Heavy Cruiser



Heavy Cruiser

This Ship type classification was added as the Nul joined the Union around 5040. It was decided to retrofit 40% of the Nul Fleet.

These ships received Union tech retrofits but retained much of their original equipment.

The decision was made to accomodate the already trained  Nul crews with vessels they were familiar with and to  evaluate these ships tech and designs, as they represented the pinacle of that societies tech.

One particular Nul Ship, the Xundir Class - also called the Nul Enforcer in particular prooved to be a capable and well designed system and received the  Hull designation of HRC - Heavy Recon Cruiser - or simply Heavy Cruiser.

In 5050 the Ship type Classification was permanent comfirmed and recieved the now official hull classification HRC.

Also in 5050 the restructured shipyards of the Nul produced the first purpose built HRCs, an amalgam of Union and Nul design.

The retro fitted original ships are desinated HRC - O and the new designed ones are designated HRC-N

The HRC  type is between the SRC (Space Cruiser ) and HFR ( Heavy Frigate ) designation.

In shape and size they still resemble Nul Emforcers but are now standard Union Fleet Gray.
 * The HRC-0 has the same size and outer specs of a Golden Sphere (750 m)
 * The HRC-N is slightly smaller (700 m)

The main role of the HRC type is recon and patrol in known or suspected hostile environment with maximum survivability in mind. The HRCs are as rugged and heavily armed as possible with relative little emphasis on crew compfort [1]

This role is born out of a Nul strategy where small combat groups of 4-5 HRCs penetrate deep into enemy or hostile space and perform hit and run raids[2] to interrupt or possibly cripple enemy supply and logistics.

Most HRCs are not attached to so called "Number Fleets " but operate directly under the auspice of the Union Assymetrical Warfare Command or the Joint Special Forces Command of the Union.

[1] The HRC-N has received much improvement in this aspect and now feature small versions of the R-Deck facilities, most Union ships have.

[2] A new role added is the insertion and extraction of Special forces behind enemy lines. To maximise their abilities in this department all new HRC-N are equipped with the Alberich Device and have a second set of engines based on the Nul Yoke Engine - (Not ISAH related) The Yoke Engine pulls the ship rather than pushing it amd used a projected singularity to do so. The Nul Yoke engines have been developed by the Nul from the present (a cache of advanced technology they received from the Dead )

The Yoke Engine has limitations and is not as efficient or powerful as a ISAH or Attikan Engine but it leaves no particle trace at all and the new Union developed Yoke engine is almost undetectable.