Affiliation EarthForce Auxiliary craft Ironside class shuttle | Fighters 6 Starfuries | |
First appearance A Voice in the Wilderness Armaments 1 Heavy Plasma Cannon
2 Particle Beam / Laser Cannons
8 Medium Pulse Cannons
2 Missile Launchers Defenses 6 - 8 meter armored hull
10 Mk.I Defence Interceptors | ||
The Hyperion class heavy cruiser is a fictional starship in the Babylon 5 universe.
Contents
History
The Hyperion class is an older type of EarthForce warship, smaller and less heavily armed than the newer Omega class destroyer, but still a capable design. It saw its heyday during the Dilgar and Earth-Minbari wars. In both wars the Hyperion class was the primary ship of the line, alongside the Nova-class dreadnought. Although the majority of them were destroyed by the end of the Earth-Minbari war, they are still a common sight in Earth fleets, often deployed on long-range patrols or as escorts for the newer, more advanced destroyers. Hyperions were still in EarthForce service as late as 2281.
Design
1025.39m in length and massing 8,400,000 metric tons, the Hyperion carries a crew of 356 and 200 troops. The design boasts a powerful armament in the form of one heavy double-mount plasma cannon (the big guns mounted forward), two particle/laser turrets (mounted on either side of the forward hull), eight medium pulse cannon turrets (the bubble-like turrets mounted all over the ship), and two heavy missile launchers. In addition to the armament, the cruiser has potent defenses in the form of a 6-8 meter-thick armored hull and a standard defense grid. The Hyperion class is capable of carrying 6 Starfury fighters and 2 shuttles. As with most ships of its size, Hyperion class ships are capable of both using jump gates and creating their own jump points.
Unlike the later Omegas, Hyperions did not have rotating sections and the ships operated in zero-gravity. As such the crew would normally be seen strapped into their seats during operations. Since the ship lacks artificial gravity technology, acceleration would be limited to levels the crew could tolerate, which would normally be below 2g's for extended periods.