Type: Icarus Class Frigate In Service: 2738 Number in Service: 140 Mass: 720,000 tons KF Integrity: 14 Sail Integrity: 4 Thrust: 4/6 Fuel: 3000 SI: 100 Armor: 1400 tons Ferro-Carbide (Fore/Aft: 186 + 10 Sides 187 + 10) Heatsinks: 4400 Docking Collars: 2 Fighters: 24 Small Craft: 6 Crew: 400 Lifeboats: 30 Escape Pods: 70 Grav Deck: 2 (both 75m) Cargo: 19,231 tons Other Equipment: Advanced Sensor Package Bays: Bay 1: Fighters (24) 6 Doors Bay 2: Small Craft (6) 2 Doors Bay 3: Cargo Weapons: Forward: 2 NAC/30 10 Large Lasers 10 LRM 20 15 Medium Lasers 10 LB-10X 10 AC/5 Ultra Fore Left/Right: 4 Medium Naval PPCs 4 NAC/30 2 Large Lasers 5 LRM 20 5 Medium Lasers LBS/RBS 4 NAC/20 10 LB-10X 15 AC/5 Ultra 10 Medium Lasers Aft Left/Right: 4 NAC/30 3 Large Lasers 5 LRM 20 5 LB-10X Aft: 2 NAC/20 10 LRM 20 5 Medium Lasers Ammo: 400 Rounds NAC/30 Ammo 200 Rounds NAC/20 Ammo 200 Tons LRM20 Ammo 200 Tons LB-10X Ammo 400 Tons AC/5 Ultra Ammo Overview: The Icarus class Frigates were developed as part of the Lyran NavyÕs Fleet Renovation and Modernization (FRAM) plan of 2735. In the mid 2600Õs the Lyran Navy had begun decommissioning the Victory class frigates. As a precaution against future need 140 of the ships were mothballed in the Alarion system. They remained there, almost forgotten, for over a century. Shortly after Archon Michael Steiner II came to power, Bandit raids began to occur near the periphery along the border with the Draconis Combine. The Lyran Navy attempted to stop these raids but the bandits proved to be very elusive. The problem was further compounded by the Lyran NavyÕs lack of an effective patrol ship. In 2734 the Lyran Navy proposed building a new Frigate which could be used to patrol the outer systems and guard against bandit raids. The Lyran Estates General, however, refused to fund the project, as they were still embarrassed by the LCS Boondoggle. [Ed Note: The LCS Boondoggle was the nickname for the LCS Banshee Combined Arms Carrier. This ship was constructed in 2732 for the Lyran Navy as an aerospace carrier/raider. The design did not prove to be very effective and was canceled after the construction of 2 ships. As the development cost of the new ship was very high, the Estates General refused to fund new ships for several years, instead they preferred to fund upgrades to existing, proven, designs.] Even so the Lyran Admirals knew they needed a new Frigate to effectively combat the bandits. A group of Lyran Admirals, led by Admiral Thomas Kelley, taking a page from the SLDF Navy and the refit of the Aegis Cruisers, proposed that the Navy refit the old Victory class frigates. While their proposal, on the surface, was just a refit of the Victory class, in reality by the time the refit was complete it was as if the Lyran Navy had commissioned a new class of ship. The Estates General, not realizing the NavyÕs subterfuge, agreed to fund the project, with the refits beginning in 2737. The first ship entered service in 2738. In recognition of the extensive changes, the class was redesignated as the Icarus Class Frigate. All 140 mothballed Victories were modified between 2738 and 2764. Capabilities: The Icarus class was a complete rebuilding of the Victory class Frigate. The Victory class ships were stripped down to their bare structural work and then rebuilt. The KF Drives were replaced with newer simpler systems, which eased the maintenance requirements of the ships. The main drives were replaced with newer engines which were capable of generating more thrust then the older engines used on the Victory. This allowed the Icarus to keep pace with the latest warship designs. In addition to being more powerful, the new engines were also smaller, freeing up more space for an updated weapons array. The weapons array of the Icarus class was based on that of the Victory. The designers chose to use the same basic weapons arrangement as the Victory, because the battle records of the Victory showed the weapons array was very effective. The designers, for the most part, just replaced the older weapons with newer, more powerful ones. A few weapons,however, were moved to provide better fields of fire. The older class 25 Naval Autocannons on the Victory were replaced by the latest Class 30 Naval Autocannons. While there was some discussion of mounting the massive Class 40 naval autocannons used on the Thor Class Battleship, the designers (In an atypical Lyran decision) felt the reduced range of the larger autocannons outweighed the extra damage they inflicted. The old Class 10 Naval Autocannons were replaced with the newer Class 20 weapons used on the Thor Battleships and Valkyrie Destroyers. The light Naval PPCs were replaced with the more powerful Medium Naval PPCs that had been developed by the Lyran Navy and moved