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UNSC frigate
A Paris-class heavy frigate (top) and a Charon-class light frigate.
Production information
Class:	Frigate
Role:	Protection of larger fleet ships Deployment of ground forces
Technical specifications
Length:	Variable: 535.05 meters (1,755.4 ft) (Paris-class) 478 meters (1,568.25 ft) (Stalwart-class) 489.71 meters (1,606.65 ft) (Charon-class) 575.16 meters (1,887 ft) (Strident-class) 371.86 meters (1,220 ft) (Anlace-class)
Width:	Variable: 198.68 meters (651.85 ft) (Paris-class) 151.88 meters (498.28 ft) (Stalwart-class) 155.58 meters (510.42 ft) (Charon-class) 124.05 meters (407 ft) (Strident-class)
Height:	Variable: 162.08 meters (531.77 ft) (Paris-class) 112.39 meters (368.72 ft) (Stalwart-class) 139.20 meters (456.68 ft) (Charon-class) 112.17 meters (368 ft) (Strident-class)
Engine(s):	2 fusion drive cores 2+ auxiliary reactors
Slipspace drive:	Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine
Hull:	60 centimetres (2 ft 0 in) titanium-A battle plate
Armament:	Magnetic Accelerator Cannon (1) Shiva-class nuclear missiles (1-3) Archer missile pods (40) 30 missiles/pod Twin point-defense guns (variable) Directed-energy weapons (Anlace-Class)
Complement:	Marines ODSTs Albatross dropships M313 Elephant HRVs M274 Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicles D77-TC or D77H-TCI Pelican dropships GA-TL1 Longsword interceptors/strike fighters M808 Main Battle Tanks M12 Force Application Vehicles AV-14 Hornets Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicles Clarion spy drones (3)
Chronological and affiliation
Affiliation:	UNSC Navy

Frigate (hull classification symbol FFG) is a warship classification in the UNSC Navy. Although they do not possess the same degree of armor, armament, and firepower as destroyers, frigates are lighter and more maneuverable. They are also cheaper to produce, allowing greater numbers to be fielded against the Covenant.

Background

During the Human-Covenant War, UNSC frigates were barely considered a match for even the smallest of Covenant warships. Their armor was susceptible to enemy point-defense pulse lasers and plasma torpedoes, and it is outfitted with substandard weaponry. Only en masse did the UNSC frigate give any UNSC fleet element an advantage against even inferior numbers of Covenant capital ships. By 2552, UNSC frigates designs became more technologically advanced as seen with the Strident-class heavy frigate.

The frigate's speed and maneuvering are its advantage, however, allowing UNSC frigates to provide fire support to other UNSC fighter craft such as Sabres or Longswords and engage both multiple enemy single ship fighters, such as Banshee interceptors or Seraphs, and light enemy warships simultaneously; its speed allows it to put down fire on an enemy ship while being able to avoid a large amount of fire from largely superior Covenant weaponry. In addition to this, its small size and role as a troop carrier vessel make it ideal for supporting ground operations in planetside theaters of action, capable of laying down suppressive fire against Covenant ground forces while deploying its complement of aircraft and marines to bolster UNSC forces on the surface.

Layout

While details between the various classes of UNSC frigate vary, all share the same overall design and layout.

Bridge

The bridge of the frigate is located in the uppermost part of the ship, in the section at the stern-most tip of the MAC gun shaft. The commanding officer's chair is located behind the two primary consoles within the bridge. There also are numerous other consoles located at the sides of the room. There are four bridge stations: Navigation, Operations, Weapons, and Communications. There are airlocks on both sides on the bridge. Modern frigate classes are also equipped with universal hardpoints on their dorsal and ventral hulls, allowing them to dock with other UNSC vessels. On top of the bridge is a maser dish for short-range communication.

Midsection

The forward midsection of the ship has numerous single ship hangar bays for Pelicans or fighter craft like Longswords on both sides. A UNSC frigate also possess twelve SOEIV bays, located in the rear of the ship, which facilitate the deployment of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. Also, spread throughout the frigate's structure are a number of its many escape pod bays.

Main hangar

Some frigate classes, namely the Charon-class, also have a large loading elevator in their rear section which is capable of extending out of the ship's ventral side to deploy vehicles or cargo directly to the ground. The UNSC Forward Unto Dawn featured a large rear section which had the capacity of holding several Pelicans in addition to numerous ground vehicles. These hangar floor elevators have been seen operating in two different modes; the single-sided hinges on the elevator are able to swing down 90° in order to allow aircraft like Pelicans to drop vertically out of the hangar for quick deployment. So far the frigate is the only UNSC warship that has been seen landing and deploying vehicles directly to the surface of a planet (or Halo installation in the Dawn's case).

Classes

The Navy uses multiple frigate classes. Though they vary in size, armament, and purpose, they all follow some of the same design principles.

• The Charon-class light frigate can carry a large complement of troops and vehicles. It is not as heavily armed or armored as other escort vessels of similar design. This belies a role as fleet support and troop carrier, although it is still capable of ship-to-ship combat.

