One of the reasons why the Human Alliance Navy first formed was to deal with piracy and some of the most famous early battles were against Pirates. Because of this, light patrol vessels were a priority with the Falchion class being one of the first classes built by the Human Alliance Navy. It was an extremely important class in the early Human Alliance Navy and served with distinction. Hundreds of these vessels were built and they were augmented by the larger Chevalier class escort cruisers. At the time of its construction, the Falchion class was considered extremely fast and well armed.
The ships were the main light craft of the Human Alliance Navy until it was replaced the Ferret class missile corvette. Because of the need for larger numbers of strike vessels due to war coming, huge numbers of the missile corvettes were made. Over eighty thousands Ferret class corvettes were built in total between the Human Alliance and the Consortium of Civilized Worlds. During the war, most Falchion class patrol corvettes were assigned rear duties while Ferret class missile corvettes fought on the front line. In addition to anti-piracy patrols, the corvettes also escorted convoys when larger vessels were not available for the role. The Falchion made many records for lengths of deployment for such small vessels.
After the war, the military needed to be radically cut with the Falchion class being one of the first classes to be retired. While the ships had given good service, there were simply too many newer Ferret class corvettes in service. At the same time, the Falchion classes faster than light speed was limited compared to most newer vessels and it was considered uneconomical to refit the vessels with newer faster than light drives. Before the Human Alliance went to war, there were plans to built a version of the Falchion with improved faster than light drives and more powerful shields but the upgraded version was dropped when war broke out and replaced by the Ferret (which uses some of the components which were original developed for the improved Falchion including shield generators)
Many of the patrol corvettes were sold to Human Alliance member planets and independent planets where they continued to perform similar duties to what they had for the Human Alliance. Some ended up being sold to mercenary groups who used them for a great variety of roles. A small number ended up in the hands of pirates who operated them in the opposite role of what they were designed to do. While a few independent planets still operate these ships, virtually all have been retired from the forces of Human Alliance worlds. Often, the Hunter class destroyer is found operating in similar roles along with the Proctor class heavy fighter. The Consortium Scimitar class patrol ship, even though far larger, operated often in a similar role to the Falchion class and many of the Scimitar class take their name from Falchion class vessels. Some heavy fighters, such as the BIF-88 Bisento are actually more heavily armored and carry more powerful force fields than the patrol corvette.
Still, there are still a surprising number of these old corvettes in service although far less than there has been in the past. As might be expected, the Free Worlds Council operates a number of these old corvettes due to accepting ships wherever they can find ships. Several companies specialize in the repair of these ships with the old production facilities long shut down. There is also a large amount of salvage yards for these vessels including a huge facility set up on a moon where the ships are effectively crash landed by remote and then stripped for parts. There are some groups who simply cannot afford to purchase new ships.
Some of the remaining Falchion class patrol corvettes have been greatly upgraded with improved engines, shields, and electronic systems. Some of the upgrades include the adaption of new components, both civilian and military, in order to bring these ships back to front line capabilities. One company strips these ship down to their basic frame and virtually completely rebuilds the entire vessel. While extremely expensive, it is still less expensive than a new built vessel with similar capabilities would be. As well, the company upgrades old Human Alliance fighters designs. There is not enough interest to built new vessels of the Falchion design but the company has created for itself a niche in the market for itself. In most cases, larger ships are more expensive to fully upgrade than to build a new ship as well. While shields and weapons can usually be replaced on larger ships, such as cruisers, replacing the main engines on such ships is not considered to be economical.
In many ways, the Falchion class can be considered a half-way class between a heavy fighter and a destroyer. In appearance, it looks like a very large fighter. Some of the systems carried are more similar to those carried on fighters while others are more comparable to those carried on small starships. The ship is armed with a single heavy laser similar to what is mounted on several human alliance vessels in turrets. It is mounted along the spine of the corvette and is fixed to fire forward. The weapon has a limited rate of fire and in addition, the corvette has four forward firing pulse lasers similar to those carried on the Osprey and other Human Alliance fighters. Instead of having dedicated missile launchers, the corvette mounts four large missile bays in the fuselage. Each bay can carry four cruise missiles or eight long range missiles. In addition, the corvette has four smaller bays which it can carry cruise missiles in. Finally, for close in defense the corvette mounts a pair of rail gun turrets.
