The Crusader-class corvette, also referred to as the Crusader-class gunship, was a warship produced by Mandal Hypernautics that was in use during the Galactic Civil War.
A Crusader-class corvette.
The Crusader-class corvette was a vessel specifically designed to engage smaller support craft, such as starfighters and bombers, though its firepower was sufficient to take on craft of comparable size.
Considered by many to be over-armed for a ship of its size, one of the most well-known features of the Crusader-class was the high amount of weapon systems installed throughout the ship. This weaponry was spread out across the hull of the ship to provide an even field of fire and to leave no gaps in coverage. To make the most of its weaponry, the Crusader made use of a highly-advanced point-defense system, and was capable of utilizing overlapping tactical fire to create a defense grid that excelled at close-range combat. This point-defense system was used to defend against even the galaxy's most agile starfighters, and was even known to be able to shoot down concussion missiles and proton torpedoes due to its accuracy.
The Crusader also had the advantage of being one of the fastest corvettes, if not the fastest, at the time it was designed. Equipped with an innovative sublight drive system that pushed the limits of drive capabilities for a corvette, the Crusader-class was capable of moving ahead of a fleet and directly engaging starfighter squadrons to reduce their numbers before they reached the main fleet. The Crusader's raw speed also helped it perform other duties for its owners, such as reconnaissance duties and border patrol.
To manage these systems, the Crusader made use of an automated computer system that integrated many of the ship's systems together through its computer network, allowing for seamless monitoring and maintenance while utilizing a small crew for a corvette. The Crusader had numerous drawbacks, however; taxing the ship's power plant by moving at maximum speed while firing all weapons at the same time has been known to cause power failures throughout the ship, sometimes with disastrous results. Additionally, attempting extreme maneuvers while flying at or near maximum speed could created weaknesses in the ship's hull over time, especially near the aft of the ship. Heavy damage to the ship's computer system had been known to cause problems with the ship's damage control systems, and false damage reports have resulted from such damage sometimes, though weaponry was typically unaffected.
The Crusader-class corvette was a design by Mandal Hypernautics several years after the end of the Clone Wars, with Danar Len working as the lead designer on the project. They initially offered the ship to the Galactic Empire, but the Imperials chose to purchase only two Crusaders, so that they could evaluate the corvette's performance. The two corvettes performed well, but the Empire chose not to purchase any more and assigned the two corvettes to defend the Maw Installation.
Len was left distraught by the Empire's rejection of the Crusader, so he mothballed the design and left Mandal Hypernautics, despite the encouragement given to him by his colleagues to persevere with the design. Following Len's departure, Mandal Hypernautics offered the ship to the Mandalorians, who agreed to purchase the design. After seeing the ship's production bloom, Mandal Hypernautics began selling the ship to planetary and small interstellar governments as a defense vessel with a great degree of success.
Ships of this class were part of the naval forces built up by the crime lord Tyber Zann in his crusade to gain galactic influence. Despite hearing that the ship had been used by the Mandalorians, he offered to pay a sizable sum to put it into production for his own fleet and with updated systems to take advantage of recent technological developments. The design team gathered together again, upgraded the systems for the ship and submitted the revamped design. The new version of the ship received much praise from Zann and the executives of Mandal Hypernautics, and production began immediately.
Many years later, Admiral Natasi Daala began a campaign against the New Republic and utilized the two Crusader-class corvettes that had been purchased by the Galactic Empire. The corvettes proved to be highly effective, so the Imperial Remnant renegotiated with Mandal Hypernautics and purchased a sizable number of them. Two Crusaders later served in Admiral Daala's Maw Irregular Fleet and participated in the Second Galactic Civil War.
The Crusader would eventually be seen commonly throughout the Galaxy. A large number were sold to the Imperial Remnant, however they were a frequently seen patrolling the space around independent systems and neutral space stations.