Remembrance-class Frigate

The Remembrance-class frigate was a light warship class utilised by the during the, and the consecutive Remnant War. Commonly referred to as the UNSC Frigate, the mass-produced Remembrance-class frigate was one of the most common and long-serving UNSC Navy vessels in service; as a result, its image and presence was often seen to symbolise UNSC Naval power.

Serving in large numbers throughout the Human-Covenant War, the Remembrance-class frigate was ineffective and inefficient in destroying Covenant vessels not due to any flaw in its design, but as a result of the inherent superiority of Covenant technology. Seeing action at every major engagement of the war, the role the Remembrance-class frigate played in the war is often underestimated as a weak, ineffectual, disposable warship fielded against the Covenant to draw fire from more valuable warships. In reality, the Remembrance-class made up what it lacked in armament and resilience with speed, agility and versatility, and could attempt almost every role or task equally.

Thanks to a modular construction and significant technological advances since its design, the Remembrance-class frigate was continually upgraded and refitted throughout its service, extending its lifespan and preventing it from falling into obsolescence. Following the war, the class was refitted with advanced Covenant-derived power cores, formerly experimental armour technology and the UNSC's first mass-produced warship shield generator, which drastically improved its performance against opposing vessels.

The class was briefly retired in 2619, almost a century after it first entered service, with most ships of the class being preserved by the Navy or placed in reserve; surviving examples were hurriedly refitted and pressed back into service following the explosive beginning of the Swarm War in 2633.

Pre-War
The Remembrance-class frigate, known in development as Future FFGX Advanced, was designed by the Reach-based company Chevron Aerospace between 2493 and 2501, as a replacement for the ageing. Although the UNSC Navy had not issued a formal contract for the class' replacement, the company anticipated this and wanted to gain the lucrative contract before other defence contractors. However, the Navy initially expressed little interest in the design, resulting in it being temporarily shelved. In the 2490s, the Bellerophon-class was involved in several high-profile incidents which highlighted its age to both civilian and military observers. This culminated in the lead ship of the class herself being captured by using small improvised attack vessels including armed freighters and yachts.

After this, the class' replacement was re-evaluated, which led to the UNSC Navy placing a provisional order in 2506 for twelve vessels. Construction was carried out jointly by Chevron Aerospace and Reyes-McLees at the orbiting Mars, with the vessels being laid down at monthly intervals. The first ship was fitted out in 2509, with the others following. After extensive trialling first vessel was delivered to the UNSC in early 2512, with seven additional ships being delivered in that year. The Remembrance-class frigate formally entered service on April 12, 2512, with the commissioning of the first vessel of the class, UNSC Remembrance, following completion of Navy trials in orbit of Mars. The next year, the UNSC Navy placed an order for 3,012 Remembrance-class frigates to be delivered between 2520 and 2545, replacing 2,205 Bellerophon-class frigates and 795 Faithful-class frigates on a one-for-one basis.

Numbers of Remembrance-class frigates in use steadily increased as they were distributed throughout UNSC space. The class proved itself as a versatile light warship capable of a range of roles, initially limited to extended armed patrol but quickly expanding to atmospheric operations, escort of larger vessels and direct combat with hostile vessels. Between 2512 and 2525 nearly two hundred small insurgent-operated vessels were captured or destroyed by Remembrance-class frigates, with no frigates being destroyed and only two being damaged (one being bombed by insurrectionists and one striking a mine). Most notable of these engagements included three Remembrance-class frigates ambushing a small group of rebel vessels including a captured, the former UNSC Legacy, and several smaller armed vessels. The skirmish, in orbit of, ended with the rebel vessels destroyed and the Legacy disabled, with no serious damage to any of the frigates. The Remembrance-class was hailed as the most modern and most versatile light warship class operated by the UNSC Navy, and was expected to remain in service until at least 2600.

