The current destroyer line and by far the second most numerous vessels in the entire Federation Navy are the Tanken-Class Destroyers. The name comes from the old Japanese word for “dagger,” and the Tanken represents the current pinnacle of Federation space naval technology despite the design being more than 20 years old. The Tanken can be found at any populated location in Federation space and can regularly be seen patrolling logistical and civilian routes. The Tanken is 348 meters long at its longest axis. The Tanken is lightly armed in terms of the number of offensive weapons compared to ships that once served the Liekan and Dexigalian forces, but the reality is that additional weapons would require more storage for ammo and thus it was deemed necessary to not “overdo” its weapons complement. Among the Tanken’s armaments are 2 quad missile launchers mounted on the ship’s highest and lowest weapon mounts dorsally and ventrally respectively. These launchers generally hold missiles used for medium- to long-range engagements and the Tanken will have up to 192 missiles on board for those launchers. The missiles’ flight range is up to 100 kilometers. The Tanken’s main artillery batteries consist 6 triple-barrel 1460-millimeter turrets with 4 forward firing turrets mounted in front of the missile launchers and 2 rear firing turrets mounted behind the missile launchers. These artillery turrets are larger and more sophisticated than the projectile turrets used by the United Earth Colonies prior to the First Interstellar War, able to fire larger rounds at a greater rate of fire with high precision. The Tanken can easily broadside its targets by bringing up to 3 turrets to engage either to port or starboard. If the target is large, all 6 turrets can be used on a single target. Each turret can be preloaded with up to 24 rounds before needing to reload and they can be reloaded up to 12 times before the ship runs out of ammo. Generally, Tanken captains will limit the number of turrets firing at targets in an engagement to stretch their ammo supply before being forced to retreat or rely on their other weapons systems. For close-range engagement, the Tanken is equipped with a pair of 16-tube light missile launchers mounted on each side of the vessel’s forward hull. The missiles are short-range able to hit a target 45 kilometers away. They are capable of firing 5 missiles per tube before being depleted. For point defense against missiles and possibly small craft, the Tanken is equipped with 44 twin 275-millimeter autocannons mounted in key areas on the hull. These guns can continue to fire nonstop for up to 10 minutes before their ammo supply is depleted. However, they only fire once the tracking systems identify viable targets and will usually fire in spurts rather than nonstop to stretch the ammo supply as well. The small craft bay (discussed below), ammo storage bay, and supplies are in the forward section of the ship. Engineering, the Combat-and-Control Center, graviton engines, the Fold Drive, and auxiliary systems are found in the center of the ship. Crew compliment is 190 with accommodations and amenities are in the rear of the vessel along with the escape pods. This low number in crew based on its size is thanks to automation handled in several areas of the vessel.
The Tanken has two PITGED units mounted on each side of the ship. These are the main sublight drive units of the ship and are based on the current engine design introduced 20 years ago by the Columna Lumen Development Center and later handled by Gallonigher Industries. The Mark II version of the engines allow the ship to generate gravitons for thrust by manipulating space-time around the vessel. These gravitons are ejected through the four main thrust engine nozzles located in the “wings” as the ship’s main propulsion. They also provide the artificial gravity on board, power the ship’s Fold Drive, and energize the nano-laminate armor. Located in the ship’s mid-section is the Fold Drive system, the ship’s main faster-than-light (FTL) drive. While originally salvaged from the wrecks of Liekan and Dexigalian ships, the Federation-built Fold Drive is more optimized to be powered by the vessel’s PITGED drives providing continuous power unlike their Liekan and Dexigalian counterparts that must stop for a time to recharge. The subspace manifold coils are located under armor plating on each side of the PITGED units to optimize the subspace field used to protect the ship during transit. The speed of the drive is 1 Light-year every 6 minutes, allowing ships to travel between star systems within minutes or hours. However, unless on patrol to other systems or reassigned to a different fleet, a Tanken will rarely leave the star system it is assigned to and will usually use the Fold Drive to reach other locations within the same star system or nearby in a hurry. Multiple thrusters and the properties of the PITGED unit also make the Tanken highly maneuverable despite the ship’s size and mass compared to other destroyers.
A small craft bay is mounted in the front of the vessel located between the forward cannons. Originally meant for shuttles to load and unload supplies and personnel, the bay has been remodeled to also house a small number of Kunai fighters. Up to 8 craft can be stored on the Tanken but the bay is neither pressurized nor under gravity. This means pilots and crew will always have to wear space suits and flight suits while in the bay.