Confederation-class dreadnought

Confederation-class dreadnought
Type	Dreadnought/Carrier
Manufacturer	Sirius Prime Engineering
Primary User	Terran Confederation
Introduction	2661
General Characteristics
Length	983.7 meters
Mass	73,000 tonnes
Spacecraft Carried	120
Performance
Acceleration	Bad
Velocity
Maximum	100 kps
Armament
Turrets
Phase Transit Cannon (1) Single Mount Anti-Matter Cannons (8) Flak Cannons (3)
Components
Jump Drive	Yes
Defense
Armor
Front	500 cm
Rear	500 cm
Right	400 cm
Left	400 cm
Confederation-Class Dreadnought Target Designation, circa 2660s.
Source	Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi

The Confederation-class Dreadnought was one of the largest capital ships deployed by the Terran Confederation during the Terran-Kilrathi War.

Class Overview

The Confederation-class is a vessel born out of one of the most tumultuous periods of the Kilrathi War. Following the destruction of the Goddard Colony in late 2654 and subsequent destruction of the Kilrathi strike fleet that had devastated it, Confederation engineers and scientists studied the wreckage of the weapon the Kilrathi used to attack the colony. It was a mass accelerator, using superconductors to fire a charged particle with such an enormous force that whatever target was lined up in its sights would be completely destroyed. The weapon mounted to KIS Sivar was highly effective against ground targets but the arming and firing sequence was much too slow for it to be of any use against a capital ship. Confederation Research & Development was able to redesign the weapon, lowering its destruction potential, but shortening the arming sequence so that it could be an effective anti-ship platform: the Phase-Transit Cannon. They designed it to fit into the keel of a new class of battleship then under construction.

This new ship would be one of the most powerful ever fielded by the Confederation during the war. Nearly a kilometer long and weighing 73,000 metric tonnes, the Confederation-class was packed with every offensive weapon that her designers could fit on the space frame. With the Phase-Transit Cannon, several energy mounts and room for twelve fighter squadrons, the Confederation was a most formidable vessel.

Despite its considerable capabilities, the design was beset with several major flaws. The most significant was the massive power drain caused by the Phase-Transit Cannon on the vessel's power plant. The Phase-Transit Cannon drained so much of the dreadnought's energy in one shot that too many firing attempts within a given time frame could potentially overload the reactor and destroy the vessel. Additionally, the hangar bays of the Confederation-Class were very exposed and thus easy targets for missile attacks by the Kilrathi, which often put the vessel's fighter launch capabilities out of commission until repairs were made, endangering the ship in the midst of a battle. Another drawback was a lack of armor protection. In order to fit both a fleet carrier and a battleship on the same hull, sacrifices had to be made when it came to armor. Though very well shielded, the armor of the Confederation class was thinner than that on contemporary Confederation and Kilrathi heavy cruisers, such as the Fralthra.

Confederation-class dreadnoughts often filled the role of flagship, a notable instance being the TCS Concordia, by far the most famous example of this class. The Concordia served as the flagship of Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn and served with great distinction during the Enigma Sector Campaign. It later fought during the Battle of Earth and was later lost at Vespus.

The class leader of the dreadnought line was the TCS Confederation.

Confederations served on the front lines through to the end of the Kilrathi War.