Human-Covenant War
With the outbreak of the Human-Covenant War in 2525, however, it soon became apparent that the Remembrance-class frigate, like all UNSC vessels, was woefully inferior to its Covenant counterpart. The destruction of the -operated frigates ' and ' at the was the first indicator that the class was simply not up to direct combat with the Covenant. Further early battles such as the made this apparent, though some engagements like the  in 2526 were more a result of the Covenant's superior numbers. Isolated examples, such as the, where the  was able to inflict damage to a Covenant vessel using MAC fire and nuclear weapons, showed that the Remembrance''-class was not totally useless against the Covenant. Nonetheless, after the first five years of the war, UNSC High Command considered the issue important enough to schedule the class for its first refit.

This refit began in 2531, and upgraded several hundred vessels per year. The biggest change was the addition of twelve vertical launch missile launchers, which the vessel was designed for but not with as an optional future armament expansion. This allowed the Remembrance-class to carry a total of twenty four ASGM-14 Harpoon nuclear missiles equipped with conventional or MIRV warheads, giving a greater flexibility in its nuclear armament and supplementing its complement of Shiva-class missiles. Due to the UNSC's nuclear arsenal being almost depleted by 2531, Remembrance-class frigates were usually equipped with just six missiles, and only rarely any more than this. As well as this, the refit also expanded the magazine size of the vessel's forty missile pods from twenty to thirty ready missiles, increasing its overall capacity from 800 to 1,200 missiles. Finally, the class' targeting and navigation systems were upgraded to modernise its capabilities. The entire class had been refitted by 2537, with vessels under construction being produced with the new features.

By 2547, the UNSC's initial order had been completed, with a production run of 3,012 frigates. By this point, however, 349 had been destroyed by the Covenant before they were commissioned; and of the 2,663 completed vessels, 1,864 had been destroyed in action or irreparably damaged. With less than eight hundred vessels of the class in service, the UNSC ordered a second group of an additional two thousand vessels, with the expectation that many existing vessels would be destroyed in the future. It was anticipated that Group II vessels would quickly outnumber Group I ships as production replaced lost ships with the newer type. The class received its second overhaul as Group II ships were improved on and older vessels were upgraded to match. The refit included the addition of an advanced plasma refractive coating onto the Remembrance-class' hull, which was previously only available in small quantities and increased the ship's resistance to light plasma fire. The class also received twenty four general purpose M970 100mm cannons, which were mounted in twelve armoured, fast tracking dual turrets. These cannons were used primarily for improved point defence against starfighters, though also saw use in combat against light warships and ground targets. Finally, the class saw its complement of 20 quad-mounted Mark XII 50mm autocannon turrets increased to thirty, and its electronic systems once against upgraded.

Usage
The Remembrance-class frigate was introduced as a light multirole warship, able to counter a variety of threats and act in a range of roles. The class was specifically designed to act as a fast and well-armed patrol vessel, for policing UNSC space and offering rapid support to larger vessels. Introduced in the early 26th century, a period of increased activity, the Remembrance-class' speed and ample weapons complement lent itself naturally to deterrence and combat with the type of small, lightly armed vessels fielded by insurrectionist groups. Later, the class' role evolved from armed patrol to fill a wide range of others, including escorting larger vessels and offering them close support in space and atmospheric combat, and transporting and deploying ground forces and aircraft. The Remembrance-class' flexibility in this sense gave it value beyond its worth, and was a chief reason for the vessel's ubiquity throughout UNSC territory.

After first contact, and the subsequent war, with the Covenant, the Remembrance-class was proved drastically inferior in both armament and defensive capabilities to even the weakest alien vessels. The class continued to be fielded by the UNSC for its relatively low cost, flexibility in the range of roles it could undertake, and its speed and agility; which gave it an enhanced ability to evade Covenant ship-to-ship fire compared to other ship classes.

Layout


At the time of its introduction, the Remembrance-class had an unusual and unconventional layout that differed drastically from 'traditional' monolithic UNSC ship designs, such as the, and Heracles-class destroyer. This new but practical layout later spread to other small UNSC warship classifications, such as the Vanguard- and Warrior-class destroyers. The heavily armoured bow of the frigate was split into two sections, the upper and lower prow; the upper housing the frigate's Magnetic Accelerator Cannon and the lower containing the nuclear missile launch tube. Both prows also featured numerous antennas for sensor and communication systems.

