Class: Space naval vessel
Crew: 144
Length: 390m
Width: 173m
Height: 64m
Mass: 145,000 tons (operational)
Range: Mars transit capability
ARMAMENT
2 x main particle cannon, on the flanks of the main hull.
2 x secondary paticle cannon, on the forward hull.
18 x torpedo launch tube, capable of launching nuclear missiles, in the main hull aft.
32 x single barrel defensive beam cannons scattered over the hull.
The Oberth was the first large-scale space vessel based on technological advancements recovered from the SDF-1.
An Oberth-class Destroyer falls victim to a Zentraedi attack.
A companion design to the Armor carriers, the Oberth-class destroyers served the United Earth Defense Forces orbital fleets, and also operated as far away as Mars. Like the Armor-class, the Oberth was designed before Earth had a good grasp of the alien technologies retrieved from the SDF-1, and as a result lacked in effectiveness compared to many smaller, newer designs.
The Oberth class was a general purpose design with more range than the Armors, and with a heavier fixed forward beam armament. They also had a missile battery aft in the hull, although it could not fire as many missiles as the system on the larger vessels. Nor did the Oberth carry any fighters. Six large engines flanked the aft hull on both sides of the missile battery, and these gave the ships a reasonable maneuverability.
Much like the Armor series, the Oberth class fought during the initial arrival of the Zentraedi fleet, when at least two of them were destroyed, and the ships were shown to be sitting ducks for the long range cannons used by the Zentraedi. No new Oberth vessels were built afterwards. In Dolza's attack on the planet, most of the remaining ships were destroyed.