Ship Classes and Types

(Version 1.03 - Last Modified: 02/23/2003)

• Introduction
• Ship Classes - Shuttles
• Ship Classes - Combat Ships
• Ship Classes - Other Ships
• Ship Types

The main purpose of this article is to provide the reader with a comprehensive list of terms that I will be using throughout this website. Whenever I refer to a space ship being of a certain class or type, it can be found on this page. Anyone who wishes to use the same terms that I use here should feel that they can without having to ask my permission. Many of my definitions came from a few military sources, but mostly they came from science fiction movies or books. With each class, I have listed the average M.D.C. Armor Rating that a ship of a given class should have, as well as ECM and ECCM values. Also listed are the average number of special functions that a ship equipped with an Electronic Warfare System should be able to use per melee. Finally, the average capabilities of the targeting system are listed, but ships that do not have any weapons at all will not be equipped with a targeting computer. Ship types are applied to a ship class and the values given modify the values of the ship class.

It is important to note that not all ships are equipped with EWSs, may not be able to effectively engage in electronic warfare and may not be as heavily armed as the ships listed below. The values listed below are for ships from the Three Galaxies, as such, a ship from Alien Unlimited or Robotech would be less advanced, so reduce M.D.C. Armor Ratings, ECM, and ECCM values by -1 for all classes and ship types, and reduce all bonuses and maximum number of objects that can be targeted by the targeting system by half. See Mega-Damage Properties for more details on M.D.C. Armor Ratings, see Electronic Warfare and EWSs for more details on Electronic Warfare and Electronic Warfare Systems, and see Standard Ship Systems for more details on other systems normally equipped on a ship.

Shuttle vary widely in size, some reaching a few hundred feet in length, but they are relatively simple when compared to ships and generally lack the offensive and defensive systems of a real ship. Often a shuttle is not designed for long range or extended missions.

• Assault Shuttle
  Assault Shuttles occupy a grey area between a space fighter and a space ship. Not large enough to be considered a real ship, but still considerably larger then a normal fighter, the Assault Shuttle is generally used in law enforcement circles to patrol space lanes around a space station or a planet.
  • ECM: 2
  • ECCM: 2
  • EWS: Not usually equipped with an EWS.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 8
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 16
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 30 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +1 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +1 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Drop Ship
  Drop ships are used to quickly enter an atmosphere and land troops, often under enemy fire. They are often well armed to make insertions into enemy controlled territory. Most often these ships will be around the same size as a Corvette, but some can be larger or smaller, but they all designed to carry a fair number of soldiers for a short duration.
  • ECM: 2
  • ECCM: 1
  • EWS: Not usually equipped with an EWS.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 8
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 16
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 30 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +1 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +1 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Personnel Shuttle
  A Personnel Shuttle is a small multipurpose vessel that is used to transport small quantities of supplies or people from one location to another, such as from a planet to a ship or from one ship to another nearby vessel.
  • ECM: 1
  • ECCM: 1
  • EWS: Not usually equipped with an EWS.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 7
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 15
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 15 targets simultaneously and provides no bonuses to strike.
• Troop Shuttle
  Similar to Drop Ships, a Troop Shuttle is used to carry troops to and from a planet, but the main difference is that a Troop Shuttle is not specifically designed for combat. Usually Troop Shuttles will have very limited to no weapons.
  • ECM: 1
  • ECCM: 1
  • EWS: Not usually equipped with an EWS.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 7
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 15
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 20 targets simultaneously and provides no bonuses to strike.

These are the fundamental classes that all combat ships belong to. These ships generally have some favorable balance of weapons and armor and are designed for combat and destroying other ships. Unlike the other two lists of ship classes, the combat ship list is not listed alphabetically, instead it is listed in order of increasing ship size. Thus, a Corvette (or Fighter ship) is usually the smallest combat ship while the Dreadnought is usually the largest.

