Lancer-class Frigate
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(Backup) Class 15.0
The Lancer-class is a light frigate used for anti-fighter duty.
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Design
Designed expressly to eliminate Rebel starfighter attacks, the Lancer Frigate was born. In order to rush production, KDY adopted some of the B-12 Bacta Transport's (another KDY design) basic hull designs as the basis for the Lancer hull. Even though, gun for gun, this is the best anti-starfighter platform currently in service, and it has proven its worth in the first few encounters against the Rebels, a number of problems still remain. While this design performs admirably against starfighters, the Lancer costs as much as a cruiser, yet it is impotent against capital ships, due to its lack of capital-scale weapons and insufficient hull armor and shield protection against capital-scale weapons. Because of their impotence, they have proven vulnerable to Rebel capital ships, and in fact Lancers have become their target of choice. In addition, starfighters are often able to outrun these ships if the Lancer attempts to pursue, due to the frigate's abysmal speed. Furthermore, in the few fleet engagements that the Lancer participated in, its performance was found to be quite poor. One Lancer Frigate - the Pulsar - replaced its 20 starfighter-scale quad laser cannons with 10 capital-scale quad laser cannons. The Pulsar retained its function as an anti-starfighter platform, however its effectiveness is unknown.
Each of the AG-2Gs, which are specifically calibrated against high-speed and maneuvrable starfighters comes fitted with a targeting device converted from those employed on the TIE Bomber. Each cannon is mounted on its own elevated tower (that can retract into the hull) to allow for a superior field of fire. And because of their targeting systems, the cannons afford multi-fire cover with splendid fire control. Unfortunately, the modified targeting systems still have a few bugs that need to be resolved. Because of these bugs, less than half of the weapons are working flawlessly on any given day. A single power generator feeds each bank of cannons, while backup gunners balance power demands to ensure the laser cannons are operating at full capacity. To say the least, the Lancer's laser cannons make it the equivalent of 80 TIE Fighters.
As screening vessels, Imperial doctrine originally placed them on a fleet's outer perimeter, but, due to their vulnerabilities, they were reassigned to flank Star Destroyers and other large ships. The new arrangement protected the Lancers from enemy capital ships, while the Lancers warded off mass starfighter attacks against its protector. When the rare opportunity arose to attack Rebel starfighter bases, Lancers were best employed against these targets. Since the Empire fielded only a small number of these frigates, it was impossible to assign them to escort each and every convoy. Nonetheless, these frigates are more than a match for Rebel starfighters.
Located above the bridge level is the computer and sensor control level. On the dorsal forward section of the ship is a docking port. Flanking the upper forward section are two tear drop shaped structures. These are the deflector shield projectors. Targeting computer arrays (shaped as dishes) are found on the dorsal and ventral sections of the Lancer. The bulbous structures ringing the engines are power storage capacitor bays, and located in front of those is the power core overload chamber. Should the control links between the bridge and engines be cut in combat, automatic safeguards kick in to shut down the frigate's engines. Its tiny internal hanger can only fit two shuttles.
History
The Lancer-class Frigate was conceived after the Battle of Yavin debacle, at a time when Imperial Naval Command was in the midst of a gripping, but understandable, fear of Rebel starfighter attacks, all due to the loss of the first Death Star by a mere 30 Rebel star fighters. Imperial Naval Command authorized only a limited number of these four-engine ships to serve as evaluation vessels. While the predicted level of Rebel starfighter attacks fortunately never materialized, this frigate is not meeting the expectations placed upon it and appears to becoming an overall disappointment. Imperial engineers claim that the predicted level of attacks had not occurred due to the introduction of this frigate, however, others correctly point out that there is an insufficient number of Lancers in service to make such a bold claim.
Known Vessels
Out of Character
the Lancer Frigate was first mentions in the West End Games Imperial Sourcebook (second edition. It made its first EU appearance in the Thrawn Trilogy book Dark Force Rising)
