Citadel-class Escort Destroyer

The Citadel-class is an Escort Destroyer in the UNSC Navy. Created to be a long range, highly capable escort vessel, the Citadel fills a niche left open in the aftermath of the Human-Covenant War where many smaller frigates perished easily defending larger ships, the Citadel serves to not only be able to screen and protect the ship its escorting but also itself.
__TOC__
==Development History==
Designed between 2548 and 2550, the Citadel-class was built in response to the ongoing, exorbitant losses of existing escort vessels such as frigates and smaller destroyers such as the Stalwart-class and Halberd-class. The class also became one of the first to field the latest in defensive countermeasures supplied by Rubicon Defense Technologies (RDT). However the ship did borrow from its predecessor, the Halberd-class, with regards to its MAC layout and its focus on heavy armor making the ship more than capable of defending itself. 
Production of Block I of the vessel began in 2551 and ran until 2553 during which 50 ships were ordered, however 8 being made at Mars and the 4 at Earth were destroyed during Covenant attack on the Sol System. The remaining 38 ships would gradually come into service with the UNSC Navy from 2553 to 2556, the delay being largely in-part of resource and fund scarcity. Initial deployments of the Block I vessels, despite their low numbers, saw ample in action against Covenant Remnant groups, the ships acting as defensive backbones for many expeditionary groups. As the last of the Block I ships finally entered service, the class having seen more action in that time, there was noticeable interest in further developments of the class. These mostly took the form of new weapon systems, Titanium-A3 armor and the new reactive shield generators being tested. 
These improvements would culminate in the design and ordering of the nest series of ships, designed Block II, featuring new armor, provisions for the mounting of shield generators, improved M40 'Suppressor' autocannons and improved power generation. The order was placed in June, 2556 and called for 40 ships to be produced. The production of these ships was noticeably faster than their Block I counterparts but their testing and fitting out phases were decidedly longer due to the number of new and advanced technologies they would be fielding. Such features included the aforementioned armor, shield generators and new reactor design, but also included new targeting systems and the first of RDT's Magnetized Ferrite Field Generators and new EMP missiles.
==Design Specification==
The Citadel-class was designed from the ground up as a new generation of Escort focused destroyers made to surpass the existing escort vessels such as the Halberd and Stalwart-classes. The reason for this was due to the Halberds questionable effectiveness in the role of spacefighter screening and the Stalwarts ever present fragility when facing similar or somewhat heavier ships. Block I of the class sported considerable Titanium A2 armor with the latest in countermeasure technology to further enhance their capabilities, as the ships were designed to be survivable they were also equipped with considerable weapons to combat similarly sized or smaller ships.
Block II of the class features thinner, albeit more effective, Titanium A3 armor. As a result it featured a much lower overall weight which added to the speed and agility of the ship. The improved survivability was paired with new and experimental countermeasure systems. 
===Armaments===
Despite being far more focused on its duties as an escort vessel when compared to its immediate predecessor, The Halberd-class destroyer, the Citadel is still suitably armed to be able to clash with ships of a similar tonnage with its Primary Weapons. The 76A54D8 MAC Battery is a direct improvement over the 14B11R2 MAC Battery mounted on the Halberd-class, the design of the MAC is also the same as the Halberd as it features two Mark III derived MAC's in a twin-linked configuration. However unlike the Halberd which sports two MAC's of different bores, the MAC on the Citadel simply has one as a Light Coil MAC and the other as a Heavy Coil MAC, This allows both guns to share a common ammo load which simplifies logistics while preserving the quick double shot ability of the Halberd. To complement its MAC's the Citadel has 32 Oversized M58 'Archer' Missile Pods with each having 35 Missiles each as opposed to the standard 30. These are used in conjuncture with the MAC when engaging other ships. Finally, should the need arise, the Citadel is equipped with 4 Shiva-class nuclear missile for use in dire situations or against a much more powerful target.
Designed with Fleet Defense and Escort in mind, the Citadel-class features a deep and layered point defense system allowing it to screen against any form of fighter or munition. The main component of its defense is the 16 which form the spine of the Citadel's point defense system and is the main defense against most spacecraft and munitions. Complementing the 'Ramparts' in eliminating heavier targets are the 10, M40 'Suppressor' 330mm Autocannons which are a step above the older M37 model, being lighter and featuring a larger projectile and improved targeting. The M40s are capable of targeting assault craft like and and even small ships such as and . The final part of the point defense triad is the 90 , these act both to supplant the Ramparts but mainly serve to target smaller, faster targets such as incoming munitions. These are all further supplanted by the 140 which provide pinpoint and longer range screening against both munitions and fighters.
===Propulsion and Powerplant===
===Armor and Structure===
===Countermeasure and Defensive Systems===
==Operational History==
===Battle of Earth===
==Notes==
The image utilized for the Citadel-class Escort Destroyer was made by SmirnovArtem on Deviantart.
Category:UNSC Ship Classes
Category:Destroyer classes