• Corvette or Fighter
  This is a very small combat ship, often the smallest in any given fleet. These ships have limited range and weapon systems, but they are quite effective at tracking down weakly armed pirates and for close defense of a larger ship. These ships, called either Corvettes or Fighters are not to be confused with normal space fighters, which are considerably smaller and have completely different missions.
  • ECM: 3
  • ECCM: 2
  • EWS: One EWS special function per melee.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 8
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 16
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 50 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +2 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +1 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Frigate
  Larger then a Corvette, a Frigate is often deployed for patrol missions and to escort larger ships, such as cruisers and battleships. Frigates have very limited systems, but often have a fair mix of offensive and defense capabilities.
  • ECM: 3
  • ECCM: 3
  • EWS: One EWS special function per melee.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 8
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 16
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 75 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +2 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +1 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Destroyer
  With a ship the size of a Destroyer, more missions are possible and a ship's ability to inflict and suffer damage begin to increase dramatically. While still no match for cruisers or anything larger, destroyers have more versatility then frigates or smaller vessels.
  • ECM: 4
  • ECCM: 3
  • EWS: Two EWS special functions per melee.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 9
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 17
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 100 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +2 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +2 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Cruiser
  A cruiser is often considered to be the standard ship in a fleet, even if it is not the most common ship in a fleet. These ships will most likely have a good balance of weapons, defensive systems, and additional systems that allow them to perform many diverse missions.
  • ECM: 4
  • ECCM: 4
  • EWS: Two EWS special functions per melee.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 10
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 18
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 150 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +3 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +2 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Battlecruiser
  This is a term that is heavily used to designate a ship that is between the capabilities of a normal cruiser and a battleship. Many fleets determine this class by placing the weapons of a battleship on a cruiser hull, this can either make a very fast, but weakly armored battleship or a very slow, but heavily armed cruiser. This term is the equivalent of a Cruiser using the Battle ship type, which means that a Battle Battlecruiser is not possible.
  • ECM: 4
  • ECCM: 5
  • EWS: Three EWS special functions per melee.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 11
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 19
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 200 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +4 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +3 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Battleship
  Battleships are large ships that are dedicated to combat. This dedication usually comes at the cost of other systems, such as hanger space and non-combat systems.
  • ECM: 5
  • ECCM: 5
  • EWS: Three EWS special functions per melee.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 11
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 19
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 300 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +5 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +3 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Dreadnought
  Generally the largest ships built in any fleet, Dreadnoughts often carry resources to carry out many different mission profiles simultaneously, this includes combat, troop transportation, and limited carrier operations.
  • ECM: 6
  • ECCM: 6
  • EWS: Four EWS special functions per melee.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 12
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 20
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 500 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +6 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +4 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.

Ship Classes - Other Ships

If a ship is not a shuttle and it is not a combat vessel, then it can probably be classified as one of the following ships.

• Carrier
  A Carrier can vary dramatically in size, from relatively small ships to huge vessels, but they all share a commonality: the dedication of large portions of internal space to launchable vehicles, such as fighters. Carriers almost always have less weapons then a combat vessel of the same size, and their offensive and defense systems are always less powerful. Unless a ship is very small or very large, the following values should apply no matter what the size of the actual ship.
  • ECM: 5
  • ECCM: 4
  • EWS: Two EWS special functions per melee.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 10
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 18
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 200 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +3 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +2 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Control Ship
  This class of ship has increased Command, Control, and Communications facilities to allow the Control Ship to coordinate other ships in a given area or with a specific mission. Unless a ship is very small or very large, the following values should apply no matter what the size of the actual ship.
  • ECM: 6
  • ECCM: 5
  • EWS: Three EWS special functions per melee.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 9
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 17
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 250 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +2 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +2 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Factory Ship
  A ship of this class is similar to a Tender, but is more dedicated to construction than field repairs. A Factory Ship will have extensive manufacturing facilities capable of building new fighters, robots, suits of power armor, and ammunition, if it has the necessary raw materials. Unless a ship is very small or very large, the following values should apply no matter what the size of the actual ship.
  • ECM: 4
  • ECCM: 2
  • EWS: One EWS special function per melee.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 8
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 16
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 100 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +1 to strike for all direct fire weapons.
• Freighter
  Freighters are usually slow, unmaneuverable, and only lightly defended, but they are essential because of their large cargo capacities. Civilian freighters are the heart of any interstellar empire or galactic power, but military freighters are also important in transporting supplies and ammunition.
  • ECM: 1
  • ECCM: 0
  • EWS: Not usually equipped with an EWS.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 7
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 15
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 20 targets simultaneously and provides no bonuses to strike.
• Landing Ship
  A Landing Ship is a combination of a drop ship and a full sized spaceship. A ship of this class often has a huge troop capacity and is usually capable of entering an atmosphere to directly load or offload the troops it carries. Almost without exception, these ships are designed for direct planetary assaults. Unless a ship is very small or very large, the following values should apply no matter what the size of the actual ship.
  • ECM: 3
  • ECCM: 3
  • EWS: Two EWS special functions per melee.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 9
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 17
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 75 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +2 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +2 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Q-Ship
  By all outward appearances, this class of ship is a Freighter, but in reality the ship contains much more powerful weapons and more armor. These ships are usually sent to lure out unsuspecting pirates that would attempt to ambush a seemingly defenseless convoy of normal freighters.
  • ECM: 3
  • ECCM: 3
  • EWS: One EWS special function per melee.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 8
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 16
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 100 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +2 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +2 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Tender
  Tenders are general fleet support ships that are used to repair other ships out of space dock and, in some cases, build new robots, power armor, fighters, and ammunition. While no where near as capable as a real space dock, space station, or even a factory ship, a Tender can enable a fleet to operate for long periods of time without returning to receive additional supplies. Unless a ship is very small or very large, the following values should apply no matter what the size of the actual ship.
  • ECM: 3
  • ECCM: 1
  • EWS: One EWS special function per melee.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 8
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 16
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 75 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +2 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +1 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Troop Transport
  Related to the Landing Ship, a Troop Transport sacrifices combat capabilities in exchange for transporting a large number of troops. The main difference between a Troop Transport and a Landing Ship is that the Troop Transport is not designed for planetary assaults and are not designed to offload troops with great speed, which is often a requirement in Landing Ships. Unless a ship is very small or very large, the following values should apply no matter what the size of the actual ship.
  • ECM: 3
  • ECCM: 2
  • EWS: Two EWS special functions per melee.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 8
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 16
  • Targeting System: Can track up to 50 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +1 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +1 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.

