After the Shadow war and other conflicts had reduced
the military resources of the Interstellar Alliance, and in particular of its member
the Earth Alliance, a new class of very advanced ships were
concieved. The Interstellar Alliance would supply the technology, while the
Earth Alliance had the will and resources to construct them in secrecy.
The design was based upon technology from the Whitestars,
Vorlon and Minbari technology,
as well as the latest of technology and research from the Earth Alliance.
Finally, after four years of design and construction, the first two prototypes "Excalibur" and "Victory"
were completed. More ships will eventually be built, since a fleet of them were planned from the beginning.
A Victory Class Destroyer is just slightly more than two kilometers long, but it is very manueverable for a ship its size.
The ship has four main beam weapons mounted in the nose section
(picture), and several more beam weapon
and anti-fighter pulse cannon (picture) turrets in different strategic locations, making the ship capable
of firing in any direction. But there is also a super weapon housed in the tips of the
three "wings", extremely powerful Vorlon weapon-arrays.
When fired, three beams of energy from the tips of the wings combine in front of the nose
for a devastating blast (picture). This powerful weapon was however designed for ships with much better
reactor output (like a Vorlon ship), so firing this weapon leaves a
Victory Class Destroyer dead in space for one minute while all systems recharge. Obviously this weapon should only be
used as a last resort. Defensively the hull of the ship is covered by a new plastique/crystalline alloy,
capable of reflecting 80% of an energy weapon. A Victory Class Destroyer is capable of carrying many small
spacecraft in its docking bays, several shuttles, and a squadron of fighters.
The bridge and most crew areas are located at the base of the top "wing".
Excalibur, the only Victory Class Destroyer currently in service (2267), is technically an
Interstellar Alliance ship, but it currently on loan to the Earth Alliance.
The Warlock Class Destroyers are a new breed of Earth Alliance capital ships, very advanced
and very large, 1992 meters long. The first prototype was completed in late 2261, and commanded by
Captain Susan Ivanova. The Warlock class is absolutely loaded with weapons: particle beams,
plasma cannons, railguns, missiles, and many small defensive interceptor/anti-fighter turrets. These ships are also the first
Earth-built ships to incorporate some form of gravity control, a technology partly gained from joining the
Interstellar Alliance, but also through internal research and study of
alien technology. This gives the Warlock Class hybrid gravimetric propulsion and limited
internal gravity for the crew. These ships are absolutely state of the art, but very expensive and slow to construct,
which explains why currently (2267) only a handful are in service.
The Omega Class Destroyers are the backbone of Earth Force, the Earth Alliance military.
They were the first new ship class to be designed and built after the disastrous Minbari war,
based on the Nova Class, and they incorporated much new technology.
One of the first Destroyers off the construction line was the "Agamemnon", commanded by Captain John Sheridan.
Most of these ships have names based on Greek history and mythology.
The Omega class is 1717 meters long, and it is equipped with numerous particle weapons
(capable of firing in beam or pulse mode), which are used as
both offensive weapons and defensive interceptors and anti-fighter guns. Like most capital ships,
they are not very maneuverable. There is no artificial gravity on board. Instead the middle part of the
destroyer rotates to create gravity for the crew. They also carry a large compliment of
Starfury or Thunderbolt fighter.
The Omega Class Destroyers are of course equipped with jump-point generators.
There is also an advanced experimental version of the Omega Class.
It has prototypical new bio-engineered armor, and experimental new beam weapons.
This class of ships was the most secret development from the Earth Alliance Research & Development,
using the most advanced technology they could find. Only a few prototypes were put together in the middle of 2261,
it is not known if any still exist.
The Nova Class was Earth Force's largest and most powerful ships during the Minbari
war, 1455 meters long, but still inferior to all the Minbari ships.
But like all Earth Force ships it has been continually upgraded and retrofitted, and some more were also built
after the war, although currently shipyard construction seems to favor the newer Omega lass instead.
been refitted and more built. The Omega Class design was also based
on the Nova Class to save development costs. This class is heavily armed with lots of heavy plasma cannons, but not very
maneuverable at all. These ships are probably also capable of some planetary bombardment.
Like the Omega Class, these ships can also open up their own jump-points.
The Nova Class can also carry many fighters and Ground Attack Gunships.
The Hyperion Class Heavy Cruiser, 990 meters long, is one of the oldest types of Earth Alliance ships still in
service, and they were all built before the Minbari war. The vast majority of them were destroyed
in the war, but many of them survived and are still in active service. The Hyperion Class has also recently
been upgraded, so that it now can carry beam weapons and otherwise improved weaponry.
There is neither artificial gravity nor a rotating section on board, so the crew works in micro-gravity.
This makes these ships only suitable for shorter missions, while the crews on the much larger
Omega Destroyers with rotating sections can stay out for longer patrols. The Heavy Cruiser
also carries a few Starfuries on board, and it is the smallest Earth Alliance ship than can
open their own jump-point.
Olympus Class Corvette
The Olympus Class Corvette is medium sized ship that was heavily used during
the Minbari War. It is around 444 meters long, but it is fairly well armed with
plasma cannons, some railguns, and two missile tubes. It usually only carries three
Starfuries and a shuttle or two, and it seems to lack a jump-point generator. Although this design
is very outdated by now, it has recieved technology upgrades, and is still a relatively common sight on
patrol around the worlds of the Earth Alliance.