Further aft, two well armoured lateral 'arms' flanked the frigate's main hull. These arms held the vessel's complement of Mark XII 155mm naval guns; each arm held three on the top and the bottom; while these turrets could not retract into the hull to conserve internal space, the barrels could retract into the turret bodies, which were designed to reduce RADAR cross-section. The front of these arms also contained powerful maneuvering thrusters that gave the frigate extreme agility; each arm held one thuster facing forwards, two each facing up and down, one facing laterally outwards and two facing up and down at 45 degree angles respectively. Further aft, the outwards facing side of the arms contained six armoured hangars each, inside which the frigate's squadron of space-capable fighters was held. Below each of these hangars was a smaller one that held the frigate's complement of unmanned drones. Inside the ship, the hangars contained refuelling, repair, munitions and maintenance systems needed to service the fighters. The armoured hangar doors could withstand considerable damage whilst remaining intact and were protected by localised shield generators, which retained atmosphere once the doors were opened. Artificial gravity in these sections could be deactivated for easier launch and recovery of fighter craft to these bays; this was necessary as floor hatches for drop launches were not present, as a result of the external naval gun turrets. The lateral arms of the frigate also contained six launch tubes for Harpoon missiles, which launched through armoured hatches behind the top mounted gun turrets. These tubes held one missile ready for firing and a spare internally for reloading.

The ship's dorsal surface accommodated a large structure which served several functions, primarily housing the frigate's powerful sensory, communication and targeting systems. The top of this structure housed the MASER dish for short range communication and, slightly aft of this, a radome which housed the ship's AESA RADAR. This heavily armoured section also housed the main observation deck, which acted as a mock bridge and was off limits during action stations alerts. Both sides of this section featured universal docking rings for docking and linking with other UNSC vessels, such as shuttles, other small craft and orbital stations.

The ship's actual command centre, the CIC or Combat Information Centre, was in fact located deep in the core of the vessel, directly below the dorsal sensor structure and protected by the two lateral arms. From here, the vessel was steered and combat action commands issued, as well as tactical and navigational operations monitored and directed. The CIC was a large, two-level complex with four automatic bulkhead exits, which were closed during action stations alerts. The CIC consisted of many stations arranged in a concentric layout around a central command area. Here there was a single primary battle holoprojector table, which showed in real time events unfolding on the battlefield, as well as detailed information on the vessels and objects shown (damage taken, crew, complement, standing orders and such). Alongside this were three secondary and numerous tertiary holodisplays. Several large, flat holographic displays were projected from the top of the peripheral stations. This gave the commander a clear view of all the stations around the bridge, allowing him to easily see survey a large quantity of information from his post.

A large, angled structure extended from the ventral side of the frigate, and contained facilities for housing, maintaining and actually deploying the ship's embarked Marine Shipboard Unit. The MSU comprised 770 personnel and 57 vehicles, all of which were accommodated in this section; the MSU's squadron of D-77 Pelicans and flight of D-96 Albatrosses was drop-launched from the very underside of this section, alongside the HEV tubes for launching the frigate's complement of 40 Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. The ship possessed twelve separate tubes which magnetically held four pods, for a total of forty eight pods.

Further aft, two bulky engine nacelles spread from the main hull on wide struts; these were reinforced by structural ribs which strengthened the design. These nacelles housed a number of thrusters that propelled the frigate, with a total of eight separate thrusters. Providing primary movement from each nacelle was a large and a smaller thruster, which provided the craft's forward thrust. These were supplemented by two smaller maneuvering thrusters, which were used in conjunction with the main engines. The lateral faces of the nacelles were covered in a thick layer of armour plate, which protected the vulnerable engine assembly from damage. Additional maneuvering thrusters were located on the outside of this armour, providing lateral thrust for maneuvering.

Armament
The Remembrance-class frigate benefited from a varied armament consisting of heavy and secondary weapon systems, which gave the vessel a large scope in offensive and defensive capabilities. Although holding a small armament in comparison to larger vessels, the Remembrance-class frigate's unique balance of weaponry gave it the maximum possible capability when faced with numerous types of enemy craft. Inkeeping with its guided missile frigate designation, the Remembrance-class was equipped with a range of missile armaments.

