Defender-class assault carrier

The 700-meter-long Defender-class assault carrier is produced under the New Republic's New Class modernization program. Following New Class practice, these assault carriers were built on the same basic hull as the Majestic-class heavy cruiser. These ships serve as starfighter platforms, and are very lightly armed. They lack heavy guns, and are only armed with 20 antistarfighter laser cannons for self defense. The Defender-class assault carrier is equipped with a Class 1 hyperdrive, and has a crew of 4,050.

Each of these ships is home to a single New Republic wing of 3 squadrons, sometimes consisting of a single type of starfighter, and sometimes a mixed wing. The majority of Defender-class carriers in the Fifth Battle Group carry 3 E-wing squadrons, while a few are dedicated to supporting K-wing bomber wings. Only one of these ships actually carries Defender starfighters, the the starfighter it was originally designed to host. In addition to its starfighters, the Defender-class assault carrier also holds assault shuttles and various personnel transports for its 700 troops.

Behind the Scenes
The only official image of the Defender-class assault carrier is found in the RPG sourcebook Cracken's Threat Dossier. Like the pictures of other New Class ships, this picture contradicts information from the Black Fleet Crisis novels, on which Cracken's Threat Dossier is based. The Majestic and Defender classes look nothing alike, even though they are supposed to be built on the same hull. Because of this, the picture has been labeled as erroneous and dismissed as non-Canon by many fans.

External Link

 * Black Fleet Crisis FAQ by Michael P. Kube-McDowell