
The keel ran 600 meters with the bow overlapping to produce a clamshell-like appearance. It was designed and developed by Rendili StarDrive for the Republic Judicial Department prior to the Clone Wars and was based off a Mandalorian design. The Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser, or simply the Dreadnaught, was a capital ship built for planetary occupation and space combat used by the Galactic Republic, Galactic Empire, and New Republic. This high crew requirement put strains on recruitment efforts and turned supplying a Dreadnaught into a logistical nightmare.Ĭraft. In addition to these technical drawbacks, the Dreadnaught also required over 16,000 crewmembers to run at optimal performance-perhaps the highest crew per keel meter ratio of any modern starship. While technologically advanced at the time, the Dreadnaught lacked in sublight and hyperspace speeds (a Class 4 rating), suffered computer failures, and could not compete with competing designs in terms of firepower and shielding.

Some ships were later customized to feature a warhead launcher for anti-starfighter defense. Weapon systems included twenty quad laser cannons (six bow, seven port, seven starboard), ten laser cannons (five port, five starboard), and ten turbolaser batteries (five bow, five stern).