to turrets in the fore sides of the ship. These provide not only a more powerful punch, but also extended range over the older weapons. The anti-fighter weapons underwent similar modifications. The laser and long range missile systems were replaced with the latest designs, which were lighter and more compact then the older weapons. The Class 5 Autocannons were replaced with the new UItra class autocannons that were developed by Kawabata Weapons Inc. These weapons effectively doubled the fire power of the Autocannons without adding an extra weapons. The class 2 Autocannons were replaced by LB-10X autocannons which had been recently provided to the Lyran Commonwealth by the SLDF. The LB-10X cluster rounds proved to be highly effective against enemy fighters. In addition to the changes to the weapon systems, there were many other changes made to the ship. The older armor was removed and replaced by the latest Ferro-Carbide alloys. This dramatically increased the survivability of the ships. The Lyran designers maximized the use of the extra space created by the newer, smaller systems. The crew complement was reduced to 400 through the use of automation. This allowed the designers to increase the size of crew quarters and add extra recreational facilities. This made the Icarus class popular among naval crews. In order to provide a stronger fighter cover to the ships, the fighter bays were enlarged to support 24 fighters. The fighter bays on the class are little tight compared to that of other ships. As a result the class was limited to operating fighters of 65 tons or less. Fighter maintenance was also made difficult by the tight quarters of the fighter bays. The electronics on the ship were refitted with the latest sensor packages from Doering Electronics. The TL431/7489H Integrated Sensor array was considered the best sensor package available outside of the Star League. It was able to detect ships at extreme range and the was highly resistant to jamming. The system was however, very expensive and prone to breakdown if not properly maintained. [Ed Note: It is believed the Lyran Navy wanted to mount an HPG on these ships, however the SLDF refused to share the technology with the Commonwealth] Deployment: The first Icarus Class Frigates were rushed into service to patrol along the Lyran/Combine border near the Periphery. The limited number of ships prevented them from providing much protection against the bandit raids. This was further compounded by the fact that the Bandits some how seemed to know the patrol routes of these ships. [Ed Note: The bandit forces were funded and supplied by the Draconis Combine. The ISF also provided them with data on the patrol routes of the Lyran Navy]. In 2742, after the slaughter of 500 civilians on The Edge by the Bandits, the LCAF finally located their home base. The Lyran Navy deployed 4 Icarus frigates as part of the battlegroup that attacked the Bandit base. The Frigates proved their worth to the Lyran Navy, locating the banditÕs jumpships, which were at a pirate point in the system, and destroying them before they could leave the system. After that incident the Icarus class was primarily used to patrol the borders with the Combine and the FWL. During the Amaris Crisis, 4 of these ships were loaned to the SLDF forces under the command of General Kerensky. [Ed Note: These ships had in fact defected to join the SLDF. The Archon and the Lyran Navy made sure to hush this fact up, by publicly declaring that the 4 ships were being loaned to the SLDF to help patrol the Commonwealth/Hegemony border. The Archon had hoped spin this in order to convince his people that he was supporting the Star League, while in reality keeping the Commonwealth out of the war.] The 4 ships (Hermes, Audacity, Illustrious and Battler) fought through out the war against Amaris. The ships were used as advanced scouts and picket ships by the SLDF Navy. Only the Audacity survived until the liberation of Terra. Unwilling to return to the Lyran Commonwealth [Ed Note: and face a court marshal], the ship and her crew joined the Exodus. The Audacity was mothballed upon reaching the Pentagon worlds and survived the Exodus Civil War. The ship was in the Ghost Bear Cache fleet, however recent intelligence indicates that the Ghost Bears gave the ship to the Snow Ravens in return for their help moving to the Inner Sphere. It is believed the Snow Ravens plan to refit the ship and use it as an escort for their Conqueror Class Battlecruisers/Carriers. The Icarus class played a key role for the Lyran Navy in the 1st Succession War. Many were deployed to important systems, where they were used to detect approaching enemy warships. One notable example was in March 2789, when the Icarus Class LCS Hammer detected the Marik