Panther

A panther is a variety of stealth-capable corvettes within the United Space Command. Panthers are used by the USC for stealth infiltration/exfiltration, to gather electronic intelligence gathering, and minelaying operations. Most panthers are crewed by Office of Space Intelligence personnel serving under the Panther Corps, with only a few ships operated by FLEETCOM. Most panthers are designated with the hull classification symbol PRO, followed by a numeric designation.
Although most panthers are classified as corvettes, the term can be used to refer to a stealth ship of any size; the stealth cruiser Shadow Night was noted as being the largest panther-class vessel ever built.

Specifications

Role

The panther's primary role is to stay hidden while safely gathering battlefield intelligence, avoiding direct combat due to its light weapons and armor. Because of their tactical value and potential to change the outcome of any given combat situation, every USC military battle group has at least one panther assigned to its ranks. The panther's only combat role, besides active combat monitoring and recording, is discreetly laying cloaked fields of TIGER nuclear mines in orbital regions. Panthers must have the capability to hide even within their own fleet to avoid being tracked in the event a USC ship fell into enemy hands.
A typical Panther has a crew of 50, although the craft can operate with a far smaller crew or entirely autonomously with an onboard smart AI.

Stealth systems

Panthers avoid detection through the use of physical features designed for low observability, low-profile sensor systems, and an array of stealth systems intended to mask the ship from both visual and sensor detection. The outer hull is coated with stealth ablative coating, which hides the ship's radar signature and acts as a simple form of active camouflage. This camouflage is maintained by a system known as the texture buffer. Engine emissions are hidden via the use of heat sinks and systems known as ablative baffles and engine dampers, which enable the panther to appear to sensors the same temperature as the surrounding space, thus avoiding detection by infrared-range sensors. Because panthers inevitably release some emissions, their systems are designed distort their signatures to appear as wreckage, low-threat vessels, or even friendly craft.
A panther is able to stay in stealth mode for days or weeks, although they are not fully undetectable. Past fifteen minutes in a combat theater, detection by enemy sensors is noted to grow at a geometric rate. Panther captains receive extensive training in the use of astronomical objects to their advantage in hiding their presence, as well as the deployment of drone networks to maintain concealment during missions. There is also a tradeoff between speed and stealth, and panther commanders are forced to walk a fine balance when optimizing their stealth systems and engine power.

Sensors

Panthers are equipped with a wide variety of sensor equipment and electronic warfare devices, many of them mounted in a sensor array located in the craft's nose. The ships possess an X-ELF radar system, a mass spectrometer, lidar, as well as EMP dampers which isolate the ship's electronics in the event of electromagnetic pulse strikes. The post-second nuclear war panther USC Mars was upgraded with a high-fidelity real-time holographic mapping suite which enables the generation of highly accurate images of a given area when working in concert with the panther's subsidiary drones and other sensors.
Panthers are equipped with a number of deployable BLACK EAGLE communications satellites to provide sensor and communications coverage in a local operations theater. They can also be equipped with a complement of tactical drones for remotely monitoring other locations.

Armament

A panther's primary offensive armament is an array of TIGER nuclear mines with vacuum-enhanced loads and a dedicated chamber to cool them down to the temperature of the vacuum of space. However, it is impossible to maintain stealth when exiting hyperspace with nuclear weapons onboard, as they emit a detectable radiation flare upon transmission from hyperspace to normal space. As a result, panthers are forced to jettison their nuclear mines into hyperspace if a cloaked exit is necessary.

Class

USC corvette

Used by

• Erebus-class exfiltration craft

Designation

Stealth-ship

Manufacturer

Northern Defense Corporation

Owning Organization

USC Panther Corps