| abstract | - The Mars-class is a very common vessel in the Imperial Navy of the late 41st Millennium and hundreds of these starships can operate in just a handful of fleets in a single Segmentum. The Mars-class is regularly used as a flagship for small wings of starships on patrol or as the bulky lead vanguards of a full Imperial battlefleet. The Mars-class fulfills many tactical criteria for the Imperial Navy that is normally impossible for Imperial military starships that are rarely designed with the flexibility required to be considered multi-role spacecraft. The Mars-class excels at orbital bombardment, close ship-to-ship warfare, and Attack Craft carrier roles. Only the Dictator-class is as multi-role a starship since it can serve the carrier function but it lacks the ability to hit targets from a distance. The Mars-class is well armed and equipped for its multiple roles and it mounts a Nova Cannon, a lance battery, fighter/bomber launch bays and multiple other point defence weapons batteries. The Mars-class' name is a hallowed one; a name that echoes the great Forge World of Mars because it was unique to the orbital shipyards of the Red Planet's Ring of Iron prior to the Gothic War. While many Imperial capitals reckon the class is undergunned for its size in comparison to a similar vessel, it is still sought after in many battlefleets and the vessel still comprises a major part of the Imperial Navy's order of battle.
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