Cruiser

There is more information available on this subject at Cruiser on the English Wikipedia.

The cruiser is a type of heavily-armed and armored warship designed with an emphasis on weaponry and armor over fighter complements.

Overview

Even though both UNSC and Covenant fleets possess warships of such classifications, the tactical philosophies of the two navies are different. The Covenant, while possessing many different cruiser classifications, use assault carriers as the powerhouses of their fleets. The UNSC, on the other hand, use cruisers as their heaviest warships, designed to engage and destroy enemy warships that may otherwise threaten a fleet's carrier force. Cruisers served as the backbone of human fleets. However, it should be noted that Covenant cruisers were considerably longer than their UNSC counterparts.

Types

Human

Prehistoric human

Class	Image	Details
Ancient human cruiser		A type of large warship used by Ancient humanity during the Human-Forerunner wars.

UNSC

Main article: UNSC cruiser

Class	Image	Details
Halcyon-class light cruiser		The smallest vessels to be designated a cruiser by the UNSC.
Marathon-class heavy cruiser		A larger cruiser designed to replace the Halcyon-class. Rarely deployed in a light carrier configuration.
Autumn-class heavy cruiser		Designed to be a successor to the Halcyon-class.
Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser		One of the most powerful vessels in the UNSC Navy, primarily used in fleet command and coordination.

Covenant

Main article: Covenant cruiser

Class	Image	Details
Zanar-pattern light cruiser		While classified as a cruiser by the UNSC despite the ship's small size, the role of the CRS in the Covenant is closer to to that of a Police cutter . However, following the Great Schism, they began to see frontline use.
Ket-pattern battlecruiser		An intermediary warship. It is frequently used, surpassing all other Covenant vessels numerically.
Maugen-pattern armored cruiser		An older cruiser. It pales in comparison to the smaller, newer Ket-pattern.
Varric-pattern heavy cruiser		Used for planetary occupation, command and supporting flagships.

Forerunner

Class	Image	Details
Forerunner cruiser		A type of vessel used in the Ecumene's fleets that defended Maethrillian.
Forerunner picket cruiser		A type of cruiser used by the Forerunners.

Related vehicles

Covenant

• Mutan Et-pattern storm cutter - A type of small vessel, described as a cruiser.

Sangheili

• Rwaru-pattern carrack - Described as a "merchant cruiser", the carrack was used to ferry troops and materiel.