Military Grade EWAR Countermeasure Suite
- (24) KC-A301 Shrike Point Defense Batteries
- Hangar Space: Very Low - 2
- Hangar Allocations:
- Starfighters: 1 squadrons
- Support Craft: 1 squadrons
- Maneuverability Rating: High
- Speed Rating: High
- Hyperdrive: Class 1 Primary; Class 10 Backup
Life Support
- Military Grade Medbay
- Military Grade Oxygen Supply System
- Bulkhead System
- Artificial Gravity
- EWAR Countermeasure Suite
- Military Grade Shield Generator
- Durasteel/Alusteel Armor
- Titanium Superstructure
- Surge Protection (Protects Electronics against EMP attacks)
- Point Defense Batteries
- Military Grade Maneuvering Thruster Suite
- Military Grade Hyperdrive Unit
- Backup Hyperdrive unit
- Military Grade Subspace Thruster Array
- Ion Engines - Quad
- Tactical Bridge Computer Suite
- Standard Damage Assessment and Control Mainframe
- System Diagnostic Computer
- Unified Computer System
- Electronic Countermeasure Suite
- Tractor Beam Projectors (4)
- Military Grade Reactor
- Reactor Overload Stabilizers
- Ancillary Backup Reactor
- N/A
- Skirmisher: The Vikaander-class Light Cruiser is specially designed for skirmishing/flanking maneuvers given its enhanced speed and maneuverability compared to typical cruiser class vessels, capable of operating in small ‘gangs’ with some level of self-sufficiency given its firepower and strong point defense apparatus.
- Alpha Strike: With the standard configuration of armaments, the Vikaander possesses strong ‘alpha strike’ potential, making her a valuable fire support type of vessel. While no single armament aboard the ship could be considered overly powerful on its own, the combination of armaments aboard grant the light cruiser above average versatility without compromising speed or maneuverability.
- Cutter: The highlight of the Vikaander is the speed and maneuverability this particular ship class possesses. The goal within this ship’s design conceptualization was to create a perfect marriage between the durability one can expect from an average cruiser, but the speed and agility one could expect from a destroyer class ship. When combined with the armaments earlier mentioned, a well captained Vikaander Light Cruiser could maneuver within & without enemy formations with relative ease and grace, even utilizing its speed to kite the tracking algorithms used for larger ordnance that would otherwise spell disaster for the vessel.
- Adequate Defenses: Although the Vikaander performs above average in many respects, the best that could be said for the ship’s defensive capabilities is ‘adequate’ in the sense that there are no glaring deficiencies as opposed to an average cruiser-class vessel. For a cruiser, the Vikaander bears a respectable array of point defenses. But with respect to its armor and shielding, when compared to heavier variants employed by rival naval powers, or even the Eternal Empire’s own Demeton-class Heavy Cruiser, the Vikaander soon falls short by comparison. It is important to remember that this cruiser variant is not a front line ship by design, and it must rely on its speed and maneuverability to stay alive rather than heavy armor plating or redundant shield arrays.
- Niche’: The Vikaander fills a small collection of niches within the Eternal Fleet - namely a skirmisher, rapid response vessel, and patrol craft, and does so very well. While this does not mean the Vikaander cannot face the unexpected situation all too common during war (as such a fact would make a military vessel completely irrelevant), it is not a very forgiving vessel as opposed to the more utilitarian designs the Empire is known for.
- Small Hangar: Because of the need to make nearly everything about this vessel compact while keeping the profile light and agile, the space needed to do so had to come from somewhere. Unfortunately, the hangar bay was the victim of said downsizing. The main hangar bay of the Vikaander is only sufficient to house one squadron of transports, and one squadron of fighter craft. This allows the vessel to serve adequately as a patrol vessel, but it will find itself severely overmatched in an engagement requiring the flexibility of massed fighter squadrons if not provided support.
While the Eternal Fleet has a mainline ship of the line in the Demeton-class cruiser, STRATCOM saw the need to develop a more specialized craft for use in formations requiring maneuverability and rapid mobilization of above average firepower. The collective minds of Karavin Concern’s R&D department soon conceptualized and tested the prototypes which became the Vikaander-class; named after the late Admiral Regulas Vikaander who served with distinction near the initial formation of the Eternal Fleet decades prior. Admiral Vikaander was known for unconventional ‘hit and run’ style tactics, favoring smaller class vessels with high firepower so as to leave his heavier enemies flat footed in response.
Upon the development of the final prototypes of this vessel, and in its transition into the final stages of development, it soon became obvious that this light cruiser design near-perfectly embodied the Admiral’s tactical mindset; as it is a perfect marriage between speed, maneuverability, and firepower. Now that the Vikaander is officially released for production and unrestricted deployment, this light cruiser will soon be seen in considerable quantities within the Eternal Fleet’s more skirmish/assault based battlelines, where it will serve as a natural baseline ship capable of confusing and outmaneuvering more static formations often seen within rival military powers.
Last edited:
