The Oberth Space Destroyers were the first warships ever designed by humanity for use outside of Earth's atmosphere. Designs for the Oberth destroyers began in the year 2000, shortly after the mysterious ASS-1 crash-landed on Earth. The sudden arrival of the extraterrestrial visitor caused widespread panic among the major military powers of the United Nations, and analysts and designers scrambled to come up with defenses against a possible invasion from space. The Oberth destroyers were intended to become Earth's first line of defense against an attack by alien forces. Although the ships represented the most advanced technology available to humanity at the dawn of the new millenium, they were quickly overshadowed and made obsolete by the wonders of overtechnology discovered within the broken hull of the ASS-1.

The designers of the Oberth destroyers created an impressive warship design despite their lack of experience in interstellar warfare. The main armament of the ships consisted of three missile launchers, each containing 6 long-range nuclear missiles (18 total) for use in ship-to-ship combat. The original design for the Oberth also included four front-mounted heavy rail cannons for additional punch, although these were later replaced with beam cannons as overtechnology discoveries made energy weapons practical. The destroyers were also equipped with advanced (for the time) sensors and communications systems, although the UN Spacy lacked FTL sensor and communications technology until years after Space War I.

The first space destroyer to be completed was the Oberth, which was commissioned and put into service in March of 2005. This was quickly followed by the Goddard in June of 2005 and the Tsiolkovsky in September of 2005. However, during initial performance trials the Tsiolkovsky was hijacked by terrorists calling themselves the Anti-United Nations Military Organization. The AUNMO used the Tsiolkovsky to attack a UN spaceship convoy returning from the newly established early warning base on Mars. The terrorist ship quickly overwhelmed and wiped out the unarmed space fleet, and all colonists and UN military personnel aboard were killed. Shortly thereafter the Tsiolkovsky was engaged by the Goddard under the command of Captain Bruno J. Global, and after an extended cat-and-mouse engagement the Tsiolkovsky was destroyed with all hands aboard. This battle represented the first use of overtechnology reaction weaponry in actual combat by humanity.

Following the Tsiolkovsky incident inquiries and investigations stalled the Oberth production program for several years, but in February of 2009 mass production of the space destroyers resumed with the commissioning of the Miranda and Akishima. Between 2009 and 2010 125 destroyers were built and commissioned, and all were in active service when the Dolza Fleet commenced its final assault on Earth in February of 2010. Unfortunately the Oberth destroyers proved to be no match for the Zentraedi military might, and all were crippled or destroyed within seconds of the inital bombardment of Earth. No Oberth destroyers were produced following the end of Space War I, and although not all 125 destroyers have been accounted for following the war it is practically impossible that any could have survived. In 2019 the wreckage of one Oberth was recovered and repaired, and the ship now serves as museum and war memorial at UN Spacy headquarters. Several other wrecked destroyers have been discovered and salvaged, and many spaceship crews swap stories of phantom Oberths they have encountered drifting through the solar system, forgotten relics of the final battle of Space War One.
 

Notable Ships of Class:

• UNSS Oberth (launched March 2005, first space warship in human history)
• UNSS Goddard (launched June 2005, commanded by Captain Bruno J. Grobal. Destroyed Tsiolkovsky in first space battle utilizing reflex weaponry)
• UNSS Tsiolkovsky (launched September 2005, hijacked by Anti-UN terrorists during trials. Destroyed by Goddard)
• UNSS Miranda (launched 2009, destroyed by Zentraedi in first battle of Space War One)
• UNSS Akishima (launched 2009, destroyed by Zentraedi in first battle of Space War One)

MDC BY LOCATION:

    Beam Cannons (4)                   250 each
    Missile Launchers (3)              150 each
(1) Front Sensor Cluster                75
(1) Bridge                             400
(2) Main Body                         1200
(3) Main Engines (2)                   500 each
(3) Booster Rockets (2)                100 each
(3) Retro Rockets (6)                   20 each
    Small Airlocks (8)                  50 each
    Hangar Doors                       100
    Armored Hull (per 20ft area)        60

NOTES:

1. Destroying the bridge will instantly kill the command staff and deprive the ship of all forms of long range communications, radar and targeting. The range and targeting capabilities of the secondary systems are equal to that of a VF-1S Strike Valkyrie. The ship can still operate, but is at -3 on initiative, -3 to strike, and number of attacks per melee of the weapon systems are reduced by half. Destroying the front sensory array on top of the command tower will have the same effect, but the command staff will not be killed instantly.
2. Depleting the MDC of the main body will completely obliterate the destroyer. Because of the lack of modern escape and survival systems it is highly unlikely that any of the crew would survive.
3. Destroying the main engines will reduce maximum thrust by 35% each. Destroying the booster rockets will reduce max thrust by a further 10% each, and destroying the retro rockets will knock out the final 10% of thrust, leaving the destroyer dead in space.

