Theut-class subprowler

The Theut-class subprowler is a specialized support ship in service with the UNSC Navy. A variant of the secretive Winter-class prowler, the Theut-class omits much of the advanced stealth and experimental technology for an array of systems allowing it to act as a catch all platform to conduct JSTARS, EWAR, ECM, ISR, ELINT, AWACS, AEW&C, and ECCM duties, its versatility being due to its modular system bays. The removal of various advanced and experimental technologies has also allowed the Theut to enjoy a much more prolific production run, the ship becoming a popular addition to planetary defence forces and aboard carriers as part of their deployable wings.
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==Development History==
===Origins of Project ARGOS===
With the entry of the Winter-class prowler into service in 2549 there was significant research directed towards derivative vessels of a similar intermediate size. A commonality between these was their focus on enhancing the recon and stealth aspects of the Winter-class through alternate means or removing them completely and commercializing the platform as a luxury super yacht. While many of these projects were stalled by a lack of funding or lack of interest by the UNSC Navy, ONI, or private ventures, one project saw a level of interest from the UNSC Air Force and UNSC Navy, Project ARGOS. 
Project ARGOS was a development of the Winter-class which redesigned the vessel to be significantly cheaper and easier to produce along with structural changes to improve its atmospheric performance. The extent of these changes was mainly focused around structural and aerodynamic alterations such as larger wings, a redesigned nose, altered engine intakes, and total removal of the ships advanced stealth and experimental technologies. While the project saw little interest from ONI procurement officials, it gained much more traction in the UNSC Navy who saw the platform as a potential next generation transport or support craft. Further discussion between the two project leads, Dr. Mikaela Ngyano and Dr. Ibrahim Vander, and naval procurement officials renewed funding for Project ARGOS. The specifications of the project remained largely the same with some further changes such as new engines and the removal of any fittings for a slipspace drive to allow for the ship to see greater use among regular forces. 
In March 2553, following the end of the Human-Covenant War, Project ARGOS was pulled out of mothball as part of the UNSC Navy's rearmament and modernization program, this time with renewed purpose. A commonality of battles in the closing years of the war, such as the Battle of Earth and Battle of Reach, was UNSC forces facing the loss or disruption of command and control, information gathering, and targeting assets to support ground and aerospace forces. While larger warships would typically fill the role and would be more effective than smaller platforms, their need to focus on ship to ship warfare often results in them being out of position or being incapable of supporting deployed assets due to battle damage or interference from Covenant ships. As a result of these difficulties, Project ARGOS was focused into developing a small, advanced combat support platform capable of performing a variety of intel gathering, command & control, and combat information roles. 
With the new set of specifications for their ship, the team behind Project ARGOS split into two groups of specialists. The first team, under Dr. Mikaela Ngyano, would focus on making alterations to the ship, its equipment, and its systems so as to allow for the facilitation of a variety of battlefield support and information systems. The first of these changes was stripping the ship of the variety of off the shelf systems to allow for the redesigning of sections of the ship to accept the newer and more capable systems, one such change was the lengthening, widening, and lowering of the nose of the ship. The effect of this would be to allow the sensors and scanners in the nose to easily face the ground while the ship is in level flight as well as allowing the ship to accept a wider range of systems. 
Changes were also made to the cockpit of the ship, namely being placed higher up and with larger polarized windows for improved visibility in-atmosphere and in space. Another significant change was the replacement of the standard mission package dock on the dorsal surface with the mounting braces for a large dorsal sensor array allowing for the mounting of sensor equipment much larger than could be housed internally. Finally, the ships standard engines would be replaced with new Naoto Technologies V6/C-DFR fusion drives which offered much improved transatmospheric performance and fuel efficiency while being more compact than their predecessors. Along with the new engines was a redesign of their cooling system which combined radiators which functioned in space with divertless supersonic intakes for efficient cooling in-atmosphere. The result of these changes was that the ship would be able to fly at high speeds for extended periods of time both at high altitude and in space while regularly transitioning between the two.
The second and larger team, under Dr. Ibrahim Vander, would focus on the development of the mission systems, their hardware, and software. 
==Design Specifications==
==Operational History==
==Ships of the Line==