
Designed by members of the same team that originally designed the Action VI freighter, and in some cases built on surplus Action VI hulls, the Interceptor class frigate is a light capital ship intended for system patrols by frontier and poorer system governments. Recognising the need for a warship equipped with capital ship scale weaponry but not costing anywhere near the cost of a dedicated capital ship able to take part in pitched battles, the designers created a ship that in many ways was both a winning and a losing compromise.
Large bow and aft sections are connected by a narrower hull section that serves as a cargo hold, as well as engineering space for the power generators for military grade shielding and a modest armament of turbolasers and anti-starfighter weaponry. As designed, the Interceptor class frigate can stand its own against pirate and criminal gang ships, but would be hard pressed to survive a slugging match against a dedicated naval warship. Where the ship shines is in its excellent sublight speed, fully living up to the name “Interceptor”. Faster than many comparable ships, and even some fighters, a canny Interceptor crew can engage in hit-and-run tactics that will place even a more heavily armed warship at a disadvantage.
Another advantage of the Interceptor class frigate is its ability to enter an atmosphere, either to pursue a fleeing target, or to itself flee a more capable combatant. Its capable, yet inexpensive-to-build design has seen the Interceptor class frigate produced on many back-water worlds and Outer Rim shipyards, where resource constraints preclude the construction of more advanced warships. Inevitably, some have fallen into the hands of pirates and criminals, and encounters with these outlaw vessels is on the rise.