In its last configuration, the Remembrance-class frigate's armament consisted of the following:

The Remembrance-class frigate's primary and most powerful armament was one, which took up most of the ship's upper prow and ran two thirds of the ship's overall length. The Mark II accelerated a 600-ton solid metal projectile to speeds exceeding 30,000 metres per second, giving it superb accuracy and terminal ballistic characteristics over extreme ranges. The impact energy alone from the slug travelling at such a velocity equated to 64 kilotons of TNT, or 267.7 terajoules of released energy. A single slug was able to severely damage or completely destroy most unshielded Covenant vessels, while multiple strikes were needed to defeat present shielding. In microgravity environments the slug maintained close to its muzzle velocity for as long as it travelled uninterfered with by the force of gravity; this, coupled with its high initial velocity, meant that the MAC could strike at targets quickly, accurately and over long ranges. The Mark II MAC was the Remembrance-class frigate's most effective armament when combating enemy warships, with the highest effective range and damage yield. The amount of energy needed to charge the weapon's magnetic coils was significantly draining on the reserves of such a small vessel. The weapon could fire two slugs on a full charge, then needed to be charged for 45 seconds before it could be discharged again at full power; this amount of time with an inoperable main weapon often proved fatal when in combat scenarios. The Mark II could be fired on a partial charge, which decreased the amount of time the MAC was offline, though this concurrently reduced the velocity of the projectile, which reduced range, accuracy and terminal effects.
 * 1x Mark III Light Magnetic Accelerator Cannon
 * 1200x ASGM-16 Archers in 40 missile pods
 * 24x ASGM-14 Harpoons in 12 vertical launchers
 * 6x ASGM-19 Shivas in 1 forward launcher
 * 12x dual Mark XII 155mm naval gun turrets
 * 30x quad M502 50mm railgun turrets

Following the class' 2581 refit, which equipped the class with twin linked Mark XVI TEMPEST advanced fusion reactors, Covenant-derived reactors hundreds of times more powerful than conventional human designs, the Remembrance-class could fire its main cannon with next to no charge time between consecutive shots. The Mark II MAC was also replaced with a more modern, more efficient Mark III Light Magnetic Accelerator Cannon, which was designed specifically for use with new generation UNSC reactors. As a result of the modernised MAC and vastly improved power source, the MAC could fire far more shots on a single charge and then charge up again in a fraction of the time previously possible. This dramatic increase in rate of fire, coupled with the MAC's existing firepower, made even the smallest UNSC vessels a serious threat to Covenant ships of similar and higher tonnage. This also drastically increased the lethality of the vessel by eliminating the time it would be without its main armament. The vessel could carry up to sixty slugs in a large internal magazine.

The Remembrance-class frigate's secondary armament was its complement of forty five-tube missile pods, which were recessed into the vessel's hull. Initially, individual pods shared a missile magazine of twenty missiles, giving each tube four missiles ready to fire; the ship carried a total of 800 missiles ready for launch. The class' 2531 refit increased each magazine size to thirty, raising the number of missiles it could carry to 1200. Although the pods could accept a wide range of compatible missiles, by far the most commonly utilised was the missile, a dual purpose anti-warship and anti-starfighter missile. Designed for use against Insurrectionist vessels, the Archer was ineffective against Covenant vessels unless in large numbers, with generally half of all launched missiles being intercepted by Covenant close-in weapon systems and the other half impacting on the shielding, against which they were largely ineffectual. Despite these weaknesses, the Archer was startlingly effective against Covenant vessel's exposed hulls, with relatively few being needed to severely damage a vessel's superstructure. As a result of this, Archer missiles were often employed after MAC strikes had lowered a target's shielding, and then launched en-masse, partially overcoming the problems of protective shielding and defensive weapon systems. Archer missiles gave the Remembrance-class a more versatile response to enemy vessels than it's Magnetic Accelerator Cannon, which was lethal in the extreme; employing Archers, a captain could aim to disable or damage insurrectionist vessels rather than destroying them outright. Unlike the ship's main weapon, Archer missiles could also be utilised against hostile single ships with mixed success; this was essential during the early stages of the Human-Covenant War, where UNSC close-in shipboard weapons were for the most part ineffective against Covenant starfighters. The Remembrance-class frigate's 2581 refit upgraded the forty missile pods to accept more modern missile types, allowing them to be re-equipped the ASGM-16 Mark IV Archer improved version, vastly augmenting its effectiveness.