The Earth Alliance Starfury Class fighters are uniquely for designed mamximum
efficiency in space combat. With the pilot(s) located in the center, and 4
redirectable engines located at the end of 4 "wings", the Starfury is amazingly
maneuverable. The Pilot "stands up" in the cockpit, which is the best position for
most acceleration. The basic design is hardly new, it existed way before the Minbari war,
all the way back to the Dilgar War (early 23rd century). But the design was judged to be very
solid, and there have been many upgrades to all systems over the years. Starfuries usually have
at least two cannons as weapons, with the additional capability of carrying missiles.
Its length is around 7 meters, but with a wingspan of almost 18 meters.
There are currently three basic types of Starfuries in service:
Light "Aurora" Starfury
The standard Light Starfury is basically the same model as the one used in the
Minbari war,
but with some upgrades. It is not very well armed and protected, but very quick and maneuverable.
This is by far the most common type of Starfury.
Heavy Starfury
The Heavy Starfury is a two-seater, with a gunner positioned looking backwards.
It has better armor and weapons than the Light Starfury, but it is slower and
not as maneuverable. Its main role is attack, and therefore it is always stationed
on starships with offensive capabilities.
Advanced "Black Omega" Starfury
The Black Omega Starfuries are advanced models that are stealthier than the Light Starfury.
They are mostly used on "sensitive" missions, and are always piloted by members of
Psi-Corps. They are easily recognized by a large white omega letter painted on black
background.
The newest Earth Alliance fighter is the Thunderbolt, a heavily modified
and improved Starfury design. It is much more
aerodynamic, capable of atmospheric as well as space combat. It has small
fins mounted on the engines that are extended during atmospheric flight to
improve control. The Thunderbolt is around 15 meters long, with a full wingspan of almost 20 meters (fins extended).
Usually a these fighters are only armed with a powerful gatling plasma cannon,
but they also have at least four hardpoints for attaching missiles if needed.
The Thunderbolt seats two, the pilot in the front seat, and the co-pilot/navigator
in the rear seat.
Ground Attack Gunship
The Ground Attack Gunship is the backbone of the Earth Alliance infantry.
It has two roles, ground support/attack, and as a personnel carrier.
The Gunship is primarily, but not exclusively, designed for atmospheric battle.
It is capable of space flight, but it is flown by itself mostly to and from orbit.
Once in orbit the Gunship usually docks with its carrier, usually a Nova Class Dreadnought.
Breaching Pod
The standard Breaching Pod is a small short range spacecraft designed for one purpose only,
to breach ship or station hulls and deliver ground forces. A Breaching Pod approaches the target slowly,
matches velocity, and then attaches itself to target. Then the drilling system creates a hole
for the boarding troops to pass through.
The Earth Force One is the presidential luxury transport, used by the president and high government officials on
public trips. It has a rotating section for the luxury of gravity, it also carries four
Starfuries for escort at all times. There are at least two ships of this class in service.
The Explorer Class is largest ship class built by the Earth Alliance.
They are over 3 km long, and are exclusively used for exploration and
jumpgate construction. These ships can stay out for years without being resupplied,
exploring new star systems and building jumpgates if any useful resources are
expected to be found there. Only a few exist, since they are incredibly expensive
to construct. They carry several small ships on board and are lightly armed, and
they are of course also capable of opening their own jump-points.
The Scout ships are heavily modified Shuttles, used as smaller
scientific exploration ships that take over where an Explorer Class
ship has built a jumpgate. They then go in and map the system carefully,
looking for valuable resources. They can be piloted by a single person, and are quite often operated that way.
The Starliners are essentially cruise ships in space.
The largest part of these ships is the spherical rotating section,
where the passengers reside in their cabins. The Liners operate on a schedule
between the Solar system, the colonies, and space stations like Babylon 5.
The generated gravity on board makes these ships practical for longer trips in space,
and for people who are not used to micro-gravity.
Psi-Corps Transport
The Psi-Corps Transports are heavily modified Starliners that has been converted
to mobile bases of operations for the Psi-Corps. These ships spend almost all their
time in hyperspace, they only return to normal space when repairs are needed. Nothing
else is known about these ships.
Shuttle
The Earth Alliance standard Shuttle is versatile little craft that can is used for
many tasks. It is around 25-30 meters long, and can carry around 100 persons when packed, and the
cockpit has room for 3 people. Countless Shuttles are in use all over
the Earth Alliance, where they are mostly used for transporting people and goods over short distances
from ship to ship or station. They are also capable of extended trips in
hyperspace and can be used for long trips, although the comfort level for such a trip is not very high.
The Earth Alliance Atmospheric Shuttle is similar to in form and function
to its Centauri counterpart. it is 30 meters long,
with a full wingspan of 43 meters. The atmopsheric shuttle is capable of landing and lifting
off from a planetary surface. They land and take off on runways, but also vertically if space is tight.
There are several minor variations to this model, each designed for a particular purpose.
Personal Transport
The Personal Transport is a smaller craft that is used for longer trips
by one person, it fulfills a role similar to that of the Minbari Flyer.
It has room for one person and some cargo. There are several variations to this design as well.
Freighters
These Freighters (and other similar spacecraft) is very common in the Earth Alliance.
They have a small crews, but the cargo bays can hold a lot of cargo. They lack any defensive capabilities
and are therefore sometimes escorted by Starfuries or other
ships through troubled sectors.
Transport
This model of Transport is fairly large, and is capable of long journeys.
They can carry many passengers and/or much cargo.