|| SPECIFICATIONS:

Class: Frigate
Status: Active Service
Role: Light Assault / Escort
Mass: 1,180,950 - 1,250,500 T
Length: 965M
Max Speed (Impulse Cruise): < 5.6 KM/s
Max Speed (Hyper Cruise): < 7300 KM/s
Max Range (JDA): N/A
Date: 4403 A.D / 2 I.D.S
Origin: Origin: Aquarius Imperial Naval Shipyards, Lorentis System
Crew Complement: up to 70 Enlisted, 15 Officers, 120 Marines

Primary Armour Plating: Nanopolymer-based low-ferrous metallic composite construction
Primary Armour Thickness: =< 2.35M (Main), =< 1.2M (Secondary) =< 0.275M (Tertiary & Pressure)
Spinal/Axial Armament: 2x Dual-Linked IM115-F IMPAC Particle Accelerator Cannons
Primary Armament: 4x B-Type FIMD-1050-2S Kinetic Cannon Turrets
Secondary Armament: 6x C-Type FIMD-320-4-2 Rotary Kinetic Cannon Turret, 144x Hornet S/M/L Anti-Ship Missile VLS
Tertiary Armament: 22x D-Type FIMD-110-4-2 'Clusterfire-M3' CIWS Point Defence Turrets
Shielding: SG3-04C/4 (4 GW)
Sensors: E03-I2-FR Quad-linked Broad-spectrum Array with 4x external antenna (port, starboard; dorsal)
Propulsion: 3x Single-Stack Helium Plasma Reactive Drives, dual-stack Helium Plasma Reactive Auxiliary Drive (upper)
Powerplant: P03-I2-FR (MK68/RJ3) 6x 800MW Integrated Helio-Barycentric Cold Fusion Reactor
Hangars: Rear Open Hangar with space for 2x Strikecraft

|| DETAILS:

An ATIS Imperial Navy design based on the UAS Federal Navy's cancelled Barracuda-class Light Assault Frigate project. Despite physical resemblance to the UAS Barracuda (not related to the Barracuda in Imperial Service), Eel-class Frigates are an entirely new design with greatly improved internal systems, powerplant, shielding and firepower. Designation 'FR-EL' Type in the Imperial Naval Register, or just 'Eel-class', these assault frigates are designed to full the functional gap in the Fleet between the larger SP-class Heavy Destroyer and the smaller ships of the corvette class, under 1000 metres in length. Unlike the SP-class, Eel-class Frigates are not equipped with an independent Jump Drive Array, a trait they share with the corvette classification. As such, these warships are primarily deployed as in-sector patrol group leaders or as light escort for larger warships in a screen formation - a role typically performed by the original 'destroyer' class of Old Earth water-Navies.

At 965 metres, Eel-class is very small, weighing in at 'just' over a million Mass Tons, it is one of the lightest independent warships in the fleet. As a result, it is a highly agile combat platform, being able to intercept the fastest threats, or out-run opponents it is not able to defeat in combat. While Frigates are not typically used in deep space operations, like her sister class the Swordfish-class, Eel-class frigates are able to externally dock with larger ships such as HY-class Fleet Carriers, who enable them to perform linked FTL transitions in a practice known as 'piggybacking'. As such, multiple frigates of this class can be deployed to remote sectors for patrol or escort operations, or as strike-groups for harassing larger ships at CQC ranges.

The primary difference between Eel-class frigates and the visually similar Swordfish-class, is the presence of the large B-type ventral hardpoints on the former. While B-type designation in size, these hardpoints are incapable of equipping standard Imperial Navy B-type weapon platforms; instead they uses a specially-designed modification of the B-type hardpoint for use exclusively with this design. The standard armament is a HAL/SSC-1 Solid State Cartridge-fed Laser Cannon turret with a single emitter or a Dual 1050S Mass driver. The HAL/SSC-1 design was purpose-built for use on Frigate class vessels or ships lacking a sufficient powerplant to provide direct power to the powerful capacitors required to operate the larger HAL1/2 Heavy Laser Cannons. As such, the SSC-1, hence the name, uses solid-state cartridges containing super-conductive batteries with all the required electromagnetic energy used by the weapon system discharge - an ammunition-fed Laser Cannon. Deployment on such a mobile platform with similar firepower to the HAL1, but with a shorter range allows Eel-class frigates to harass larger ships at CQC ranges and effectively target sub-systems during such engagements while being fast enough to out-turn their long-range weapon systems, and possessing a shield generator large enough to resist dedicated anti-frigate weapons fire from tertiary armaments or PDS.

Additionally, the Eel-class possesses a pair of dual-linked A-Type IMPACs of a similar capability to the larger SP-class, but on a much smaller platform. The lack of a JDA allowed Imperial Engineers to direct significantly more capacitor grid capacity to the weapon systems. Despite this, the Eel-class is unable to fire its main guns while operating other systems at peak capacity. Instead, the ship must remain essentially static with reduced capability while the capacitors charge. Despite the drawback, the ability for such a 'small' warship to carry some of the fleet's most capable anti-capital ship weaponry as allowed the Eel to punch above its weight in fleet engagements.

Eel-class frigates are most often deployed in an escort or light assault capacity against static installations in low-intensity conflicts and counter-terrorism operations by the Imperial Navy Rapid Response Forces in and around Central Aquarius.