The carrier had a long flat dorsal surface that was used to store a total of 20 Manta-class starfighters which were attached via their magnetic docking clamps. The right and left sides could also accommodate another 10 fighters each making for a total capacity of 40 Manta-class starfighters. There was a tower raised above the docking deck at the aft of the vessel that housed service bays to perform starfighter maintenance and the command bridge.
The Tapani-class carrier had fast sublight speed with acceptable maneuverability. Its hull was lightly armored but it had immense shield generators which gave it protection comparable with other starships in its class.
It had moderate armaments, consisting of 6 tower mounted turbolaser batteries and 10 ion cannon batteries located on the underside of the vessel. They were always escorted by other starships such as the Tapani-class assault frigate.
Excluding the cost of the Manta-class starfighters (95,000 credits each), these carriers cost 760 million credits (new).
- Lords of the Expanse