Lightning-class scout orbitor

"Even on your last day, you have never failed me."

- Captain Taner Bain, at the HMAS Lightning 's decommissioning ceremony.

The Lightning-class scout orbitor hull classification symbol: SSO) was a line of three first-generation Orbitors which were built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) at the turn of the twenty-second century. Often correctly assumed to be a gigantic decedent of spaceplanes thanks to its streamlined shape, the country's first true warship was commissioned into service as a multirole tool, although became more specialized as the Australian Space Fleet grew. Modestly armed with sixteen cells of missiles and two 102mm autocannons, what set the Lightning-class apart from other early military craft was that its design physically resembled a number of civilian spacecraft, with this similarity becoming more obvious with each refit they received.

Although planning for an "Interplanetary Transport & Combatant Craft" began in 2076, due to a lack of support from the Australian Defense Force the lead ship was not laid down until 2097. Five ships were originally intended to be built, with the option for two more, yet perceived issues with personnel, lack of necessity, cost-overruns, and an reliance on the allied armed forces in the realm of space saw the project being reduced to the final three ships. Built by Anderson Shipyards, all would enter service by 2107.

In spite of their generalist nature which was further restricted by its small size, the twin sisters of the Lightning-class would provide first-hand benefits of operating a dedicated spaceworthy fleet. While given little chance for distinction thanks to the admiralty's overcautious nature at the time, their presence revealed benefits previously not considered by their owners beyond being vessels for weapons of mass destruction. They participated in 97 different operations and missions in total, ranging from border patrol and inspection to training exercises to providing logistical relief to their allies' space stations. Their necessity saw the spacecraft being carefully maintained by their crews, although they were never particularly well-liked by RAN officers.

With their age immediately apparent when their duties were being usurped by their modernized successors within the Australian Space Defense Program, the three Lightning-class orbitors received an overhaul to their systems in 2124. Now turned into specialized support ships with spy capabilities, they would play an active role in monitoring the newly-settled colonies of the Solar system. The risks from pirates, rival nations, and unidentified phenomena would result in the craft being involved in standoffs, directly engaged, and forced from the field on numerous occasions. While their contributions furthered Australia and her allies' understanding of colonial politics and the qualities of space, the increasing costs to operate them, along with the loss of two ships in the mid-2130s, would accelerate their demise. Despite a public effort to save her, the HMAS Lightning was decommissioned and scrapped in 2139, only a month before the launch of her successor, the HMAS Daniel L. Redford.

Design
On paper, the Lightning-class scout orbitors were among the more refined and smaller starships to arise out of their design generation, with an initial mass that measured in at only 1,450 metric tons. Although classified as an orbitor, their design lineage hailed from the many suborbital aircraft that the Australian military operated. For this reason, they had a number of obsolete elements that seemed at odds with its mission profile; long, narrow wings optimal for atmospheric stabilization, a streamlined, heavily-angular hull, and turbofan attachment points. They had a prominent forward cockpit which took up most of their forward arc, and any exposed antennae, turrets, and other protruding components blended into its silhouette. The only things that stuck out were its eight reaction control systems used for spatial maneuvering. These design elements were included because it was hoped that it would one day be possible to use them within Earth's atmosphere, a hope which never came to fruition. The midsection bulges out to accommodate two large cargo bays, which continues growing towards the stern of the Orbitor.

One of the more unique aspects that the Lightning-class orbitor boasted was its stealth-enhanced design. Its hull form was based on tried-and-tested methods for reducing RADAR return signatures, air disturbances during travel, and thrust bloom. A sophisticated (at the time) AN/SLQ-99 electronic warfare array was also included, which was capable of suppressing communications within a 150-kilometer radius around the orbitor. While it was difficult to detect on most forms of sensors, their heat-management systems was fundamentally flawed, as any opponent could easily detect it on thermals when operating in space. As it could not fulfil the covert roles that it was intended for, many of these systems were removed during their mid-life refits.

Although intended to be a single coherent class, as this was Australia's first spacecraft design, fixes for the various issues as well as modifications made during construction would result in half-sisters that were only superficially similar to each other. Notably, their very different mission profiles and performance prevented any of the three ships from being able to operate within the same squadron.
 * The HMAS Lightning was the only member of the class to require a complete reconstruction prior to commissioning. It was 350 metric tons heavier than what was planned, only has 80% of its cargo capacity, but had 20% of the range extended after its power issues were resolved. Its particularly rounded appearance and early stability issues earned it the nickname of 'falling fatso'.
 * The HMAS Cyclone was modified while still in the drydock to fix issues uncovered in the previous vessel. It was considerably leaner than the Lightning and structurally stronger, but still suffered from acute power issues.
 * The HMAS Tornado was laid down after the other two vessels were completed, and was so distantly related that it formed its own distinct class. The nuclear powerplant and atomic drive made it by far the fastest and longest-ranged of the three ships. Because the various atmospheric features were deleted from its design, it could afford to be armed with Mark 9 127mm/50 caliber naval guns in place of the 102mm turrets, and vacuum performance was considerably improved. The Tornado also received the most electronics over its lifespan, as it was considerably overpowered for a ship of its size.

Trivia

 * All Lightning-class orbitors had a naming scheme based on dangerous aerial phenomena.