• The Paris-class heavy frigate boasts additional titanium-A armor plating and a larger number of point-defense guns than standard frigates, giving it greater capabilities as a fleet support vessel.

• The Stalwart-class light frigate is best suited for planetary defense, fleet escort duties, and troop deployment. It has a smaller complement of vehicles than the Charon class, and less armament than the Paris class, effectively balancing it between troop transportation and fleet support.

• The Strident-class heavy frigate is best suited as an escort ship and swift-attack vessel used in large-scale naval space battles.

• The Anlace-class frigate lacks a MAC spinal mount but has a light MAC on top. Primarily uses directed-energy weapons.

Specifications

Propulsion

Like other human ships, the UNSC frigate is powered by thermonuclear fusion reactors which use deuterium (a stable hydrogen isotope) as fuel. The engines almost certainly use the energy obtained from this process to heat some form of reaction propellant which is expelled out of rear-facing exhausts to generate thrust. There are four exhausts visible on frigates; two large and two small. In addition, the frigate has two sets of forward maneuvering thrusters near the front.

UNSC frigates are capable of hovering in an atmosphere and even landing. This is likely accomplished through the use of anti-gravity generators, although the technology involved has never been elaborated upon.

For interstellar voyages, the frigate carries a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine.

Armament

The MAC barrel on a UNSC frigate.

A typical UNSC frigate carries the following armament:

• 1 Magnetic Accelerator Cannon which is able to fire one round per charge. The MAC runs between one- and two-thirds of a Frigate's total length. MACs are typically spinally mounted to a frigate, though they are not on at least one post-war frigate class.
• 3 Shiva-class nuclear missiles serve as heavy ordnance.
• 40 Archer missile pods which carry around thirty missiles per pod, adding up to a total of 1200 missiles.
• 4-12 50mm point defense guns function as the last line of defense against single ships and incoming missiles, with the ability to later retract into the vessel. They are used for aerial bombardment on occasion. The model and amount of guns possessed by each ship varies by class.

Crew

No precise figures are available regarding the crew of a frigate, although numbers have been speculated. Like larger ships, a detachment of Marines and possibly ODSTs would be present onboard. The crew number includes deck crews as well as the command crew, Marines, ODSTs, dropship pilots, and technical personnel. The number of personnel a single frigate is capable of housing numbers at least within the thousands. Since many frigates have been seen in ground support roles, it is likely that the complement of Marine and ODST personnel on board is higher in percentage than other ships that are more dedicated to space combat.

In 2552 Sergeant Major Avery Johnson was supposedly able to singlehandedly control the frigate UNSC Forward Unto Dawn to aid Spartan John-117 and Arbiter Thel 'Vadam on the newly rebuilt Halo, though an auto-pilot function was available with the use of the ship's onboard navigational computer. An AI can monitor and regulate all critical functions without human intervention.

Superstructure

The armor of a frigate is relatively poor compared with that of its larger cousins and counterparts such as the UNSC destroyer, with only 60cm of titanium-A battle plate. However, due to its relatively light weight, the frigate's strength lies instead in maneuverability and speed. The frigate's relatively wide design is supported by structural support ribs, allowing it to perform orbital incursions. As of 2558, certain frigates (namely, the UNSC Infinity's ten Strident-class sub-vessels) possess energy shielding technology.

