WarShip of the Week? Bah! Weeks are for the weak! You'll get your articles when we please, and be happy about it!
Aegis Heavy Cruiser Today, we're going to look at one of the oldest WarShips out there, the Aegis-class Heavy Cruiser. We're talking ancient, here. Not only is the Aegis one of the oldest capital ships known, it has managed to maintain a more or less constant active service for nearly
eight hundred years. I dunno if Di Tron still exists as a company anymore, but if they do, that's a pre-won marketing campaign right there.
When the Terran Hegemony began fielding Aegis cruisers in 2372, interstellar warfare was still in a state of flux. Dreadnoughts and Black Lions had ruled the spaceways for decades, and with the addition of the new Monsoon-class, Terran starships were just beginning their centuries-long reign over the stars of man. This rule was not unchallenged though, and if Defenders, Leagues, and the upcoming Narukamis could not challenge a Hegemony line squadron directly, those squadrons could not be everywhere. The Cruiser-series was proving as unimpressive as it was unimaginative, and to fill that gap and supplement the Dart-class as heavy patrol vessels, the Aegis was born.
At 750 kilotons, the Aegis was the largest of any cruiser yet launched, and that mass is put to good use. A thrust curve that maxes out at 1.5 standard gravities is pretty standard for cruisers of this era, though it is quite sluggish compared to later vessels, and more worrisome, the just-deployed Winchester-class could fly rings around it. Unless you're far sneakier at the helm than I am(or you're hunting Aquilas and their ilk), you're not going to be surprising anyone with your maneuvers. This is compounded by a need to keep your engine pointed well away from enemy forces, as you have NO thrust reserves with which to absorb any critical hits.
So you can't outfly anyone, can you outlast them? Six hundred and twenty-seven tons of ferro-carbide armor coupled with a solid SI rating of 75 says yes, 736 total points of damage absorption proving superior to every other ship of the time save the brand-new Monsoons, higher even than the legendary Dreadnoughts. You obviously still have to worry about thresholding hits from anything destroyer-sized or larger(no corvettes need apply until the arrival of the Pinto), but anyone looking to put your ship permanently out of commission has a long slog ahead of them.
Offensively, an Aegis packs a mighty punch. Class-10 Naval Autocannons may not put out much damage individually, but the Aegis packs no less than forty-eight of the buggers, concentrated in heavy turrets scattered across the hull for complete all-around coverage, predictably focused on the broadsides. These are backed up by solid naval laser batteries located in the broadside and aft arcs, and twelve White Shark Missile launchers can launch in any direction. All this adds up to a vessel that can project heavy firepower in any direction and at any range, capable of effectively engaging large craft and fighters alike. Enemies of the Hegemony will be relieved to know that the Aegis's power and cooling grid struggles to keep up with this warload, so while it can put out fearsome firepower in just about any direction, doing so in all directions simultaneously is not possible, and an Aegis confronted with multiple foes will be forced to pick and choose who to strike down at any given time.
As a patrol and convoy escort vessel, it stands to reason that an Aegis be able to pull its metaphorical weight as a transport. A cargo bay rated over 120 kilotons means that you've got more than enough room for supplies, both to keep your own ship going on long journeys, and to support outside logistical needs. Four then-new docking collars allow the Aegis to carry even more cargo in DropShips, though most vessels will likely carry at least a few combat ships for additional firepower, fighter capacity, or to act as picket ships. (Go read the article about the Vincent Corvette to see why pickets are a very good idea.) As far as small craft go, the Aegis is very well equipped. A full wing of fighters is an excellent screen, and ten shuttlebays means plenty of room for cargo shuttles, gunships, boarding craft, yet more pickets...you name it. Even without other WarShips present, an Aegis is more than capable of operating as a one-ship task force.
The tactics available to an Aegis are defined by its speed. You don't have the thrust for anything fancy, so don't bother. On the offense, close with the enemy, and shoot him until he ain't there no more. Don't fly
straight in mind you, as that's a good way to get surrounded by more threats than you can respond to. Pick a flank and fly around it, allowing you to pour fire in one direction, using your small craft and any DropShip escorts to cover your own vulnerable spots. In defensive scenarios, position yourself so the enemy has to fly through your position to get to their objective, and thus must pass through your engagement envelope. Above all else, keep your engine safe. There's a difference between sluggish and adrift, and for an Aegis, that difference is two lucky hits.
How do you beat an Aegis? If you can, outfly it. Get around to his aft, and take advantage of that vulnerable engine. You'll need to do this with something big though, as fighters and DropShips simply don't have the concentrated punch to get through that hide without scrubbing it all off first. If you can't outmaneuver an Aegis, you'll have to beat it down the hard way. My advice is big-bore energy weapons like the main bay of a Du Shi Wang, or a sustained bombardment from capital missiles. Aegii may have a lot of guns, but they're concentrated into big bays, with only one or two such bays in any given arc. If you can go for the crits from far out, taking out even a small number of weapons bays can quickly open up large holes in an Aegis's threat envelope. And if your mission is to get past the Aegis and get to the juicy transports or whatnot being guarded, a particularly cold-blooded commander can try to swarm the cruiser, accepting heavy losses on one side, knowing that ships on the other side simply cannot be effectively fired upon.
Now in the early 26th century, the Aegis-class was retired and mothballed in favor of the faster and more powerful Avatar. This "only" lasted about fifty years, as the looming Reunification War created a need for heavy combatants in multiple theaters of combat. 30 cruisers were reactivated and then gifted to the navies of the Great Houses, where they would see service in the same convoy escort and patrol roles they did in Terran service, and sometimes also operating as heavy combatants alongside battlecruisers and battleships, or leading entire fleets on their own. The remaining 70 hulls had a different fate, however...