GTD Orion

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File:Orion320x240.jpg
The GTD Orion

The GTD Orion was a standard Terran destroyer mainly used during the Great War. After the appearance of beam weapons and the development of the GTD Hecate, Orions somehow lost their previous esteem and were gradually replaced by more advanced warships.

Description:

FS1 Tech Room Description

The Orion is the capital ship of the GTA. Measuring a frightening 2.1 kilometers in length, the cost to build one of these far outweighs the cost of paying the crew of this ship for 3 years. There is no more important symbol of Terran Pride than a ship like the Galatea or the Intrepid cruising past a colonized planet, patrolling the system and ensuring safety. In the course of the 14 year war, very few of these have ever been lost, making the destruction of an Orion a truly horrible defeat.

FS2 Tech Room Description

For over 30 years, the GTD Orion class was the largest ship in the Terran-Vasudan armada. Over two kilometers in length, bristling with dozens of death-dealing turrets, the Orion is as awesome in repose as it is in battle. All GTVA Orions have been retrofitted with the latest anti-warship beam weapons, as well as flak and AAA turrets for dealing with fighters and bombers. The Orion's cavernous hanger bays easily accommodate more than two dozen fighter or bomber wings.

Notable Ships of Class

Note: The Orions that have actually appeared in-game are bolded. At least one of the FreeSpace 1 ships may not be an Orion, but some other class of GTA destroyer. However, all of the NTF Orions have either appeared in-game or have been shown in a Command Briefing to be an Orion-class, with the exception of the Jacobus.

GTA/GTVA:

• GTD Amadeus
• GTD Bastion
• GTD Eisenhower
• GTD Galatea
• GTD Intrepid
• GTD Krios
• GTD Minnow
• GTD Nereid
• GTD Soyakaze

Neo Terran Front:

• NTD Andronicus
• NTD Cyrene
• NTD Jacobus
• NTD Normandy
• NTD Repulse
• NTD Uhuru
• NTD Vasa
• NTD Vindicator

Developer Notes

None

Veteran Comments

Despite the introduction of the new Hecate class of destroyers, the aging Orion still remains a vital part of the GTVA arsenal. With the Hecate designed with an emphasis on protection from fighter and bomber attacks, the Orion remains the king of capital ship combat - With heavy beam emplacements capable of laying down devastating fire in nearly all directions, it is a true terror to any capital ship that strays into its firing range.

However, its age does show in one area. Being designed in an era where fighter and bomber ordnance was far inferior to today's weaponry and where shields were non-existant, it carries very few dedicated anti-fighter turrets, making it an easy target for bomber wings should it ever be left without fighter escort.

The Orion only carries eight squadrons of fighters to the Hecates twelve, but has massively more firepower, arranged better on its hull. The GTD Bastion however, canonically lists ten squadrons, it must be assumed that these are not full squadrons (twelve fighters per full squadron) or that the Bastion is not a typical Orion.

The sort of straight profile of the GTD Orion allows for few blindspots for turrets. If it was mounted with sufficient batteries of anti-fighter weaponry, it would be unstoppable. However, it does not, and so therefore lost something that could potentially make it the best destroyer in the game. I also believe that this has a chance of taking on a Demon and winning.

It is worth noting that not all the canonical Orions in Freespace II mount standard weaponry, at least one (the NTD Uhuru) mounts Flak Guns on its upper turrets.

If you're looking for a true descendant of HMS Dreadnaught in FS, put the Orion at the top of the list. Under ideal conditions it can bring two BGreens and two TerSlash to bear on a target; the heaviest broadside any GTVA destroyer can muster.

One thing worth noting is that the tech description is a bald-faced lie: the Orion does not have "dozens" of turrets. The fact is that it barely has a single dozen of them.

To be exact, the Orion has a dozen and one third turrets. This lack of turrets does not, however, compromise its ability against capital ships. Though the same cannot be said against a fighter assault.

Performance:

Statistics

Type	Destroyer
Manufacturer	Unknown
Manuverability	N/A
Max Velocity	15.0 mps
Max Afterburner Velocity	N/A
Armor	N/A
Hitpoints	100 000
Shields	N/A
Length	2023 m
Fighter Complement	96 - 120 (estimate)

Armaments

• Turrets

Freespace 1		Freespace 2
Turret Type	Amount	Turret Type	Amount
Terran Huge Turret	5	Terran Huge Turret	4
Terran Turret	11	Terran Turret	3
		Anti-Fighter Beam	3
		Terran Slashing Beam	3
		Big Green Beam	3