Orion-class assault carrier

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The Orion-class assault carrier is a purpose-built planetary assault vessel that is utilised by the . Introduced during the formative years of the , the Orion-class is built to fulfil the critical issue of supporting massive peacekeeping campaigns that would later become characteristic of the conflict. It is considered poorly armoured compared to carriers which came after it, and armed well enough to only fend off a moderate attack. However, its vast internal factories, the same type utilised on some models of , and hoards of armoured ground units sees them having no equal when performing planetary invasions.
The first Orion-class assault carrier were first deployed within the first five years of the civil war. Mass-produced to support offensive operations against the badly-coordinated "bushfire wars" that would make up the early Insurrection, their success during this crucial early period would see the Orion-class become a harbinger for the UNSC's inevitable victory. Unfortunately, the beginning of the would see these carriers taking atrocious losses during the war. With little in the way of defences and many ground battles ending once space superiority was lost, as well as the class being spread throughout the , the Orion took the highest number of casualties compared to any other capital ship during those first five years of war. Few carriers which escaped this fate would be either pulled back into the to support sustained sieges, or used to form the core of expeditionary fleets to attack Covenant logistic sites.
Only a handful of Orion-class carriers would survive the war, mostly those relegated to support manufacturing bases to replace much of the material lost at several 'last stands'. As the largest class of factory-ships available to the UNSC, they were retasked with recolonising planets whose biospheres were still habitable and locating lost human colonies, and with many being reassigned under the newly-formed UNSC Frontier Command. However, whenever destroyed through sabotage, battle, or simple decommissioning, no Orion-class carrier would survive past the .
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== Ships of the Line ==
Name 	Hull Classification Symbol	Commissioned 	Destroyed	Notes
 	CVA-91 	May 4th, 2473 	 	Lead ship of the class.
 	CVA-92 	2473 	2552 	Destroyed during the Battle of October 10.
UNSC Fearless 	CVA-110 	2474 	2552 	Destroyed during the Fall of Reach.
UNSC Intrepid 	CVA-31 	2475 	2532 	Destroyed during the Battle of Jericho VII.
 	CVA-241 	March 13th, 2523	N/A 	Captained by Giovanni Betancourt.
UNSC Unryū 	CVA-280 	2531 	 	
 	CVA-483 	2546 	 	Participated in the Human-Covenant War, later conducted a personnel transfer to .
 	CVA- 	2498 	2558 	Captained by Commander Daiichi Kimura, recovered the candidates of Gamma Company, destroyed during the .
UNSC Gilded Cage	CVA- 	 	 	Assigned to the Sixth Fleet, First Battle Group. Participated in the Imperial War.
UNSC Harridan 	CVA- 	 	2558 	Commanded by Captain Richter, assigned to the Sixth Fleet, First Battle Group. Destroyed over Montak during the Imperial War.
UNSC Shiroyama 	CVA- 	 	 	Assigned to the Sixth Fleet, First Battle Group. Participated in the Imperial War.
UNSC Hard Luck 	CVA- 	 	 	Assigned to the Sixth Fleet, First Battle Group. Participated in the Imperial War.
== Gallery ==
Orion-class.jpg|An escorted Orion-class over .
Ori.png|An annotated image of the Orion-class.
Category:Carrier classes