The Chiss Star Destroyer somewhat resembled the 900m Victory-class Star Destroyer design still being used by the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, but its gray hull was slightly longer and slimmer, giving it an aggressive, needle-shaped appearance.
One distinct difference from most Star Destroyers was that the type lacked any obvious command superstructure, apparently in an attempt to deny attackers easy and visible targets. The most prominent feature was a large dome amidships, thought by Alliance observers to house cloaking equipment, but for the most part the planes of the armored hull were as blank as an expanse of duracrete, interrupted only by recessed weapons mountings.
Like most Star Destroyer designs, the Chiss capital ships were powerful, but were also vulnerable to a concerted starfighter assault. Their precise capabilities are unknown, but the ships of the class were outfitted with Chiss versions of the range of equipment found aboard a typical Star Destroyer.
Primary armament consisted of beam weapons, including both light and heavy mountings, and divided between conventional turbolasers and the distinctive Chiss energy/particle megamasers. The ships were outfitted with tractor beams projectors, ray shields, and particle shields, the last of which were capable of stopping a few kamikaze dartships but not an entire swarm on a suicide run.
The launch complex of a Chiss Star Destroyer included capture bays to impound suspicious ships, and hangars supporting squadrons of Nssis-class Clawcraft. Although precise troop complement is unknown, it is likely that they could serve as platforms for the landing craft, AirStraekers and heavy surface equipment which Chiss fleets deployed from orbit during the Swarm War, and they could also enter a planetary atmosphere themselves to operate alongside surface troops.
Sources dating from the time of the Yuuzhan Vong War suggested that the Chiss then had no capital ships larger than frigates: this information may have been inaccurate, or else the Chiss may have only begun to build Star Destroyers at a later date.
During the conflict with the Killiks, Chiss Star Destroyers formed the backbone of the front-line fleets in the major engagements at Qoribu and Tenupe; in the latter battle, more than thirty Star Destroyers were deployed in an attempt to overrun Killik positions, and the command ship was Fell Defender, apparently commanded by Jagged Fel.