Incursor-class Patrol Cruiser
“Knowledge is power. Any effective fighting force must know what lies ahead of it – without that vital information, no plan would succeed.”
– Wulff Yularen, on the value of intelligence in decision making
The Incursor-class Patrol Cruiser, also known simply as the Watchman or Watcher by non-Imperial personnel, was a Kuat Drive Yards heavy cruiser model meant to serve as a long-range reconnaissance, independent patrol, and task force escort vessel. Incursor-class ships, alongside older Acclamator and Imperial II-class frigate vessels, were commonly employed in the Outer Rim to enforce Imperial law and maintain order in sectors of the galaxy too insignificant to devote an Imperial-class Star Destroyer to. Conceived of by Kuat Drive Yards designer Lira Blissex in 22 BBY, the first prototypes of the Incursor-class were constructed out of retrofitted Acclamator-class assault ship hulls. Though the vessel proved more than capable as a dedicated communications and EWAR hub, production was pushed back in favor of more important ships-of-the-line. Only after the Emperor’s Declaration of a New Order did KDY see fit to put the Incursor-class into production. Though not produced in great numbers, the vessel was valued for its comprehensive sensor suite and powerful armament for a ship of its class. For these reasons it was seen as a symbol of Imperial military might in the far-flung systems of the Empire, where it often engaged in anti-piracy operations and administered Imperial law wherever its captains saw fit. Design and Characteristics Cost Though cheaper than some of the Imperial Navy’s larger vessels, the Incursor-class Patrol Cruiser was still rather expensive, with a projected cost of nearly a hundred million credits. However, several million of this cost was cut down in the early years of its production by the recycling of old Acclamator-class assault ship hulls and components. Hundreds of the Republic-era ships were gutted and reused as the basis for Incursor-class vessels, and as such the main cost of these retrofitted vessels actually came from the construction of the immense superstructure. Because of the Incursor’s nature as an independent patrol and reconnaissance vessel, Kuat Drive Yards designed a new CCX-670 sensor array and LaBauve TVR-30 EWAR suite to give it nearly unmatched capability in such fields. These cutting-edge systems came at a price, however – a stunning twenty-five million credits per vessel. The unparalleled range and ability of such technology made it well worth the price. Dimensions Relatively small when compared to the Empire’s prolific Imperial-class Star Destroyer, the Incursor-class was still quite large when put in context as a patrol frigate commonly spotted in the Outer Rim. Just over 600 meters long, the Incursor sports one of the tallest superstructures of any KDY ship and certainly the tallest relative to the rest of the vessel. Like many other Imperial vessels, all Incursor-class ships were painted Star Destroyer White. Offensive and defensive systems The Incursor-class Patrol Cruiser possessed moderate firepower for a ship of its class, but its weapons were still quite powerful for its purpose as a patrol vessel. |
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Its main battery of two DBW-5 dual heavy turbolasers were unique to the Incursor, as their large, disc-shaped structure was expensive and hard to effectively integrate in the ship design. A holdover from its original purpose as a fleet escort vessel, the DBW-5 battery allows the Incursor to hit above its weight class with weaponry equivalent to Republic-era battleships. Because of their slow turning speed and high yield, however, the main battery is seldom used. Instead, the smaller, secondary batteries of four Triga-type dual turbolasers is often the go-to armament for ship-to-ship engagements. Situated on outriggers on either side of the superstructure, the Triga turbolasers offer a smaller package in exchange for much faster turning speed and less time in between volleys. Supplementary to these medium-sized turbolasers is the single axial Viribus-type triple turbolaser. For the purposes of traditional line of battle formations (where starships would form up side-to-side to provide the greatest forward-facing field of fire possible), the Incursor was equipped with two laterally placed Sinum-type heavy turbolasers and one Lucius-type prow turbolaser, as well as two Lucius II-type ventral turbolasers. Finally, a total of six Arakyd Industries HCM-717 concussion missile launch tubes were fitted on all Incursor-class vessels, four fore and two aft. For the purposes of capturing and holding enemy ships, the Incursor is equipped with two Phylon Transport Q7 tractor beam projectors.
Defensively, the Incursor-class is equipped with a comprehensive EWAR suite, shields, and basic point defense. Six Borstel Galactic Defense KT-106 point defense turrets are split between either side of the superstructure, providing capability against small, hard to hit starfighters and other maneuverable starships. To hinder enemy electronic capabilities, the Incursor is capable of transmitting a powerful sensor jamming field capable of disabling nearly every civilian sensor suite as well as most military-grade hardware. This EWAR suite has limited communications eavesdropping technology as well as being able to encrypt messages to securely relay orders to pilots and other nearby Imperial vessels and installations. Finally, a KDY 1A-402 shield generator projected by two domes protects the ship from incoming fire, but it should be noted that this particular generator is substantially less powerful than those on other cruiser class vessels in the Imperial Navy. Kuat Drive Yards consciously made this decision to preserve power usage on the Incursor as well as cut back on costs with an already expensive EWAR suite and sensor array on the ship.
