Charon-class light frigate

Charon-class
Class attributes
Identification:	Hull classification symbol: FFG
Operators:	CMA Navy; UNSC Navy;
Manufacturer:	SinoViet Heavy Machinery
In service:	2520-present
General characteristics
Type:	Frigate
Length:	490 meters (1,607 ft)
Width:	160 meters (510 ft)
Height:	139 meters (457 ft)
Mass:	0.65 million tonnes
Maneuver drive:	Naoto Technologies: V4/L-DFR
Slipspace drive:	Series IV CODEN/SFTE
Crew:	782 (includes troop complement and sailors)
Complement:	At least 2 D96-TCE Albatrosses; At least 7 D77H-TCI Pelicans; Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicles; M12 Warthogs; At least 3 M808C Scorpions; AV-14 Hornets; ;
Troops:	UNSC Marines and Orbital Drop Shock Troopers
Hull:	Titanium-A armor
Armaments:	1 Mark II, Light Coil – 83B6R3/MAC; 50 M58 Archer missile pods; 4 M870 Rampart 50mm point defense guns; 3 M4093 Hyperion nuclear delivery system silos;
Air facilities:	1 primary hangar bay in the lower mast; Drop pod launch bays;

The Charon-class light frigate is a type of escort ship in service with the UNSC Navy.^[1] Ships of this class are used primarily in fleet escort duties and planetary defense.^[1]

Design details

Hull and complement

At 490 meters in length, the Charon is a rather small vessel. Owing to its enlarged hangar bay, the Charon-class frigate is better suited to landing forces groundside than other frigate classes.^[1] The ship's sublight power plant is a Naoto Technologies: V4/L deuterium fusion reactor. Translight power is provided by a Series IV CODEN Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine.^[5]^[2] The Charon has a maximum crew and complement of 782.^[6] It can carry several Pelican dropships as well as an assortment of ground and air vehicles. These include M808 Scorpions and its variants, AV-14 Hornets, and various varieties of M12 Warthogs.^[8]

The hangar bay on the Charon-class has a large opening on its aft wall. Three elevators are installed in the floor of the bay, which can either retract to allow for the launch of its embarked Pelicans, or extended to deploy its fleet of Scorpions and Warthogs to the surface.^[8]

Armament

The Charon-class frigate's primary armament is a Mark II, Light Coil – 83B6R3 Magnetic Accelerator Cannon.^[5] It also boasts fifty M58 Archer missile pods,^[5], and four dual-mount M870 Rampart point defense guns are installed on the port and starboard hangar bays, one on the dorsal surface and one below.^[5]^[2] Additionally, the Charon sports three M4093 Hyperion nuclear delivery system silos^[5], which are capable of destroying an unshielded Zanar-pattern light cruiser.^[9]^[2]^{[Note 1]}

Ships of the line

Production notes

The Forward Unto Dawn was drastically redesigned in Halo 4, including a restructured hull and the addition of several point defense guns. Though 343 Industries writer Jeff Easterling has clarified that the Charon's original design is canon,^[10] the redesign served as the basis of the Strident-class heavy frigate.^[11]

Trivia

The class potentially is named after either Charon, a minor god who ferried the souls of the dead to the underworld in Greek mythology, or after a natural satellite of Pluto.

Gallery

UNSC Forward Unto Dawn.
UNSC Aegis Fate.
A trio of Charons assault the Forerunner Dreadnought near Voi.
A comparison between a Longsword and a Charon-class frigate.
The underside of a Charon-class frigate.
A Charon-class frigate's SOEIV hatches (along the center).
A Charon-class frigate lowering its cargo bay for the insertion of ground forces and vehicles onto the battlefield. Note the hinged arms on the right side.
The bridge of a Charon-class vessel.
Concept art of the redesigned Forward Unto Dawn in Halo 4.
Concept art of the back end of the Forward Unto Dawn in Halo 4.
Concept art of the profile view of the Dawn in Halo 4.
Size comparison of the UNSC Infinity against a Charon-class light frigate.

List of appearances

Halo: First Strike (2010) (Mentioned only)
Halo 3 (First appearance)
Halo Wars: Genesis
Halo: Helljumper
Halo 3: ODST
Halo Legends
- Origins
- Prototype
Halo: Fall of Reach
- Boot Camp
Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn
Halo 4
Halo: Escalation
Halo: Hunters in the Dark (Mentioned only)
Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series
Halo Mythos
Halo: Silent Storm

Notes

^ The weapon statistics given for Forward Unto Dawn, and thus the Charon class as a whole, originate with the non-canon redesigned model featured in Halo 4, and thus suit that ship's particular design. Nonetheless, they are carried over into the more recent Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition) despite the book featuring an image of the Halo 3 iteration - leading to an obvious inconsistency. This inconsistency lies in both the visual depiction versus the stated statistics, as well as the Charon seeming extremely overarmed in some areas when compared to other ships of a similar size scale. Given the figures' consistent usage, they are used on this page - though should be considered dubiously canon.

Sources

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 74, 76
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 186-187
^ Halo: The Fall of Reach – The Animated Series
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 123
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Halo Waypoint, The Halo Bulletin: 10.10.12 (Retrieved on Jul 30, 2014) [archive]
^ ^a ^b Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn: 0:36
^ Halo 3, multiplayer map Sandtrap
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Halo 3, campaign level The Ark
^ Halo 4, campaign level Dawn
^ Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - Have S'moa (Retrieved on Mar 16, 2021) [archive]
^ Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 192

[10] The weapon statistics given for Forward Unto Dawn, and thus the Charon class as a whole, originate with the non-canon redesigned model featured in Halo 4, and thus suit that ship's particular design. Nonetheless, they are carried over into the more recent Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition) despite the book featuring an image of the Halo 3 iteration - leading to an obvious inconsistency. This inconsistency lies in both the visual depiction versus the stated statistics, as well as the Charon seeming extremely overarmed in some areas when compared to other ships of a similar size scale. Given the figures' consistent usage, they are used on this page - though should be considered dubiously canon.

[EVG-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 74, 76

[H4EVG-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 186-187

[3] Halo: The Fall of Reach – The Animated Series

[Enc22p123-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 123

[Bulletin_10.10.12-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Halo Waypoint, The Halo Bulletin: 10.10.12 (Retrieved on Jul 30, 2014) [archive]

[FUD_1-6] Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn: 0:36

[H3Sandtrap-7] Halo 3, multiplayer map Sandtrap

[H3TheArk-8] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Halo 3, campaign level The Ark

[9] Halo 4, campaign level Dawn

[canonfodder-11] Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - Have S'moa (Retrieved on Mar 16, 2021) [archive]

[12] Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 192

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