Mako-class light corvette

"We had four corvettes go up against a lone cruiser, which caught us in a raid near Green Hills. But they chose the wrong fish to catch - we were running rings around them, taking pot shots at every opportunity. And the best part: they couldn't hit us at all."

- Anonymous Insurrectionist captain, referring to the Mako-class corvettes.

The Mako-class corvette (: FS) is a classification of warships that were formerly utilised by the. Manufactured by Reyes-McLees Shipyards in an effort to break into the military production market, the Mako is a nimble lightweight vessel that is primarily marketed towards low-priority objectives. It is designed for action against high-velocity combatants such as missiles and strikecraft, where its fast-tracking turrets and adaptive missiles can intercept such targets with ruthless efficiency. While its lack of thick armour and an axial-mounted main gun raises criticism that it cannot attack larger vessels, in the right hands these weaknesses become its greatest strengths - its light mass allows it to evade the fire from larger threats, with its two turreted mass drivers capable of unleashing considerable firepower over an extended period of time. In addition, the small size of these corvettes and the independence provided for their slipspace drive allowed them to stage raids on Insurrectionist-held planets, weakening their defenses in preparation for a ground attack.

Designed in response to the Attack on the UNSC Mekong, Mako-class corvettes began production in to supplement existing classes of corvettes. Operating either independently or in battlegroups around frigates and cruisers, Makos would prove instrumental in deterring attacks on UNSC shipping. As the smallest vessel capable of entering slipspace, these corvettes became a key part in the UNSC's plan to pacify the colonies, where they can tie up Insurrectionist forces until a better-equipped unit can respond. However, their effectiveness would ultimately favour the rebels, where hijacked ships would assist their strikecraft in coordinated raids on the UNSC's supply lines and even the occasion warship. Unfortunately, dangerous reliability issues on its slipspace drive and the constant maintenance on its other systems would ultimately see it begin to be phased out in favour of the Gladius-class corvette. Actual decommissioning of the entire class would not occur until during the Human-Covenant War. Horribly outmatched by the Covenant's superior technology and ineffective at protecting the UNSC's fleets from, Makos would take staggering losses throughout the war, until finally the entire class was scheduled to be scrapped in. Only a few stubborn drydocks would continue building the class, with the corvette continuing use in various independent fleets.