Hyperion-class destroyer

"They're the perfect wolfpack ship - fast enough to keep up with scouting corvettes, modular enough to quickly respond to new threats, and deadly enough to overwhelm any enemy they encounter."

- Anonymous UNSC crewman.

The Hyperion-class destroyer, colloquially dubbed the pocket destroyer by sailors because of its small size, is a next-generation destroyer utilized by the UNSC Navy in the last decade of the Human-Covenant War. Introduced as a cheaper, more effective warship to relieve the UNSC's aging fleet, the Hyperion is a response to the combat data of its' immediate predecessor, the. While it is true they are not as durable and lack some of the endurance displayed by previous destroyers, they make up for this with a modular design that allows them to be quickly refitted to counter new threats, a far smaller target profile, more advanced defensive subsystems, and enhanced armaments.

Key to the Hyperion 's success lies mainly in two fields; its size and larger-than-average fusion reactors. By shedding off some of the armor and redundant superstructure of its predecessor, the Hyperion is able to reduce its weight by nearly four hundred thousand tons and correspondingly reduce its target profile. This already increases its speed by a large margin, which is further enhanced by three massive fusion reactors. These allow it to support not only more powerful propulsion systems, but also allow it to utilize more MACs than previously thought possible. These two strengths ensured that a battle group of Hyperions could evade more shots and dish out more damage at range than even larger ships.

First commissioned in 2541, the Hyperion would see some early action in 2546, yet issues with its streamlined supports and power output would limit production until after 2553. Constructed during a period where other 'frankenships' were authorized, they would serve in only a number of campaigns centered around human colonies due to their small numbers. However, continued development would see the Hyperion reach and surpass all areas of the Halberd. Even as they took over from the most elderly ships in the UNSC fleet, they would only exceed the annual production of their predecessor by 2556.