Category:Megaroad-class

The Megaroad-class Long Range Colony Vessel is the successor class to the Macross Island-class colony ship. Following the success of the Exodus Program, the Megaroad was developed as a smaller scale design, intended for repeated re-use unlike the one time flights meant for its predecessor.

Launches began in 2149 and was met with immediate approval however the eruption of the Xindi Conflict caused the class to be modified into civilian transports for humanitarian missions such evacuation and aid.

A specific subset class was designed for military use, known as the Ark Angel-class, used in transporting much needed supplies and personnel to the front lines. Following the formation of the Interstellar Coalition, these ships would later return to their missions of colonization. A few were still in use by Coalition Army during the start of the Guardian Conflict, including the ICS Frontier that was shot down by Guardian forces during the opening moments of the Battle of L462.

Technical Data
As a colony ship the Megaroad-class sported internal space and infrastructure to constitute a mid-sized city. Under hardened glass panels for sunlight, the vessel sported a closed-cycle long-term habitation system allowing colonists to make voyages in excess of several years to decades. This city-like colony section held 80,000 colonists in relative comfort, requiring a comparative crew of 8,000 to keep the vessel functional.

Unlike the concept of its sister the Macross Island-class, which was to move the completed city to a new world and then convert the ship into further infrastructure, the Megaroads were designed to deposit a self-sufficient city to a new world, then return to port to be fitted with a new one. This reusable design made them highly popular of their behemoth forerunners.

Their smaller size meant Megaroads were easy to construct at ground-side shipyards, as they could be be constructed on the ground and launched into space thanks to the gravity propulsion provided as a gift by the Cylon Imperium. This meant the Megaroads was the largest vessel in the Coalition capable of atmospheric descent and take-off.

Military variants were redesign and added armour plating and covering of the expose windows.

Speed
The Megaroads were the fastest colony ships ever built by United Earth, able to reach speeds of Warp 4. Later upgrades allowed the ship to travel at warp 5.2. Military variants were given improve warp drives to allow speeds of 5.5 and later FTL-jump drives were added as a standard to the class before the end of the Xindi Conflict.

Crew
The Megaroads were design to hold a crew of 8,000 and originally carry over 25,000 colonists, though upgrades and redesigns of the class later upgraded to carry 80,000 colonists.

Military variants could carry over 30,000 metric tons of supplies and over 50,000 personnel to the front lines. Ships of this class carried a ship-board hospital to threat over 20,000 people.

Both variants could carry over 200,000 people for evacuation situations due to maximum life support situations.

Armaments
The Megaroads were not design for combat, but due to pirates, raiders and slaver activity, the vessels began to support both defensive and offensive weaponry.

A dedicated ship security force and a minimal number of weapons were added for their protection. Military variants added additional weapons to give the ship a equatable amount of firepower to a destroyer-type vessel.