TEC Saladin-class Destroyer

Terran Engineering Corporation DS-30 Saladin-class Destroyer
Destroyer, Civilian Market

The Terran Engineering Corporation DS-30 Saladin-class Destroyer is the third-most recent destroyer keel used by the UGN, after the discontinued Galaxy-class. Though relatively outdated, TEC still sells them since many poorer worlds cannot afford newer capital ships. Saladins carry several weapons, but their greatest strength is their maneuverability.

Named for an ancient Terran general, the Saladin-class destroyer was built for the UGN from 962 to 977 GSD, and has been on the civilian market since its decommissioning. Primarily because of its age, the Saladin-class destroyer is just shy of six times cheaper than the current Anaconda-class. They are fast and fairly well-armed, but compared to the newer Republic Naval Systems-built Anaconda the Saladin's defenses are wafer-thin. This is more due to technological advances in the interim than anything else. Still, Saladins are frequently seen in system security forces and private fleets.

The Saladin-class has gained notoriety in recent years, unfortunately, with the appearance of the so-called "Pirate Saladin," a heavily modified version built by the Rosenberg mafia family at Black Rose Station. The most infamous of these is the Zek'tar Labroi, captained by Yapeel, a rogue Galactic privateer who now commands a pirate gang commonly called the Vibroaxe Death Knights. (This is a fairly poor translation from the original Paz/kanran.)

Trekkies among my fans may be aware that during TOS and the Movie Period, the Federation Starfleet also possessed a Saladin-class destroyer. (According to the Star Trek wiki, it apparently made a very brief appearance on a display in Wrath of Khan and Search for Spock.) More recently, it shows up in the Starfleet Adventures EVN mod as the first true military vessel available to the player. In any case, there being a Saladin-class destroyer in both Star Trek and EVN:UGF is a coincidence: I didn't know about it when I came up with the design a couple years ago.