Physically resembling its predecessor, Corona-class vessels were intended to operate both independently and in larger fleet formations. The ship could perform a variety of mission profiles, including reconnaissance, close-line fire support and anti-starfighter screening operations. The Corona-class had an array of offensive and defensive weapons, as well as hangar space for thirty-six starfighters. The frigates were deployed to the New Republic Defense Forces by 11 ABY, seeing service during the assaults on the New Republic by Imperial Admiral Natasi Daala.
Designed by Kuat Drive Yards, the Corona-class frigate was patterned after the company's successful EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate. The Corona-class resembled the profile of the Nebulon-B, with a forward section connected to the drive unit by a central spar. The fore section extended down from the main body of the frigate, while the central spar had been thickened from the original Nebulon-B design to provide extra protection. The drive unit housed the main engines, with stabilizing fins extending from the section's lower part on either side. Corona-class vessels required a crew of 782 to operate, along with fifty-six gunners; however, the frigate could be manned by a skeleton crew of 281. The ships also carried a complement of eighty soldiers.
The Corona-class was 275 meters in length, twenty-five meters shorter than its predecessor, and had less cargo space for supplies and consumables, in line with the New Republic's doctrine of having its ships be reliant on home bases rather than be able to operate independently for years at a time. Corona-class vessels could carry 4,000 metric tons of cargo, with enough provisions to last one year before resupply. The vessels were armed with ten turbolaser cannons and ten laser cannons, as well as four ion cannons and two tractor beam projectors. The frigate's shield generators provided the same amount of protection as those on the Nebulon-B, but it had a stronger hull, allowing it to absorb more punishment during combat. The Corona-class incorporated a Class One hyperdrive, which was an improvement over the Class Two hyperdrive on the Nebulon-B. Three squadrons—thirty-six starfighters—could be deployed aboard the Corona-class, compared to the two squadrons carried on a Nebulon-B frigate. Not all line units carried a full complement, and some were only equipped with short-range fighters.
The Corona-class frigate was used as a patrol vessel and could fulfill a variety of mission profiles. The vessel could operate independently, performing reconnaissance-in-force, or as part of a larger fleet, providing close fire support and anti-starfighter screening for larger vessels. The frigate could also be used as a starfighter assault platform.
As the New Republic began to establish its legitimacy following the Battle of Endor, the guerrilla conflict that they had fought for years turned into a conventional war. After the New Republic liberated the galactic capital of Coruscant, the commanders of the New Republic Defense Force saw the need for a regular navy to both prosecute the war against the Galactic Empire and to defend their assets. The motley collection of vessels that the New Republic had inherited from the Rebel Alliance were no longer sufficient for that purpose. It was decided that new starship classes were to be designed and produced to standardize the New Republic's naval forces.
Prior to 9 ABY, Kuat Drive Yards was commissioned to produce a line frigate, which was modelled after the successful Nebulon-B design that had served both the Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War. Concurrently, the New Republic's Defender program was underway, and the Corona-class was added to the project to allow Kuat Drive Yards to participate, alongside Loronar Corporation's Belarus-class medium cruiser. Production of the Corona-class was disrupted by Grand Admiral Thrawn's campaign against the New Republic in 9 ABY, as well as the return of Emperor Palpatine a year later. Following these delays, the Defender program was resumed and became part of the New Class Modernization Program. Physically similar to its design predecessor, Corona-class vessels were in service as early as 11 ABY, and several ships saw duty during Admiral Natasi Daala's campaign against the New Republic. Orders from the New Republic Defense Force for the Corona-class were modest but steady, resulting in a limited production run of the design.
Several Corona-class frigates served the New Republic Defense Forces during the early years of the New Republic. The lead vessel of the class, Corona, operated in the Core Worlds. Two vessels, Endor and Shooting Star, collided with each other after a mistimed hyperspace jump. Both ships were destroyed, with the loss of all hands. In 11 ABY, Boldheart encountered the Teljkon Vagabond, an organic starship used by the Qella as a genetic repository to ensure the survival of their species following an ice age on their homeworld of Brath Qella that threatened their extinction. Boldheart fired a shot across the Vagabonds bow; the Vagabond responded by disabling the frigate's engines with a single shot before fleeing into hyperspace. The holos from the encounter provided the New Republic Intelligence Service with its first images of the Vagabond.
The Corona-class frigate was introduced in Cracken's Threat Dossier, a supplement for Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game published by West End Games in 1997. Appearing in the section dedicated to the events of The Black Fleet Crisis trilogy by Michael P. Kube-McDowell, its entry established that several vessels mentioned in the novels—Boldheart, Endor, and Shooting Star—were of this class.
- Cracken's Threat Dossier
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Galaxy at War
- The Essential Guide to Warfare