HARBINGER CLASS MISSILE DESTROYER:

CLASSIFICATION: Missile Destroyer (Aircraft Carrier/Missile Launch Platform/Mobile Missile Production Facility)
LENGTH: 2,250 metres
TONNAGE: 40 million tonnes
MANOEUVERABILITY: Class A+
CREW: 200
TROOPS: 0
FIGHTER(s): 32 Cobra Bays
POWER SOURCE: 6 Tokamak Corp. Ultima 3000 Gravimetric Fusion Reactors - 1,000,000 Terawatts
DURATION: 24 months before refuelling
WEAPONS: 7 Heavy Pulse Cannons - 4 Heavy Fusion Beam Cannons & green Plasma Cannons - 200 Rapid-launch Missile Launchers - 24 Light Gravimetric Slicer Beams - 1 Plasma Cloud Ejector - Shrapnel Emitter System
DEFENCES: 8 to 10 metre Advanced Daemon Re-Enforced Armour - EM/Gravimetric Field Defence Grid - FLAK Anti-starfighter Grid - IMPS Defence Satellites

After the direct assault on Earth, the Earth Alliance stepped up its research in the fields of weapons and ship design. They realized that their tactics were not as efficient as they could be. The result of this research was the Harbinger class Missile Destroyer.

The Harbinger takes a completely new approach to battle. She isn't made for direct combat, but is armed if she has to do so. She produces and launches missiles, in hyperspace. When her target is reached, she remains in hyperspace, opens a jump point and launches hundreds of Phalanx class missiles. These missiles range from fission warheads with a 75 megatonne yield to fusion warheads with a 250 megatonne yield to antimatter warheads with 5 gigatonne yield. All missiles are shielded by on-board graviton emitters. Once the missiles jump out, they then acquire their targets and finish their task. The production facilities are used to keep at least 1600 missiles at the ready, and can produce a full round of 200 missiles in 5 minutes.

The missile launchers are a new design, octagonal in shape, they are made to be multi-directional. Should the need arise the launcher can load all eight launching mechanisms are armed and can be moved on turrets which can turn 90o in each direction.

The Harbinger is also outfitted with a plasma cloud ejector, which is sent through a jump point into realspace. This cloud would travel at high speeds, clearing fighters and small ships, as well as damaging larger ships. The other new weapon system on the Harbinger is the shrapnel emitter which launches magnetically charged bits of shrapnel. These pieces of shrapnel do damage to the surface of the ship and deflect/diffuse beam weapons and cause problems with the engines of fighters.

The Harbinger works in groups of about 6 Harbingers, 6 Omegas or Warlocks (one assigned to each Harbinger) for defence and a large contingent of offensive ships. Once the Harbingers have fired their first missile volleys, the offensive ships jump out to attack. The Harbingers and defensive Omegas or Warlocks stay in hyperspace, recharging their jump engines.

The Harbinger uses an upgrade of the Titan Engines LTD. Z-105 Ion/Particle engine used on the Warlocks, using more advanced gravimetric principles, closer to the Centauri gravimetric/ion hybrid than the ion engines that drive the earlier Earth Alliance ships. The Harbinger also uses an advanced fusion reactor. It uses the advanced gravimetric principles used in the engine drive to allow the fusion reactor work harder.

Using the same artificial gravity systems as the Warlock, the Harbinger has a small duty section for the relatively small crew. This allowed for space to be reserved for the dual hyper drive system which required twice the reactor output.

The Harbingers will only leave hyperspace to dock, to repair themselves and to refuel. If, in the rare event that they are attacked in hyperspace, they can use their low yield fission missiles and their beam weapons to defend themselves as well as having the Omegas or Warlocks to defend them.

The Harbingers have been outfitted with several new defensive weapons. It has a series of FLAK Anti-Starfighter Emplacements. They also have a group of IMPS (Independent Munitions Platform Satellite) Defence Satellites. They are outfitted with a gravimetric drive, a MPX receiver, up to 5 Universal Weapons Banks, an EM/Anti-graviton Defence Field and a Tachyon Burst Transmitter/Receiver, all encompassed in an ETS2-FLX shell. When in battle, the IMPS detach from their housings on the hull and take up positions around the ship. They can be co-ordinate to deliver a fairly menacing assault, but can also be used to deflect incoming attacks with a lower power expenditure or increased/more detailed sensor data.

Pictured is the EAS Sapiano, the first Harbinger, named after the aerospace engineer who designed her. She is seen with fore missile launchers in ready-to-fire position.