The Remembrance-class frigate was also equipped with a complement of up to six ASGM-19 Shiva nuclear missiles. These measured 60.6 metres in length and 10.1 metres in diameter, and were fired from a launch tube mounted in the vessel's smaller lower prow. Prior to the class' 2581 refit, vessels could hold a maximum of three Shiva missiles, but this was increased to six as part of the refit. Shivas were large, ultra high yield missiles that could be deployed against both large scale ground targets and hostile spacefaring vessels, and had a variable yield of between 30 and 350 megatons. The missile could be fitted with a single large warhead or alternatively, a MIRV warhead, equipping the missile with multiple warheads that could be independently targeted. This partially negated the effect of Covenant point defence fire and increased the likelihood that part of the payload would reach the target. The Shiva could be fitted with up to eight independently targetable warheads with a maximum individual yield of 30 megatons (using the ), giving a maximum overall yield in MIRV configuration of 240 megatons. Higher overall yields were possible using single large warheads, which increased individual power but decreased the likelihood of striking the target. One Shiva missile potentially had the power to completely disable a Covenant ship's shields if it scored a direct hit against its shields or a close range detonation. Missiles detonating inside active shields had the power to completely destroy Covenant vessels as their power was contained within the shields and focused by several times. Augmenting the frigate's anti-ship armament was its complement of twenty four ASGM-14 Harpoon nuclear missiles. These were carried in six vertical launch tubes on either side of the command superstructure, and were installed as part of the class' refit in 2531. These missiles could be fitted with a single large warhead or alternatively, a MIRV warhead, which equipped the missile with multiple warheads that could be independently targeted. This increase in volume of fire partially negated the effect of Covenant point defence fire and increased the likelihood that part of the payload would reach the target. The Harpoon missile could be fitted with up to twelve independently targetable warheads with a maximum individual yield of five megatons, giving a maximum overall yield in MIRV configuration of 60 megatons. Higher overall yields of up to 120 megatons were possible using single large warheads, which increased individual power but decreased the likelihood of striking the target. All twenty four Harpoons in MIRV configuration gave a total of 288 individual warheads and a combined yield of 1440 megatons, giving superior volume of fire compared to ASGM-19 Shivas and supplementing them with a more flexible, lighter nuclear option. The Remembrance-class frigate carried twelve missiles ready for firing at a moment's notice in the twelve tubes; each tube was equipped with a second Harpoon ready for loading once the first had been launched. This meant that the ship could launch half its Harpoon payload at once, though would then need to reload all twelve tubes, which took approximately sixteen seconds.

Due to the UNSC's nuclear arsenal being almost depleted by 2531, Remembrance-class frigates were initially usually equipped with a maximum of six missiles for standard deployments; it was rare that a vessel would be issued more than this apart from those more likely to see combat at short notice, such as in rapid response fleets. The Harpoon missile went through several iterations during its use. The ASGM-14 Harpoon Mark 6 was used from 2550 onwards and made use of several features to increase its effectiveness. Stealth measures included a shape designed to reduce RADAR cross section, RADAR absorbant materials, and a low detectability hybrid rocket engine, which combined with minimal radio and thermal emissions to avoid detection until the last seconds before impact. As well as this, the Harpoon carried an independent RADAR, UV and optical guidance package in case contact between the controlling vessel and the missile was broken. Finally, the missile was equipped with sophisticated systems to avoid and defeat countermeasures deployed against it.