Ship types can be viewed as modifiers on a basic ship class. Most of these terms can be applied to all of the classes listed above, but some make very little sense. For example, a Heavy Cruiser makes perfect sense, but an Escort Factory Ship or a Battle Personnel Shuttle, do not. The ship types list modifications to M.D.C. Armor Rating, ECM and ECCM values, and any modifiers to an equipped EWS. Only modified values are shown.

• Assault
  This type is used to indicate a ship that is often the first into any combat, for creating a hole in an enemy line or for creating a beachhead during a planetary assault.
  • ECM: +1
  • ECCM: +1
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: +1
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: +2
  • Targeting System: Can track up to +50 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +2 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +2 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Battle
  This is a ship that is dedicated to space combat, implying that it has extra weapons and possibly extra hanger space than a normal ship of its class. As a downside, many of these ships lose facilities to equip additional weapons and armor.
  • ECCM: +1
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: +1
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: +2
  • Targeting System: Can track up to +50 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +3 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +3 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Command (or Leader)
  This is a ship that places extra emphasis on command, control, and communications facilities than a normal ship of its class. For example, a Command Cruiser or a Destroyer Leader.
  • EWS: An additional EWS special function per melee.
  • Targeting System: Can track up to +150 targets simultaneously.
• Commando
  This refers to a ship that has improved marine facilities for boarding actions, either defending the ship from boarders or attacking other ships.
  • ECM: -1
  • ECCM: -1
• Escort
  A ship of this type, which is usually a small ship, is equipped to defend a larger ship. This usually means that the ship may have more point defense weapons or additional hanger space, usually kept empty, where the parent ship's fighters can dock to allow for a faster turnover of fighters.
  • ECCM: +1
  • Targeting System: Can track up to +50 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +1 to strike for all direct fire weapons.
• Expeditionary
  This type indicates that a ship is capable of operating on long-term missions with very little or no support from any outside facilities. These ships are completely self-sufficient and are capable of building an entirely new and complex infrastructure wherever they go.
• Heavy
  A ship of this type is usually larger than normal for a ship of its class, but is more expensive and more powerful. For example, a Heavy Cruiser or a Heavy Destroyer.
  • ECM: +1
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: +1
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: +2
  • Targeting System: Can track up to +50 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +1 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +1 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Light
  A ship of this type is usually smaller than normal for a ship of its class, but is also cheaper and faster to build. For example, a Light Cruiser or a Light Destroyer.
  • ECM: -1
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: -1
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: -2
  • Targeting System: Can track up to -50 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of -1 to strike for all direct fire weapons and -1 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Minesweeper / Minelayer
  The main purpose behind these ships is clear from their titles, they are either involved in clearing an area of mines or laying a new mine field. Often both tasks are done by the same ship.
  • ECM: -1
  • ECCM: -1
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: +1
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: +2
  • Targeting System: Provide a bonus of +2 to strike for all direct fire weapons.
• Monitor
  Ships of this type varying widely in size, but are almost always built without an FTL drive. Their main purpose is star system defense, which they perform with a larger number of weapons than is usual on a ship of its class.
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: +2
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: +4
  • Targeting System: Can track up to +50 targets simultaneously and provide a bonus of +1 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +1 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.
• Patrol
  This type is similar to the Scout type, but these ships specialize in deep-space missions and limited exploration. Due to the nature of their missions, they generally have sensors equivalent to a ship several times larger.
  • ECCM: -1
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: -1
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: -2
• Scout
  A ship equipped with extra sensors for increased detection capabilities, which allows the ship to detect other ships further away and with better accuracy than a normal ship of its class. The ship may also be equipped with additional sensor systems not held on a normal ship of its class.
  • ECM: +1
  • EWS: An additional EWS special function per melee.
• Space
  Ships of this type operate in a very large area of space, and it is almost exclusively used with the Control Ship class, such as a Space Control Ship. Due to the nature of its mission, this type of ship generally has sensors equivalent to a larger ship.
• Strike
  This type implies that the ship is designed for one of two things, either deep strikes into enemy controlled territory or rapid reaction to an enemy incursion.
  • ECCM: +1
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: +1
  • M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: +2
  • EWS: An additional EWS special function per melee.
  • Targeting System: Provide a bonus of +2 to strike for all direct fire weapons and +3 to strike for all missiles using non-autonomous guidance systems.

The following files were used in the creation of this document:

Mega-Damage Properties
Revised Rules for Starship Armor
Electronic Warfare and EWSs