The design is lacking in automation compared to newer designs and requires a much larger crew than would otherwise be needed. It has a crew of twenty-four, the same crew as as the far larger Hunter class destroyer. Because the Falchion was designed for anti-piracy roles, the ship was designed around being able to carry a dozen marines in addition to the ship's crew. These troops can be fitted with light power armors for boarding actions. Of course the need to carry thirty-six onboard a tiny corvette means the ship is extremely cramped. There is no space for embarked craft although these craft are capable of atmospheric landings.
This starship design uses modified starship speed and ranges. See Revised Starship Rules for Phase World for more details.
Model Type: FFL-01
Vehicle Type: Patrol Corvette
Crew: 24 (3 to 4 officers)
Troops: 12 marines
Vehicle, Robots, and Power Armors:
Power Armors:
| 12 | Light Power Armors (Maximum) |
M.D.C. By Location:
| Forward Mounted 12 cm Heavy Laser Cannons (1): | 600 | |
| Nose Laser Cannons (4): | 30 each | |
| 10 mm Electromagnetic Rail Gun Turret (2, fuselage): | 80 | |
| Heavy Missile bays (4, Fuselage): | 125 each | |
| Medium Range Missile bays (4, Fuselage / Wing Roots): | 80 each | |
| [1] Bridge: | 500 | |
| [2] Main Body: | 1,600 | |
| [3] Variable Force Field: | 400 a side (2,400 Total) |
Notes:
[1] In reality this is how much damage needs to be done for a weapon
to hit the bridge through the ships armor. This ship does not have an auxiliary
bridge. Even if the bridges is destroyed, the ship can still be piloted
from engineering but ship is -3 to dodge and all weapon systems will be
at local control. Weapon hits near the bridge that do not penetrate the
ships integrity can injure crew members on or near the bridge.
[2] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will put the corvette out
of commission. All internal systems will shut down, including life support
and internal gravity. The ship itself will be an unsalvageable floating
wreck.
[3] Shields positions can be varied and all could be combined in one
shield. Shields regenerate at the rate of 5% (120 M.D.C.) per melee round
Speed:
Driving on the Ground: Not Possible.
Sublight: Has a special sublight engine that allows the ship
to travel up to 50 percent of the speed of light. Star Ship can accelerate/decelerate
at the rate of 0.8 percent of light per melee.
Atmospheric Propulsion: Maximum speed is Mach 1.5, can enter
an atmosphere because flight system is by contra grav.
Stardrive: Uses a Gravitonic Drive system that allows the ship
to reach a maximum of 2.5 light years per hour.
Maximum Range: Effectively Unlimited by either Drive system.
Carries about eight months years worth of supplies on board although can
be stretched to twelve in an emergency..
Statistical Data:
Length: 240 feet (73.1 meters)
Height: 38 feet (11.6 meters)
Width: 76 feet (23.24 meters) the body or 144 feet (43.9 meters)
at the wing body
Weight: 1,650 tons (1,496.8 metric tons)
Power System: Advanced Fusion with 25 year life span. The ship
normally only goes 5 years between refueling and refitting.
Cargo: Cargo holds are scattered about the ship that allows
for carrying up to 40 tons of Cargo in addition to standard compliment
of supplies and ammunition. Each enlisted crew member has a small locker
for personal items and uniforms. Ships officers have more space for personal
items. Most of the ships spaces are take up by extra ammunition, armor,
troops, weapons, engine, and other equipment.
Market Cost: Ship would cost about 250 Million credits to manufacture
in present time in the Three Galaxies. Ships are no longer being produced.
These ships normally sell for 150 to 300 million credits.
WEAPON SYSTEMS:
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By Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).
Copyright © 2007, Kitsune. All rights reserved.