Chiroptera-class subprowler

The Chiroptera-class stealth vessel was a classification of small stealth ships used by the Office of Naval Intelligence of the United Nations Space Command in service in the early 2500's.

Background
These ships were roughly 50 meters long with oddly-angled black stealth surfaces and carried advanced counter-intrusion software. Notably, the class used the smallest operational slipspace engines ever produced by the UNSC. They are referred to as having prominent wings that create a decidedly bat-like appearance.

However, without a standard central controlling AI, the sensitive components tended to become unreliable. The resulting breakdowns resulted in the entire class being decommissioned around 2512. Vital components were removed, and the slipspace drive was locked down.

At least one vessel of this class, one belonging to Governor Jacob Jiles, was in the hands of the Eridanus rebels. This ship, the Beatrice, would later be stolen by Dr. Halsey and used to transport herself and Kelly-087 via Slipspace jump to Onyx, where it was shot down by the Onyx Sentinels.

The Chiroptera classification was probably the antecedent to the modern UNSC prowler, though it probably served more as a multi-role vessel, being much smaller than a prowler.

Ships of the line

 * Beatrice

Trivia

 * In biology, Chiroptera is the name of the taxonomic order that bats belong to. This refers to how the Chiroptera-class look like bats.

List of appearances

 * Halo: First Strike
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx