Charon-class light frigate

UNSC Charon-class Cost: 350 | 45 | 5 Build Time: 8 seconds. Uses: 8 supply.   Hull: 1200 Armor: 3   MAC Damage: 9 MAC Cooldown:   Missile Damage: 5 Missile Cooldown:   AA Autocannon Damage: 15 AA Autocannon Cooldown:   Nuclear Missile Damage: 3 Nuclear Missile Cooldown:   Planet Bombing Damage: 30   Planetary Reinforcement   Planet assault frigate - Light warship with low offensive output, but carries plentiful infantry forces to attack enemy worlds.

 

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Purge navigation - bring weapon systems online! A Charon captain preparing to enact the Cole Protocol

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The Charon-class light frigate is an escort ship in service to the United Nations Space Command.

It excels in fleet support and planetary sieges.

Overview

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While not the best combat ship, the Charon frigate is commonly used for planetary invasions. The Charon's shipyard description

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History

One of the smallest starship classifications at only 489 meters, these frigates are mainly tasked with ferrying supplies, weapons, personnel, and are one of the most common ships used by the UNSC. This is because of their ability as one of the largest human-built ships to enter and operate in atmosphere, providing fire support and ferrying troops, supplies and even civilians to and from the battlefield.

Despite their poor combat capabilities, Charon-class frigates served throughout the entire war from the First Battle of Harvest to the penultimate Battle of Installation 00 and saw action at many battles in between. Battlegroup 4 comprised of two of them, CMA Vostok and Arabia, who engaged a Covenant OSS-class Battlecarrier, though both were destroyed almost instantly. In a polar opposite UNSC Aegis Fate and Forward Unto Dawn were used at the end of the conflict during the Battle of the Lesser Ark.

Weapons and Tactical Usage

The Charon-class light frigate is inferior to its heavier sisters in terms of direct fleet combat. While taking the same time and almost the same cost to build, it has lighter hull and armor and lighter weapon damage than its sisters, and consumes more fleet supply in comparison. This makes it a somewhat cost-ineffective combat vessel for the UNSC.

• Planetary Reinforcement: Ground elements are sent to the surface of friendly planets to aid their local garrisons.
  • Improves a friendly planet's population recovery.

What the Charon truly shines in, is the ability to perform planetary bombardment, a feat found only in some capital ships other than the Charon itself. Its low cost compared to a capital ship means it could be fielded in large numbers to obliterate an enemy planet, while being able to defend itself to an extent. However, due to its relatively weak combat capabilities and cost-ineffectiveness, it is ill-advised to utilize these vessels without escorts when enemy combat forces are present.

Another unique feat of the Charon is the ability to restore planet population, so use them to quickly bolster a newly acquired planet's tax income or to help recover a bombarded planet. With upgrades, the Charon-class could be fitted with nuclear missiles that contribute to its alpha-strike capabilities, allowing for an en-masse nuclear spam, making it a potent late game combatant.

Changelog

0.75

• Reduced hull strength by 1400

Trivia

One of the captain's voice lines references part of the Cole Protocol: namely the mandatory purging of all navigational data from onboard ship computers and AIs to prevent their fall into Covenant hands, lest it be used to find and glass more human colonies.

Gallery

The Charon-class alongside the Strident, Paris, and Halberd-class vessels.

Made by

• Model - Annihilater102
• Texture - Annihilater102

External links

• Charon-class - Halopedia