Assault Frigate Mark I

As the Rebel Alliance began to obtain Dreadnaught-class starships from the era of the Galactic Republic manufactured by Rendili StarDrive, they encountered difficulties managing and staffing the necessary 16,000-person crew, while simultaneously facing a critical need for warships.

After equipping the _Dreadnaught_s with droids along with automated systems to decrease the crew requirement to 5,000 individuals, therefore enabling their utilization, Rebel engineers started to alter the _Dreadnaught_s. The goal was to enhance speed and efficiency while keeping the original weapons intact. The end result bore resemblance to its Dreadnaught-class ancestor only through the ship's bow. Much of the internal framework was exposed to the vacuum of space, and dorsal and ventral fins improved its maneuverability. These changes also improved fuel economy.

While the modifications eliminated the internal docking capabilities of the Dreadnaught-class, the ships gained 20 umbilical docking ports, similar to those found on the EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate. However, unlike the Nebulon escort frigate, these docking ports could not transport other ships through hyperspace. Moreover, the assault frigate carried a modified assault shuttle on its dorsal surface, secured in a manner that allowed for hyperspace travel.

The assault frigate had a greater number of weapon emplacements in comparison to the original Dreadnaught. However, the turbolasers suffered from reduced range and a slower rate of fire because of the increased strain on the main power systems. The removal of significant amounts of hull plating lessened the ship's resilience, but slightly more powerful shields offered some compensation.

Typically, the Assault Frigates featured a single prong at the bow, but certain variants were produced with split bows.

Around 1 BBY, an Assault Frigate variant with a twin-pronged bow participated in the Rebel Alliance's assault on Kamino. This ship, along with the rest of the Alliance Fleet, exited hyperspace to confront three Imperial Star Destroyers.

By the time of the Battle of Endor, only a small number of these ships had been retrofitted, but their effectiveness was such that the class sustained no reported losses.

Assault frigates initially engaged in combat around the period of the assault on Kashyyyk during the Galactic Civil War. They became a mainstay of the New Republic Defense Fleet in the years that followed the Battle of Endor.

The frigate was further developed into the Assault Frigate Mark II, but while the Mk. I continued to be used, production of the Mk. II was discontinued.

One Mark I frigate was used to form a secret retreat in 137 ABY.

The Assault Frigate Mark I featured in Starship Battles, released in 2006, depicts a different visual representation of the Assault frigate. It shows a more streamlined form overall, along with two forward hull sections that are visually identical to those of a Nebulon-B frigate and arranged in a similar configuration to the Nebulon-B2. This same style of Assault Frigate also appears in Starships of the Galaxy Saga Edition, published in 2007.