Leviathan-class assault carrier

Considered the harbinger of modern battlecarrier design, the Leviathan-class assault carriers were a series of unusually heavily-armed planetary assault ships commissioned by the CMA Navy in the wake of the Inner Colony Wars. Although they served prestigious careers throughout the Pax Humana, by the time of the UNSC-CMA Cold War they were considered slow, outdated, and too poorly protected for modern fleet service. In light of this, many would be sold or transferred into service of colonial defence forces, often as part of arrangements that furthered the CMA's colonial aims.

Development
The Leviathan-class assault carriers were the result of a years-long study into the CMA's various failures during the Inner Colony Wars, particularly among the more bloody theaters at Falkirk and Luyten. While much of this was directed at their garrisons, it was also identified that the CMA struggled with reestablishing a foothold on contested soil, with the Army Expeditionary proving far too small and lacking the training needed for planetary invasions. One issue brought up was that the few Navy troopships had to operate within range of orbit- and ground-based anti-shipping weapons, which were often fast enough that escorting frigates were rarely able to stop them.

While the CMA addressed their immediate needs by procuring civilian ships and enlisting the help of the UNSC Navy, they also began in-house design work on the "Close-Assault Landing Ship" (CALS) in collaboration with SinoViet Heavy Machinery. In an unusual turn of events, it was an operation that was directed by both major branches; Brigadier-General Holger Skjeggestad, a veteran officer of the Army Expeditionary force and war-hero, was particularly interested in implementing systems that he knew would best benefit his soldiers. However, constant debates and reworks meant that the lead ship would not be laid down until 2395, with a prolonged build time due to shortages in radiator panels and heat sinks that were constantly diverted to wartime conversions. As a result, it would not be commissioned until 2401, one year after the UEG implemented their reforms that finally ended the fighting.