fleet approaching Hesperus II. This allowed the LCS Granite and Endeavor to maneuver to engage the FWL Ships, protecting the vital factories. The most famous of the Icarus Class Frigates is the LCS Daedalus Flagship of the 221st Strike Flotilla and her commander Admiral Marc Holstein. [Ed Note: Admiral Holstein was a graduate of the Nagelring and 20 year veteran of the SLDF Navy when the Amaris Coup occurred. Then Commodore Holstein commanded a fast attack squadron of Destroyers, the 23rd Destroyer Squadron, in the SLDF Navy. Promoted to Admiral during the war he resigned his commission when General Kerensky issued the call for the Exodus, as he refused to abandon the worlds of the Inner Sphere. He immediately joined the Lyran Navy as an Admiral and was given command of the 221st Strike Flotilla.] The 221st consisted of the LCS Daedalus, 4 Mako Class Corvettes and 4 Mosquito Class Corvettes. When war broke out, the 221st was stationed on the FWL border. In response to the FWL attacks against Commonwealth shipyards, the Lyran Navy ordered the 221st to launch a retaliatory strike against the FWLÕs shipyards. Admiral Holstein led the flotilla deep behind FWL lines and successfully destroyed or damaged a number of the FWLÕs shipyards, including the facilities at Tamarind, Loyalty and Stewart. Using uninhabited systems, the fleet was able to pass through the FWL undetected. To allow his fleet to get a jump on the FWL defenders, the Admiral Holstein would arrive in the target system using pirate points. While both tactics were very risky, they paid off, as the flotilla lost only 3 corvettes in the course of the raids. [Ed Note: According to FWL records, they only report the destruction of 2 corvettes in combat. While it is possible that the destruction of 1 corvette was overlooked, it is more likely that the ship (believed to be the Mosquito Class LCS Wasp) suffered damage during a jump and was abandoned in one of the uninhabited systems that the fleet traveled through. If this is true and the ship were located it may be possible to salvage it.] As a result of this raid the FWL pulled back a number of warships to defend their few remaining shipyards against further attacks. In 2789, the 221st Strike Fleet was assigned to support the Tamar Tigers in their raids against the Draconis Combine. While a number of the Corvettes in the 221st were lost in these raids, the LCS Daedalus seemed to be a charmed ship. The Combine warships were never able to do more then superficial damage to her. [Ed Note: There is some speculation that the LCS Daedalus was outfitted with an advanced Electronic Countermeasure suite that was able to jam the targeting systems of other ships. While it is known that the SLDF Navy was working on such systems, it is not known how the Lyran Navy would have acquired an example of this unless it was provided by Admiral Holstein. The only possible confirmation that the ship was fitted with advanced ECM gear comes from the report of Captain Yori Nakumura who commanded the Cloud Class DCS Ikazuchi. The Ikazuchi fought the Daedalus at Styx and according to the report of Captain Nakumura, his ship simply could not get a target lock on the Daedalus, even though he was able to get a lock on the other ships in the Lyran force. ] In 2800 the 221st was reassigned to support the Stealths and their raiding along the FWL border. By this time the 221st was reduced to the Daedalus and the LCS Orca, a Mako Class Corvette and the LCS Hornet, a Mosquito Class Corvette. Their first assignment was escorting the Stealths on a raid against Nockatunga. After jumping in system, they were ambushed by several Oriente Class Frigates. The Stealths were able to carry out their raid successfully, while the 221st held off the FWL warships, at the cost of the Orca and Hornet. The Stealths jumped out of the system for Lyran Territory followed by the Daedalus. The Daedalus suffered a misjump and ended up in a uninhabited system along the FWL/LC border. There was a habitable planet in the system where the surviving crew setup a colony. Their descendants were rescued by a Lyran Survey ship 2932. By the time the descendants of the original crew were rescued, they had developed a belief that the ship had suffered serious damage in the misjump. Believing the Daedalus was a complete loss, the survey ship made no effort to locate it. In fact, the Daedalus had not been severely damaged in the misjump, the crew simply lacked the parts to repair it and so it was left orbiting the star in the system. In 3063 the ship was discovered by the 2nd Crucis Lancers when they jumped into the system en route to Bolan. After the war a recovery team was sent by the Archon to repair the ship. The ship is currently being refitted at the Port Sydney Naval Yards.