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Giona-Class Destroyer

An extensive modification of the tried and true Keres II spaceframe, the Giona represents a move by Ninja Aerospace away from its prior "cost is no object" mentality; while NA's previous generation of warships offered solid performance for low mass, heavy use of expensive components made them difficult to mass-produce. To eliminate this weakness, the Giona in some ways represents a step backwards technologically; the Keres II's aramid fiber armor has been replaced with more fragile silicon carbide plating, and the ship's nuclear arsenal has been considerably reduced. However, the Giona is no cut-rate warship, and each sacrifice has been compensated for by advanced new technologies. The resulting ship has proven herself to be a powerful and highly flexible platform, fast and deadly at any range, and suitable for a wide variety of missions.

Mass: 1.76 kt
Cost: 15.4 Mc
dV: 8.71 km/s (with standard 4x 30t drop tanks)
Propellant: Methane

Armor: A spaced composite totalling 5.2 mm silicon carbide and 4 cm silica aerogel. Steep sloping makes it very effective from the front, but side protection is unreliable at best.

Ordnance:
--96x Vulture Frag Missile: A drastically cheaper alternative to high-yield nukes, the hefty (440 kg) Vulture missile uses four LOX-Methane rockets to propel its 40 kg flak payload to 3.71 km/s. Its unusual steering system, relying mainly on differential thrust, allows it to release its mixture of 188g and 2.72g fragments with exceptional precision, easily matching the lethality of nukes. Its only weakness is flares, which sometimes render it pretty pitiful.
--16x Albatross Nuclear Missile: A thoroughly unimpressive 1.50 km/s LOX-Methane delivery system mated to a potent 691 kt nuclear warhead, the Albatross is an effective anti-munition weapon, but less than stellar in anti-shipping roles. The warhead is made of U-233, making it considerably easier to produce than U-235 weapons.

Kinetic:
--1x 25 MW 9.8mm railgun "Lil' Sidewinder": A stripped down variant of the common Sidewinder main gun with lower power input, the Lil' Sidewinder spits 15g slugs at 10.1 km/s. It is effective against most armor.
--4x 6 MW 6.2mm railgun "Needler": A solid but unexceptional point defence turret, the Needler shoots 5g slugs at 7.61 km/s. Though typically fatal to missiles and drones, capital ship armor often delays it.

Photonic:
--1x 75 MW Ti:Sapphire hot laser: A revolution in spaceborne laser technology, the hot laser sacrifices efficiency for much higher temperatures, allowing for comparatively tiny radiators. The system's two mirrors, large due to its 1.2m aperature, can focus 393 MW/m^2 of near UV light onto a target at 100 km, but have been shown to be vulnerable in gunfights.

Other features:
--Thick, flash-resistant engine nozzles
--High redundancy for powerplant radiators
--Refueler