Eldar Light Cruiser
The Light Cruisers from the Eldar are fast glass cannons that rely on their Holofields for their enemies to miss their shots, like all Eldar vessels. Eldar Light Cruisers are usually operated by the Eldar Corsairs due to, in part, a lack of resources to maintain the esoteric Wraithbone structures of their Craftworld cousins. As such, these Light Cruisers are constructed from materials other than Wraithbone.
Class[edit]
Ordnance-boat[edit]
Solaris[edit]
The 'close-range' brawler of Eldar Light Cruisers. The Solaris is a Broadside capable line ship of the Eldar Corsairs, since its Heavy Starcannons are the main armament, which can be granted a wider arc with the Runic Targetting special orders and launch bays can deploy Darkstar Fighters and Eagle Bombers in any direction.
Unfortunately for many captains, it is easily mistaken for the Aurora class and this has led to many tactical mistakes. It has the typical large solar sail at the rear and was first identified by the Imperium during anti-pirate operations in the Yurol Nebula.
The high speed of the Solaris, coupled with its high strength Eldar Weapons Batteries (with limited traverse similar to the Aurora) allowed them to battle with Imperial escorts within the asteroid belt of the Arikar System. Finding themselves outgunned, the Imperial escorts retreated to the main fleet and the plan changed to a blockade of the Arikar system, but the speed of the Solaris vessels made this blockade impossible to maintain and after an ineffective year the blockade was lifted and the Soul Reavers are still at large in the Yurol Nebula.
It is armed with 1 Launch Bay carrying Darkstar Fighters and Eagle Bombers and 6 Starcannon Artillery.
- Length: 3.4km; approx
- Mass: 14 megatonnes; approx
- Crew: 9,100 crew, including 3,000 pilots and support staff; approx
- Acceleration: 8.5 gravities maximum sustainable acceleration
Lance-boat[edit]
Aurora[edit]
The Aurora is the armour-piercing, perfect accuracy beam vessel for the Aeldari Corsairs.
Little is known about the cruiser other than it has the normal characteristics of an Eldar vessel, light armour, Holofields, high speed and heavy weaponry. It is said to have the speed of an escort but the weapons of a cruiser. They are armed with Eldar Torpedoes and Pulsar Lances but they are on a very limited traverse.
In one battle many Aurora class ships fought alongside Imperial forces, the alliance between the Imperium and Eldar pirate forces being formed after the Battle of Gethsemane. Within the Graildark Nebula, the combined Imperial and Eldar fleet encountered a fleeing Chaos fleet. The Eldar performed several flanking manoeuvres, leaving the Imperials unsure as to their allegiance, but once the first shots were fired the Eldar returned and slammed into the side and rear of the Chaos fleet. Several other Eldar ships maintained a perimeter to prevent any Chaos ships from escaping and the fleet was wiped out against the massed guns of the Imperial fleet and the high-speed strafing runs of the Eldar.
It is armed with 2 Pulsar Lance Beam and 4 Torpedo Launchers.
- Length: 3.5km; approx
- Mass: 13.7 megatonnes; approx
- Crew: 8,500 crew; approx
- Acceleration: 8.5 gravities maximum sustainable acceleration
In Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 1 & 2[edit]
The Light Cruisers of the Eldar Corsairs begin to show some of the significant hull point penalties they take in return for their Holofields and impressive engines, having only 2/3rds of the hit points of an Imperial or Chaos Light Cruiser, though travelling significantly faster.
| Vessels of the Craftworld Eldar and Corsairs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spaceships | ||
| Craftworld | Craftworld | |
| Space Station | Haven Spire | |
| Battleships | Void Stalker | |
| Cruisers | Light Cruiser (Light Cruiser - Wraithship) Cruiser (Cruiser - Dragonship) - Phoenix Ship | |
| Escorts | Escort | |
| Logistics | Eldar Transport Ship | |
| Combat Spacecraft | Eagle Bomber | |
| Landships | ||
| Titans | Revenant Scout Titan - Phantom Battle Titan Warlock Titan | |
| Troop Transports | Storm Serpent | |
| Superheavy Tanks | Cobra - Deathstalker - Scorpion Tempest - Void Spinner | |
| Airships | ||
| Flying Fortress | Vampire Hunter | |
| Aerospace Vessels | Vampire Raider | |