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 (: SSO) is a line of two small pre- Orbitors which were built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) at the turn of the. Often correctly assumed to be a gigantic decedent of spaceplanes thanks to its streamlined shape, the country's first true was commissioned into service as a multirole tool, although became more specialised 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 its baffled equipment and RADAR-resistant design that was upgraded upon over its lifespan.

Although planning for an "Interplanetary Transport & Combatant Craft" began in 2076, due to a lack of support from the Australian Defence Force the lead ship was laid down in 2097. Originally entailing a total of five ships, with the option for two more, 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, suffering delays only because of thorough testing of their design during their space trials.

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 both spacecraft becoming revered and carefully maintained by their crews.

With their age immediately apparent when their duties were being usurped by their modernised successors within the Australian Space Defence Program, the three Lightning-class orbitors received an overhaul to their systems in 2124. Now turned into specialised support ships with spy capabilities, they would play an active role in monitoring the newly-settled colonies of the. 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 deploy 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 2144, only a month after the launch of her successor, the HMAS Daniel L. Redford.

Remarks

 * "After refit, both Scouts' were bloody quick - no ship I know of could catch 'em, even in the American Navy. They never really had a good chance to show off though. Not when their M.O. requires them to be as quiet as possible."
 * "They weren't built to be space subs, but the aussies had to get their mileage out of them somehow."
 * "There's a rumour that they got caught a lot, which is why they're always back at Earth, rather than in the field."

Trivia

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