Commissioned in 2001 at Toroshima Royal Shipyards, the Valiance Class of guided-missile destroyers are a general purpose platform for surface-surface and surface-air action. It carries a wide array of armaments with a crew of 210. The Valiance class weighs 4000 long tons, and has a top speed of 32 knots (36.8 mph). The vessel has seen action in every conflict with the North since its creation, in which it replaced the older Vindicator Class. There have been 39 commissioned, with 26 ships currently in service. 12 ships have been sunk, 1 sits docked at the Kyu Island Naval Training Facility and is used for training purposes. The Valiance measures at a length of 217 studs with a width of 24 studs.
Weapon Systems
The Valiance Class' armaments are numerous, and fully automated functionally, and operated by the crew via state of the art computer systems, and radar tracking systems. Its secondary weapon is a single barrel 125mm lightweight gun capable of semi-automatic fire, pausing for 16 seconds every 8 shots for its 8 round magazine to be reloaded. Being a modern ship, the gun is merely the secondary weapon.
For air defense, the Valiance has 4 4xCell Crossbow Radar-Guided Long-Range anti-aircraft missiles. totaling to 16 missiles armed at any time. Launchers can be reloaded by the crew by carrying missiles via munitions elevators on the deck, or by hand from an internal magazine.
For anti-submarine purposes, the Valiance carries 8 homing torpedoes, 4 on each side. Extra torpedoes are carried, and tubes can be reloaded by the crew.
on each side, the Valiance has 2 smaller 30mm auto cannon turrets for close range surface-air or close range surface-surface combat against enemy vessels.
For close range aerial combat, the Valiance has a rotating launcher containing 10 Shuriken infrared missiles, the missiles are small enough to be stacked 2 to a launch tube. Shuriken missiles can also be launched at incoming missile threats, intercepting them further away from the ship without the need for CIWS of SRBOC countermeasures The launcher can be reloaded by the crew using missiles stored below deck.
The Valiance's main weapon is a 48x Cell Vertical Launch System or VLS. Keeping with modern naval technology, the Valiance primarily uses cruise missiles to attack targets from long distance. Missiles are launched straight up, eliminating the need for the ship to be positioned a certain way to attack. The VLS can also be loaded with additional surface-to-air missiles for engaging aircraft or incoming missile threats
The Valiance also has attachment points for 6 .50 cal MGs mounted at different parts of the deck. The guns are mounted and used for boarding actions, and combat with small vessels.
In naval warfare, a single anti-ship missile has the potential to sink or completely disable an enemy ship. With such lethal weapons as a mainstay, modern navies have developed various countermeasures to protect a ship from incoming threats. Mounted across the ship are 6x Cell Super Rapid Bloom Off-board Countermeasures, or SRBOC. The SRBOC protects against anti-ship missiles. As a missile approaches, a SRBOC is launched into the air creating a massive bloom of chaff and flares to thwart the tracking systems of both Radar and Infrared missiles.
The Valiance also carries 2 Close in Weapon System (CIWS) Gattling Guns, similar to the American Phalanx and British Goalkeeper systems. The CIWS has an internal radar that locks onto an incoming missile, and shoots it out of the sky. The CIWS can also be used on low-flying planes and helicopters, as well as ships at close range.