Twenty four acted as the Remembrance-class frigate's general purpose light armament, and were mounted in twelve armoured, fast tracking dual turrets. These cannons were used primarily for point defence against starfighters and incoming ordnance, their relatively large calibre sufficient to overwhelm most Covenant single ships, though they also saw use in combat against light warships and ground targets. The class' M970s in this way acted as a multirole light armament which could effectively be turned on any target, providing each vessel an increased degree of flexibility in combat. The vessel's complement of twelve turrets could function in both offensive and defensive roles, sometimes simultaneously, directly assaulting targets or laying down supporting fire to assist allied vessels, or projecting a defensive 'screen' of anti aircraft fire using advanced airburst munitions or other exotic types. These lightweight, though heavily armoured turrets had an elevation of 165 degrees from horizontal, and could rotate fully in under six seconds.

Following the class' 2581 refit, these turrets were replaced with twelve dual Mark XII 155mm naval guns. The Mark XII naval gun (officially called the 6.1 inch Mark 12 naval gun) was a UNSC naval gun system designed for general purpose fire support duties, mounted in armoured, fast tracking dual turrets, and fitted to UNSC vessels of frigate size and above, replacing the 4.1 inch/100mm Mark 22 naval gun. The Mark XII was a versatile weapon providing a multi-role fire ability, capable of fire-support, anti-surface, anti-ship and anti-air fire missions. When used in an anti-air role, the weapon's unparalleled accuracy and deadly firpower per shot compensated for its low rate of fire compared to dedicated close-in weapon systems; this enabled it to engage single ships with similar success to them while also taking on stronger targets and a in wider range of roles. In an anti-ship role, the naval gun was far more powerful than all the UNSC's antiship weapons short of large MACs and nuclear weapons, giving it a strong light anti-ship role. The gun could be directed to fire at vulnerable external targets such as shield generators and weapons, overwhelming shields with powerful localised fire and disabling enemy systems even before the main shields were disabled. The guns could easily fire through the openings in shields when targeting active Covenant weapons, destroying point defence lasers, plasma torpedo launchers and even large energy projectors by firing through gaps in the shield. The Mark XII could also function in an anti-surface role, engaging ground targets at extreme range with superior firepower and accuracy.

The design for the Mark XII was based on the, though thoroughly updated and modernised. The UNSC's vastly improved twin linked Mark XVI TEMPEST fusion reactors, engineered with Sangheili, Ve'nek, Theran and Huragok assistance, meant that the Mark XII could achieve a cyclic rate of fire of 50 slugs a minute.

Complement
The Remembrance-class frigate held a modest complement as a result of its small size, but one that was varied and versatile, comprising starcraft, aircraft, infantry and vehicles. While small, it allowed the Remembrance-class frigate to defend itself in combat both from attacking craft and from boarders, and to mount its own attacks including boarding action and deployment of ground forces. The Remembrance-class frigate's Navy-operated onboard complement consisted of the following:

Providing the frigate's primary force projection was its naval fighter squadron, made up of twelve UNSC Navy-operated starfighters. These could either be F-419C Sabre short range interceptors or F-371 Halberd spatial superiority starfighters. The Sabre was an interceptor class focusing on extreme speed, agility and performance purely against hostile single ships, sacrificing range, endurance and stored munitions in the process. The Halberd was a spatial superiority starfighter, designed as an high performance fighter with exceptional range, weapory, agility, speed and protection. Although less capable overall, Sabre squadrons were more common than Halberd squadrons as a result of the latter's high cost. Both of these craft were used by the frigate due to their relatively small size, which enabled them to be deployed through the vessel's twelve lateral hanger bays; larger craft such as the F/A-352B Longsword strike fighter were not capable of being carried by the Remembrance-class.
 * F-371 Halberd or F-419C Sabre (12)
 * E-221 Warden or P-221 Ranger (1)
 * (3)

Both the Halberd and the Sabre provided excellent short range support to the frigate. When deployed in battle, the twelve fighters could defend the ship from starfighter attack, providing an additional layer of defence to the frigate's existing weapon systems; alternatively, they could assist the frigate in actively attacking hostile targets. While exceptional in combat against enemy single ships, neither the Halberd nor the Sabre had any kind of anti-ship capability, leaving this role to the frigate's generous ship-to-ship armament.