Known frigates

List of known frigates
Name	Hull classification symbol	Earliest sighting	Engagements	Status	Notable information
UNSC Aegis Fate	FFG-307	August 2552	Fall of Reach	Unknown
UNSC Agincourt	FFG-???	2552	Onyx Conflict	Destroyed - October 31, 2552
UNSC Allegiance	FFG-???	July 2552	Battle of Sigma Octanus IV	Unknown
UNSC Anlace	FFG-???				Lead ship of the Anlace-class frigate.
CMA Arabia	CMA-???	2525	Investigation of Harvest	Destroyed - 2525
UNSC Cascadia	FFG-???	2556	Rescue mission on Cleyell	Active (presumed)
UNSC Charon	FFG-???				Lead ship of the Charon-class light frigate.
UNSC Chioglossa	FFG-127	October 20, 2552	Battle of Earth	Destroyed
UNSC Commonwealth	FFG-???	November 2525	Battle of Chi Ceti IV	Decommissioned some time between 2525 - 2552	Dismantled at the Aszod ship breaking yards on Reach
UNSC Fair Weather	FFG-???	July 2552	Battle of Sigma Octanus IV	Destroyed
UNSC Forward Unto Dawn	FFG-201	November 17, 2552	Battle of Earth Battle of Tsavo Operation: BLIND FAITH	Destroyed Lost in space, crashed on Requiem	Aft section adrift in unknown region of space with Spartan-117 and Cortana aboard.
UNSC Gettysburg	FFG-???	July 2552	Battle of Sigma Octanus IV Fall of Reach Massacre at Eridanus Secundus Operation: FIRST STRIKE	Active (presumed)	Once coupled with the Covenant carrier Ascendant Justice The only UNSC ship equipped with a Covenant Borer
UNSC Grafton	FFG-318	August 12, 2552	Fall of Reach Battle of Viery	Destroyed - August 12, 2552	Heavy frigate
UNSC In Amber Clad	FFG-142	April 2550	Battle of Earth Battle of Installation 05 Battle of the Quarantine Zone Fall of High Charity	Damaged - November 3, 2552 Destroyed in late 2552	Commandeered by the Flood
UNSC Journeyman	FFG-???	September 2517		Unknown	Was patrolling the Eridanus system in 2517
UNSC Meriwether Lewis	FFG-???	Before 2552
UNSC Midsummer Night	FFG-209	2535	Battle of the Rubble	Unknown	Light frigate Temporarily captured by Insurrectionists
UNSC Paris	FFG-???	October 2552	Battle of Earth	Unknown
UNSC Promise of Dawn	FFG-???	2552			Declared MIA after Fall of Reach, distress signal attributed to the ship was received from Sephune III in 2553.
UNSC Purpose	FFG-???	February 13, 2526	Battle of Bliss	Destroyed - 2526
UNSC Ready or Not	FFG-???	2535
UNSC Redoubtable	FFG-???	October 20, 2552	Battle of Earth Battle of Installation 05	Unknown	Detected Forerunner signal from Delta Halo
UNSC Saratoga	FFG-???	August 12, 2552	Fall of Reach Battle of Viery	Unknown	Heavy frigate
UNSC Savannah	FFG-371	August 13, 2552	Fall of Reach Operation: UPPER CUT	Destroyed - 2552	Heavy frigate
UNSC Stalwart Dawn	FFG-101	August 23, 2552	Fall of Reach Siege of New Alexandria	Unknown	Light Frigate
UNSC Swift Justice				Unknown
UNSC Tannenberg	FFG-???	January 2531
UNSC Tripping Light	FFG-???	2547		Decommissioned and dismantled - September 4, 2547
CMA Vostok	CMA-???	February 2525	Investigation of Harvest	Destroyed
UNSC Welcome to the Snipehunt	FFG-???	July 2558		Active

Gallery

• 

  A scale comparison between the UNSC frigate and miscellaneous objects.

• 

  A scale comparison between two UNSC frigates and the Liberty Island in New York.

• 

  A scale comparison between the UNSC Grafton and the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn, and the UNSC Grafton and the Long Night of Solace.

• 

  A UNSC frigate picking up survivors from Algolis.

• 

  CMA Arabia and CMA Vostok being destroyed in the First Battle of Harvest.

• 

  A comparison between a Longsword and a frigate.

• 

  The underside of a typical UNSC frigate.

• 

  A UNSC frigate's SOEIV hatches (along the center).

• 

  A frigate lowering its cargo bay for the insertion of ground forces and vehicles onto the battlefield. Note the hinged arms on the right side.

• 

  A frigate firing a round from its MAC.

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  Frigate UNSC In Amber Clad compared to the Prophet of Regret's assault carrier.

• 

  A UNSC frigate, the Commonwealth, being taken apart, partially showing the ship's internal structure.

• 

  A destroyed UNSC frigate over Reach.

• 

  The Forward Unto Dawn, a Charon-class light frigate, hovering over Installation 00.

• 

  The frigate In Amber Clad, a Stalwart-class light frigate, inside High Charity.

• 

  The UNSC Grafton, a Paris-class heavy frigate.

• 

  The aft section of the frigate Forward Unto Dawn as depicted in Halo 4.

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  Two frigates escorting the UNSC Infinity in Halo 4 Spartan Ops episode 2.

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  The Infinity's sub-vessels clearing the corridor into Requiem.

• 

  Concept art of the Halo 4-era Strident-class heavy frigate.

• 

  A frigate being shot down over Draetheus V.

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  A frigate over Oban.

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  A Strident-class heavy frigate, designed in the postwar era with greater defensive and offensive capabilities than previous types.

• 

  An Anlace-class frigate, a postwar design unique in its lack of a spinal-mounted MAC cannon.

Browse more images in this article's gallery page.

List of appearances

Halo: The Fall of Reach (First appearance) Halo: First Strike Halo 2 Halo Graphic Novel Halo: Ghosts of Onyx Halo: Uprising Halo 3 Halo: The Cole Protocol Halo Wars: Genesis Halo: Helljumper Halo 3: ODST Halo Legends Origins Prototype Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole Halo: Reach

Halo: Fall of Reach Boot Camp Covenant Invasion Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Halo 4 Spartan Ops Halo: Spartan Assault Halo: Initiation Halo: Escalation Halo 2: Anniversary Terminals Halo: Hunters in the Dark (Mentioned only) Halo: Fleet Battles Halo: Last Light Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series Halo 5: Guardians Halo: Shadow of Intent (Mentioned only) Halo Mythos Halo: Lone Wolf

External

• Stephen Loftus's extensive analysis of the UNSC frigate