Tartan-class Patrol Cruiser

The Tartan-class patrol cruiser is an Imperial anti-starfighter ship, developed towards the start of the New Order. Armed with twenty laser cannons, the Tartan is designed for use against starfighters, bombers, and pirate vessels. Most notably, powerful sensor and computer systems enabled their guns to engage rapidly with swarms of small, swift targets, although these systems came at a hefty price. In addition, powerful engines gave these ships the speed and maneuverability to engage directly with starfighters, and the systems that channelled power from the generators to systems throughout the hull were also versatile and sophisticated, being able to redirect energy from the deflector shields to give more firepower to the weapons systems.

The Tartan-class vessels can be compared with the later and somewhat better-known KDY Lancer-class Frigate, which had an almost identical armament and a similar mission profile, and also with the Rendili StarDrive Neutron Star-class Bulk Cruiser, a patrol cruiser with a very similar size and armament; but whereas the Lancer-class ships were basically defensive platforms designed to do no more than keep pace with larger capital ships, and the bulk cruiser was a cheap design known for its slow speeds, the Tartan-class design was fast and agile, able to skirmish directly with enemy starfighters—displaying the same pace and agility as the same manufacturer's earlier Carrack-class Cruisers.

Canonical information courtesy of Wookieepedia.