Category:Orion-class

The Orion-class corvette was first developed and deployed by Caprica just prior to the Cylon War. Almost within two decades the class absorbed into the Colonial Fleet and later the Coalition Fleet. Also known as a "Pocket Battlestar" or "Half-Pint," the class was among the smallest ships in the Colonial Fleet, dwarfed even by the Valkyrie-class.

History
The Orion-class entered service 8-years prior to the Cylon War, intended at a patrol and support ship for the military of Caprica. During the Cylon War however, it quickly filled a niche role as a corvette class for the new Colonial Fleet.

Following the end of the war the military opted for building quality over quanity, meaning resources were shifted towards construction of battestars and other carrier, battleship analogues.

However during the Xindi Conflict, the ships again became popular in the Coalition Fleet as fast units for harrying enemies. As such the class production has been stepped up, again as a patrol craft but also as a rapid response vehicle and attached to support capital ship units.

Design
Unlike larger Colonial battlestars, the Orion-class does not share the same layout and design principles. Instead, the class is built into one main, streamlined body.


 * The upper section: The upper section of the class features the main and secondary batteries, as well as a large conning tower, which features a forward looking viewing area. The class's engine room and sublight engines are housed in the back, above the landing bay. Two more sub-light engines are housed in detached cowlings off the main boosters.


 * The lower section: The lower sections contain the main landing bay, Viper launch tubes, main communications tower assembly, fuel tanks, and houses another conning tower with forward facing viewing area.

Interior Layout
The Orion-class features very little in the way of creature comforts, due to the nature of fitting the class the largest sub-light engine assembly for a vessel it's size. This leaves wasted space, mean little standing and sitting room, leaving many of the crew to work in tight spots.

Stealth
The class can be outfitted with a unique reflective metallic hull which acts as an inhibitor to Cylon DRADIS, and can operate in "stealth mode" within detection range for a short period without being seen. However, as soon as the ship powered it weapons and launched its fighters, the ship immediately became visible to enemy scanners, with the corresponding DRADIS signatures giving away the ship's position. It is not known if this is a standard feature, or a special, one-off design.

This feature is not commonly and costly to provide, so only vessels detached for special operations are provided it.

Propulsion
The Orion-class features four main sub-light boosters, two of which are housed in separate cowlings off the aft upper section. The class also features RCS thrusters at key points along the fore and aft hulls.

These sub-light engines are further augmented with an FTL engine.

The overall propulsion design, together with the small size of the Orion-class ships, makes the class highly maneuverable, an important aspect of its defensive abilities.

Endurance
Unlike larger battlestars, the Orion-class is not intended to be used on extended duration missions without the aid of a corresponding battle group. The class features limited weapons, which restrict its ability to fight Cylon capital ships, able to last only minutes in combat with a much larger Cylon basestar before taking critical damage.

Armaments
Ships of this class are moderately armed, with at least thirty-two point defense batteries, twelve primary gun turrets, and multiple missile vertical launch systems, along with Raptors and the potential for a handful of Vipers.

The Orion class ships are not normally outfitted with fighters, and usually take on a compliment from other dedicate carriers when the mission demands it. Compared with a Cylon basestar, the potential Viper complement is outnumbered ten to one by Raiders.

Crew
The typical crew compliment of an Orion class ship is about 75, excluding Viper pilots on detachment from other battlestars. However during wartime, the vessel can be staffed up to 150 personnel.