Valiant-class large cruiser

"We are assembled on the bridge of one of the most experienced and battle-proven ships in the fleet, crewed by veterans with over a decade of service in this war. More than that, they've all been through enough to trust and rely upon one another, in ways that I've only seen once before. Anyone who says that all this is not enough to make a difference is lying and deserves to be thrown out the airlock."

- Vice Admiral Roi Olimpia, on the UNSC Chevalier.

The Valiant-class large cruiser (hull classification symbol: CB/CBC ), incorrectly dubbed as a super-heavy cruiser and battleship by many, is the heaviest model of battlecruiser utilised by the United Nations Space Command's Navy during the Human-Covenant War. Introduced as a compromise between a cruiser and a battleship, it is equipped with incredible amounts of lighter-tier weapons such as missiles rather than battleship-scale guns. Heavily armed, versatile and capable of engaging a group of opponents at once, they became a favourite of admirals and frequently served as flagships for prestigious fleets.

The Valiant was originally launched in 2493, however, excessive production costs and issues with incorporating its next-generation fusion drives meant that only those currently under construction were allowed to be produced. However, a lack of feasibility would see all Valiant-class cruisers stricken from the UNSC Navy rolls and partially scrapped in 2497; however, they would be saved as the Insurrection rapidly increased in escalation. Augmenting battle groups and task forces, a small but famous handful would be converted into fleet command ships, becoming a favourite of admirals who disliked the larger supercarriers but felt existing command ships were too lightly-armed. They would be deployed above the most well-fortified rebel worlds as well as strongholds of the Colonial Military Administration as the UNSC usurped its authority.

Development
The origins for the Valiant-class large cruiser lay in the 2450s, more than three decades before the first ships of the class would even be built. Despite the emerging signs of unrest and political tension that would later bring about the Insurrection, for the most part, human space had settled into a wave of peace, and prosperity. The UNSC, continuing to use stagnating equipment and ships even despite some advances being brought out by the Inner Colony Wars some fifty years before, had expanded their dominion to encompass the Inner Colonies. This was against the whims of the Colonial Military Administration (CMA), who were growing increasingly discontent with the UNSC's efforts to usurp them and took to thoroughly modernising their military to oppose future pushes from their rival. Disregarding this, the UNSC saw no need to update their navy or most of their military forces, believing that they could quickly crush the CMA if push came to shove.

Regardless, the need for a small number of heavily-armed modern ships was a necessity they couldn't afford to ignore. After witnessing the success of their being undercut by the CMA's newly-adopted, they decided to unveil the "Special Prototype, hEavy Assault and Rearmament (SPEAR)" program. This project encouraged the Core's shipwrights to work together to create a heavy capital ship that could beat several smaller cruisers. They requested for cutting-edge technology to be used, with the design still be capable of being upgraded over a century to top-of-the-line specifications. Nominations had to be entered by July 4, 2469; unfortunately, this was pushed back 2472 due to the lack of interest from private entities.

The Luna-based Halifax Spacewerx was the first company to endorse the program, and allocated a considerable amount of resources to the upcoming warship's design. Headed by Doctor Samuel Tatiana with assistance from a UNSC liaison, Vice Admiral Shauna Glasgow, the Valiant-class would begin development in 2466. The design's unprecedented complexity to allow it to even fulfil the requirements lengthened the predicted time to completion, thanks to both the incorporation of what were then cutting-edge systems and the superstructural strength. Regardless, the team would be able to rise to the challenge, and after extensive in-house testing, was submitted to the UNSC Department of Naval Procurement in 2472.

In addition to Halifax, two other corporations would also later participate in the program:
 * PassiGear Manufacturing Company, who offered a modernised, conventional adaptation of the experimental UNSC Blenheim.
 * Aerofabrique SA, which developed a sizable battleship that would later inspire the.

All three would be put through a lengthy examination period which included simulated computers, which saw the UNSC accepting Aerofabrique's submission for a time. It was selected on the grounds for its firepower and ability to outlast both other submissions. Unfortunately, the entire program would be held in jeopardy when the ruling United Earth Government denied the Navy's proposal for funding the construction for twenty battleships. In addition to Aerofabrique's excessive development costs and the price for even a single one of their warships, a debate ruptured over whenever such heavily-armed were even necessary in the UNSC. In the end, the Navy conceded that while they felt a large combat ship was necessary, a ship as well-armed as supercarriers of the day was not. As a result, they cancelled the previous contract and awarded it to Halifax, with only a dozen large cruisers being ordered. By this time, the company's industrial power had largely waned, and while they did still update the designs to meet the cutting-edge technology of the day, they had to bring in the Reyes-McLees Corporation to help fabricate the ships.