Complement
Because of its nature as an independent sector patrol vessel, Incursor-class ships are expected to be able to perform many different types of missions, from sector-wide patrols to planetary pacification operations. To this end, every ship has been equipped with a variety of spaceborne and planetary personnel and equipment.
Thanks to its small size and Acclamator-class heritage, the Incursor has a modest crew of 725, 75 of which are officers and the rest enlisted. Much of the vessel’s capacity, however, is taken up with its complement of 2,000 stormtroopers and accompanying support personnel, equipment, and vehicles. Additionally, one squadron of TIE/LN fighters and one TIE/sa squadron provide anti-starfighter and bombing capabilities, respectively. Two Sentinel-class landing craft are available to ferry troops and equipment to and fro destinations as well as one Cygnus Spaceworks Lambda-class T4-a shuttle for VIP use.
TO NOTE: Starfighter complements frequently vary depending on the ship. A great deal of post-Clone War Incursor-class vessels were equipped with V-wings, Y-Wings, ARC-170s, and even PTB-625 planetary bombers.
Superstructure
By far the most distinctive feature of the Incursor-class is its superstructure. Housing vital administrative and command facilities, the superstructure is the center of all ship operations. The vast majority of the Incursor’s offensive capability is centered around it as well as the ship’s deflector shield generators and navigation suite. Most important, however, is the immense sensor tower comprising the CCX-670 sensor array. Nearly a hundred meters in length, the tower boasts a series of instruments supplementing the Imperial Navy’s standard equipment. The CCX-670 array grants the Incursor an unrivaled detection range for incoming and exiting hyperspace vectors, ship engine signatures, life forms, and various other electromagnetic and radioactive signatures. The CCX-670 is mounted directly on top of the bridge.
History
Conception
At the outset of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY, Kuat Drive Yards recognized the need for a cruiser size escort and electronic warfare vessel to plug the gap in large naval formations consisting of Star Destroyers and light frigates. The initial Kuat design drafts called for a state-of-the-art sensor, communications, and EWAR suites to enable it to serve in an electronic warfare, early warning, and surveillance role. The brainchild of Kuat Drive Yards designer Lira Blissex, the Incursor was envisioned as a vital part of battle formations and valuable naval asset. Despite its unique role, however, KDY and the Republic agreed that the production of dedicated battleships such as the Venator and Victory-class Star Destroyers was much more important and decided to put the Incursor on the backburner.
Prototype
It was not until the war was nearing an end that Blissex secured funding and approval to construct a prototype Incursor by heavily retrofitting an Acclamator-class assault ship with several experimental weapons systems and the CCX-670 sensor array. This prototype – the Spiculum – served as the testbed for a variety of tests on the endurance, performance, and general capability for the Incursor-class. During its shakedown cruise in late 20 BBY, the Spiculum demonstrated remarkable ability with its sensor range and accuracy, and even in the highly congested Core Worlds it could track individual ships hundreds of lightyears away.
Early Production and Service
Despite its demonstrated success, it was not until the creation of the Empire that Kuat Drive Yards chose to put the Incursor-class into production, correctly sensing the potential to profit off of the Empire’s need for cruiser-size vessels to keep the galaxy pacified. The Imperial Navy employed several hundred Incursor-class vessels as independent patrol ships or as flagships of small task forces throughout the Outer Rim and Wild Space, where they served as long-range enforcers of the Empire’s rule. Pirates and other Outer Rim elements came to nickname Incursor-class vessels “Watchers” in mockery of Imperial Navy captains’ habit of positioning their Incursor near hyperlanes or other major transit routes, the best vantage point from which to watch high traffic sectors.
The Incursor-class gained a reputation for its tracking ability, which saw the apprehension of many criminal elements early on as well as a downtick in transgressions of Imperial law whenever an Incursor was nearby. Despite this reputation, many pirates learned techniques to at least temporarily evade the Incursor, but wiser Imperial crews caught wind of such tactics and quickly worked to counter them.
A well-known and perhaps overgeneralized trait of the Incursor-class is the purported nature of second-rate engineering and low quality production. This is a partial myth brought about by the early Incursor vessels, which were created out of recycled components from Acclamator-class assault ships, much like the Spiculum prototype. Because of their origin, these retrofits often suffer from malfunctioning systems or poorly integrated equipment since they were produced before KDY had perfected the design. Unlike later production runs, the original refits are often unique in some way and no two are exactly the same.
List of active Incursor-class vessels
† indicates a vessel that is a retrofitted Acclamator-class
†Spiculum (prototype) (kept at KDY as a technological testbed)
Incursor (first vessel) (Captain Thess Vondifar, Home Fleet)
†Exarch (Captain Jeb Swasca, Outer Rim Command)
Vultus (Captain Karliff H’Darr, Outer Rim Command)
Hiemalis (Senior Captain Siyara Nalle, 18th Surveillance)
†Maiestatis (Captain Janos Grosvenor, 63rd Mobile Strike Group)
†Excelsis
Ultionis
Pavidos
†Aeternae
Ingenii
†Undarum
Aestuum
Judicium
Fidelium
Animandum
Veritatem
Vindex
Radix
And more…