SPEEDS:

Speed:

The engines can generate enough thrust to propel the destroyer at speeds equivalent to Mach One (670 mph/1072 kmph) in a planetary atmosphere. Note that the Oberth destroyers have neither sublight engines nor a space fold drive.

Planet bound:

Can land on a planet in an emergency but will NOT be able to take off again.

Maximum Range:

Unlimited (estimated 15 year life span with regular maintenance)

STATISTICAL DATA:

Fold System: None
Sublight Drive: None
Gravity Control System: None
Main Engine:

ORTEC Thermonuclear Rocket Engine x2

Auxiliary Engine:

ORTEC Rocket Motor Cluster x2, retro rockets x6, numerous vernier engines

Radar System: Advanced Search and Targeting Radar

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

1. HEAVY MISSILE LAUNCHERS (18): The main armament of the Oberth space destroyers consisted of 18 heavy missile launchers, each containing an ICBM-like missile intended for anti-spaceship combat. Each launcher contains a single guided nuclear missile that fires upward and then homes in on its desigated target (similar to ICBM launchers on nuclear submarines).

    

   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Anti-Warship
   • RANGE: 2,000 miles (3,184 km)
   • SPEED: Mach 2+ (1340 mph/2140 kmph) in an atmosphere.
   • DAMAGE: 2D6x1000 M.D.
   • BLAST RADIUS: 2,000 feet (610 m)
   • RATE OF FIRE: If necessary, all 18 missiles can be fired at the same time (counts as one attack).
   • PAYLOAD: Each launcher contains one missile, for 18 missiles total. There are no reloads.
   • NOTE: These missiles CANNOT be used by variable fighters. Each missile is approximately the same size as a VF-1 Valkyrie. Variable fighters that require nuclear ordinance usually carry RMS-1 Anti-Warship long range missiles.

    

2. HEAVY BEAM CANNONS (4): The Oberth destroyers were also armed with reflex weapon technology recovered from the wreck of the ASS-1. Four forward-mounted beam cannons were added to the design midway through the development process to greatly increase their effectiveness in anti-spaceship warfare (or so the designers hoped). The cannons are fixed forward and can only fire at targets directly in front of the ship.

    

   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault
   • SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-Warship
   • RANGE: 80 miles (106 km) in space; half in Earth's atmosphere.
   • DAMAGE: 1D4x100 M.D. each, or 4D4x100 if all cannons are fired simultaneously at the same target.
   • RATE OF FIRE: Each cannon can fire up to 5 times per melee.
   • PAYLOAD: Unlimited.

SYSTEMS OF NOTE:

• LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS: The Oberth destroyers have sufficient life support to provide breathable air and comfortable temperatures for 500 people for up to 12 months (air is recycled). The system cannot reliably support more than 500 people for more than a few days time (besides, there is very little room in Oberth hulls for extra passengers). The ship has enough food and water onbard to support the crew for up to 6 months (can be extended to 9 months with rationing). Because of their limited stockpiles of food, water and air Oberth destroyers rarely venture beyond the orbit of Mars.
• LONG-RANGE LASER/SATELLITE RELAY COMMUNICATIONS: Oberth destroyers have impressive communications arrays for their time. The communication system has a direct range of 900 miles (1,440 km), which can be boosted indefinitely by using satellites or other spacecraft to relay communications.
• LONG-RANGE RADAR: The radar array of the Oberth can track and identify up to 200 craft simultaneously. The radar system has a 1,000 mile/1,600 km range.

MECHA COMPLEMENT:

NONE! The Oberth destroyers have a small shuttle bay containing two shuttles for ferrying supplies and passengers between ships. If necessary, this bay can hold up to three variable fighters, but the bay would be crowded almost beyond capacity at this proint. The VFs would have to land and take off in gerwalk mode and cannot convert into any other mode while inside the hangar.