Jiangnan-class cruiser (FT)

Designed by the People's Bureau of Space Warfare Development, the Jiangnan-class cruisers are built by the People's Shipbuilding Corporation of Zhushan, the premier state-run shipbuilding company of the Democratic Federation. Construction takes place on Houyi, one of Zhushan's moons, in both the Yandan Lunar Drydocks and the Houyi Lunar Orbital Shipyards.

Design
As the primary mainstay cruiser classification and the heaviest combat warships within the RPASF, the Jiangnan-class is capable of multi-role operations and long-range independent patrol. These include space combat, anti-craft interception, fleet command and coordination. The Jiangnan-class has a crew of 2,086, and is also capable of transporting units of ground troops.

The main armament of the Jiangnan-class are 14 multipurpose missile tubes, with six in the fore and eight in the aft. These launchers are capable of firing torpedoes with high-explosive, plasma, flechette, and nuclear warheads. The secondary weapons of the Jiangnan-class are four Zhuge 360mm turreted railguns, which are typically battleship-grade weapons systems. Installation of the Zhuge railguns as well as the vast array of extremely powerful scanning equipment on board the Jiangnan-class was only possible due to the vessel's powerplant. Developed by General Jing Shitao, the unprecedentedly miniaturised TianE RG/E12 fusion reactor is the most powerful fusion reactor of its size class in the Human Sphere, and its workings are a heavily-guarded state secret.

For defense, the Jiangnan-class employs fifty-nine Project 730 40mm CIWS systems, linked to the K-19 Fangzhu Zhe High-Accuracy Point Defence Targeting Computer, the most advanced target tracking system employed by the RPASF. Aside from its primary armaments, the Jiangnan-class serves as a capable command vessel in combat, with its ranging lasers and tactical systems to help guide and coordinate the efforts of fleet elements against hostile ships. In the event that a Jiangnan-class cruiser is boarded by hostiles, they are equipped with a thermonuclear 'Condition Zero' fail-safe self-destruct weapon which will scuttle the ship, ensuring the ship cannot fall into enemy hands.

History
The Jiangnan-class cruiser was developed by the State Bureau of Space Warfare Development as the Project 34 Heavy Space Warfare Vessel, an attempt to create a space warfare vessel on par with foreign competitors and capable of "punching above its weight". The main threat the Jiangnan-class was meant to face was the newly-introduced Descansito-class destroyer of the United Front Space Forces. The first Jiangnan-class vessel, RPASF-341 Jiangnan, was laid down in 285. It was commissioned in 287, alongside five other vessels of the type.

One of the first deployments of the Jiangnan-class was in Operation Chenmo Qiang. Partly an evaluation to measure the Jiangnan-class's capabilities, Operation Chenmo Qiang was a systematic campaign of pirate suppression in the Coreward Frontier. Eight Jiangnan-class cruisers and numerous other vessels were used to great effect in destroying major pirate hideouts in the area, earning the commander of the operation Rear-Admiral Yao Liang great recognition. Rear-Admiral Yao Liang also used Operation Chenmo Qiang to develop proper tactical theories and maneuvers used by the Jiangnan-class to this day.