Designation: ARMD-1 (through 10)
Class: Space Vessel
Crew: 1500 crewmen, 600 pilots and air group
Length: 430m.
Width: 116m (central hull), 172m (overall)
Height: 48m.
Mass: 174,000 tons (operational)
Range: Earth and Lunar orbits
ARMAMENT
5 x main particle cannon, two on the forward deck, two on the aft flanks, and one on the keel aft.
6 x triple-barreled beam cannon, mounted on the aft thrusters.
2 x torpedo launch system, capable of launching nuclear missiles, in the upper side bodies.
6 x ten-tube missile launcher box, firing defensive missiles.
48 x single barrel defensive beam cannons scattered over the hull.
~270 QF-3000E Ghost drone fighters.
~100 SF-2 Hunter/SF-3 Lancer space fighters.
~ 12 VF-1 Veritech Valkyrie Fighters.
~ 10 AEW aircraft, space shuttles, and other small auxiliaries
Armor-class carriers firing their missiles
Armor-1 launching its fighters
One of the first space warships designed on Earth, the Armor series formed the backbone of the United Earth Defense Forces orbital defense fleets. Since the Armor series began its construction before all secrets of the new alien technologies had been deciphered, the design was lacking in technological sophistication. Both engine power and beam armament recharge times were limited compared to later designs.
The class had an unique shape, with a flat brick-like central body flanked by two sponsons. Five heavy beams cannons were mounted on the hull, with the majority of their firepower facing forward, but as mentioned these had a long recharge time. The central body also contained a hangar for nearly 400 manned and unmanned space fighters, and later on also Veritechs. The most effective armaments were two rapid fire heavy missile launchers, which fired rockets as large as submarine ballistic missiles.
The Armor series was only effective against single Zentraedi starships, and then only from such a close range that the missiles could be fired in the battle. As the Earth Forces found out, when attacked by multiple Zentraedi ships, or when attacked from beyond missile and mecha range, the Armor series simply lacked the firepower and survivability to be of any importance to the outcome of the battle.
A total of about ten Armors were in service or on the building ways when the Zentraedi attacked and easily destroyed the four Armors that engaged their fleet. Construction was immediately halted, and most surviving Armors were destroyed during Dolza's attack on Earth more than a year later.