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Military Arm Vessel Overview: KDY Project 76A (Venator-class) Star Destroyer

Project 76A is the first capital ship project undertaken by the Corporation's Kuat Drive Yards subsidiary since before the War of Corporate Occupation, and represents the first major improvement in the Star Destroyer® line of warships since the Imperator-class Mark IV debuted in 2384.

The Project 76A starship is intended to function primarily as a spacecraft carrier and White Legion transport/headquarters vessel, though, like all products in the Star Destroyer line, it is also expected to hold its own in one-on-one combat against virtually any other starship in known space. Although smaller than its predecessor, its performance improvements and advances in crew automation make it the most capable Star Destroyer yet produced (discounting, of course, the Executioner-class Super™ Star Destroyer, which is in a class by itself).

The first Project 76A starship, GCV Venator, passed space trials and was accepted for active MILARM Fleet service on January 8, 2409. At that point, mass-production approval was issued to KDY by Corporate Headquarters. Since then, four more vessels (now called Venator-class in keeping with galactic convention) have entered service, with five more under construction and a further 15 planned pending FY 2412 budgetary approval. Most are replacing Victory-class Mark V vessels that are being removed from service as part of the ongoing Fleet Modernization Initiative.

GCV Venator, flanked by GCV Implacable (left) and GCV Audacious (right), at the January 2410 Fleet Review

Jane's Fighting Starships

Following is the profile on the Venator class published in the Spring 2410 issue of Jane's Fighting Starships.

Name/Model: Venator class Star Destroyer
Manufacturer: GENOM Kuat Drive Yards
Combat designation: Carrier dreadnaught
Entered service: January 8, 2409

Crew:
Starship operations: 4,450
Air wing: 850
Ground/tactical forces: 1,200

Length: 3,730 ft.
Mass: 1.4 Mt

Power system: 4x KDY R-Mc750 forced singularity reactors
Propulsion system: 4x NL-1270 linear ion thrusters
2x NL-800 linear ion thrusters
2x NL-500 linear ion thrusters
Speed rating: 65 MGLT
Flight control system: KDY RXC-7790 point-impulse reaction control system
Maneuver rating: 9 DPF
Navigation: GENOM Hypercomputing Navcon® N-s8890 computer system
FTL: KDY MP-4085 metaspace transition point generator
Secondary FTL: GENOM H-d1290 motivator drive unit (hyperdrive)
Hyperdrive rating: 1.0

Shields: KDY MultiPhasic™ projected energy shielding system
Shield rating: [CLASSIFIED] (believed to exceed 3,750)
Armor: Proprietary alloy hull
Armor rating: [CLASSIFIED] (believed to exceed 2,500)

ARMAMENT
Fixed armaments: 52x GENOM PDX-1440 sensor-guided point defense blaster emplacements
8x GENOM DBY-827 dual heavy turbolaser turrets
4x PW-909 point phaser arrays
2x CPW-128 strip collimated phaser arrays
Expendable armament: 4x QMt-05 heavy quantum torpedo tubes

AEROSPACE COMPLEMENT
Combat Air Group: 420x light-to-medium starfighter*
36x heavy starfighter/bomber**
Support Air Group: 2x Cygnus Spaceworks Lambda-class shuttle
16x KonGar Ship Works ATR-6 assault transport (2x SSAR variant)

TACTICAL COMPLEMENT
White Legion Mixed Arms Regiment: 1200x Legionnaire
40x GENOM Rothana LAAT/i infantry dropship
24x combat walker†
4x Cygnus Nu-class attack shuttle

* Usually a mix of SFS TIE/a4 Avenger Plus and KSE A3 Nimbus fighters, with one of the ship's two hangar decks configured for TIE launch and recovery, and the other for handling craft with skid landing gear. TIE bays can also be set up to service earlier TIE models, while the Nimbus bays can accommodate other skid-equipped fighters of comparable size to the Nimbus, such as the Cygnus E2 Actis and Dodonna/Blissex RZ-1 Stinger fleet interceptors.

** Customarily the Cygnus Delta AXg-1 Star Wing assault gunboat. Bomber bays can also accommodate the Koensayr BTL Myrmidon series and other similarly-sized craft.

† The standard GENOM-KDY All-Terrain Armored Transport Mk IV can be accommodated, but is being phased out of fleet service. By 2412, all legions are expected to have completed the transition to the new airmobile Rothana All-Terrain Tactical Enforcer. Vertical bay space conserved by the AT-TEs will be used to accommodate the airmobile walkers' accompanying LAAT/c dropships.

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I think the one thing that bothers me most visually about Eps. 1,2, and 3 is the fact that the vehicles are prettier than Eps. 4,5, and 6. The Republic cruisers, the Jedi starfighters of both styles, the ARCs, the LAATs...the AT-TE isn't as cool looking as an AT-AT, but the lower slung design is inherently more stable. Clone armor has a better aestetic than Stormtrooper, although the skull-like look of the 'trooper has an intimidation factor. The colors used for the clones makes them much sharper, though. In general, the whole prequel arc is just visually prettier, like the whole galaxy backslides after the changeover to empire. TIEs after ARCs? WTF, George?

-D-

"...and the whole ship is just one big blage. With a grapping window. Why do the words 'warp core breach' come to mind?"
"Because if any of the fine technicians in this room grapp up, we are going to light up like a supernova. This sucker shouldn't even come near a planet, much less be sitting in Newport News. But I try to downplay that..."