The Remembrance-class frigate also carried a single Navy-operated support craft, either an E-221 Warden or P-221 Ranger, which was held in the ventral superstructure. These craft, both based on the B-221 Scythe mid range bomber, provided support to the frigate and its fighter squadron; the E-221 Warden was used to provide electronic support and surveillance to friendly forces during battle, while the P-221 Ranger was a long range patrol craft, armed with powerful sensory equipment and a miniaturised slipspace generator. Both these craft provided unique and invaluable support to the frigate and its complement of fighters. The type of support craft the Remembrance-class frigate would carry depended on its specific mission. The B-221, on which both of these craft were based, was so large that only one could be stored in the ventral bay of the frigate without displacing other embarked units.

The frigate was also equipped with a drone squadron of three drones. These could be used for reconnaissance of areas or targets, and also as decoy targets themselves. The drones were held in a forward-facing launch bay located in the ship's ventral superstructure.

The Remembrance-class frigate was also equipped with a 'Marine Shipboard Unit', which was essentially a Marine Expeditionary Unit though on a much smaller scale, and used specifically to equip frigate-type vessels. This unit comprised the frigate's onboard defence force as well as its deployable ground force. The MSU was made up of a Ground Combat Element, an Air Combat Element and a joint Command/Logistics Element. The MSU overall consisted of 770 personnel and 57 vehicles.

The Ground Combat Element totalled roughly 450 personnel, and allowed the frigate to deploy a small yet potent force of infantry, light and heavy vehicles. The GCE was made up of the following:

The Air Combat Element consisted of a range of aircraft, including trans-orbital dropships that could ferry troops to planetary combat and offer fire support, and light and heavy VTOL aircraft types. This allowed the Remembrance-class frigate to deploy a small but powerful contingent of aerial vehicles, capable of supporting the Ground Combat Element and operating alongside it in both offensive and defensive missions. The ACE totalled 70 crew and maintenance personnel and twenty two aircraft, and was made up of the following:
 * 1 Marine rifle company (200 men)
 * 1 tank platoon (4 M6A1 Raiders)
 * 1 mechanised infantry platoon (70 men, 8 M32A1 Warriors)
 * 1 combat engineer platoon (50 men)
 * 1 light reconnaissance platoon (15 ))
 * 1 reconnaissance platoon (50 men)
 * 2 platoons (40 men, 48 )


 * 1 airlift/starlift squadron (8 D-77 Pelicans)
 * 1 heavy airlift/starlight flight (4 D-96 Albatrosses)
 * 1 light VTOL flight (2 and 4 )
 * 1 heavy VTOL flight (4 AV-49 Dragonflies)

The Command/Logistics Element, or C/LE, was the smallest of the three elements and was responsible for overall command of the MSU, as well as logistical tasks. In addition, it contained small units for electronic warfare, intelligence, medical and explosive ordnance disposal tasks. The C/LE was comprised of a total of 250 personnel and 8 logistical vehicles.

Variants
Due to the Remembrance-class's large numbers and range of abilities, a number of variants saw service during the Human-Covenant War. These variants attempted to improve on the class' strength in a specific role, reducing its overall versatility but optimising it for a specific role. Only a limited number of variant vessels were produced with the vast majority of individual frigates in the UNSC Navy remaining as unmodified Remembrance-class frigates. Surviving variant vessels were phased out from 2556 onwards.

Charon-class light frigate
The Charon-class light frigate was a unofficial subclass of 126 vessels modified for light planetary defence roles primarily in the inner colonies. The vessels of the class were in fact heavily damaged Remembrance-class vessels which were extensively modified, the most obvious result of this being a far larger ventral superstructure beneath the engines, which enabled the class to both engage in spatial combat and deploy and support ground troops. Due to this more dual-role nature as well as their presence above inner colony worlds, a number of Charon-class light frigates played imperative roles in Humanity's eventual defeat of the Covenant, including the UNSC Aegis Fate, UNSC Death's Head and UNSC Forward Unto Dawn.

Paris-class heavy frigate
The was a class of light combat vessels adapted from the Remembrance-class frigate. The Paris-class featured armour twenty centimetres thicker than the Remembrance-class, along with an increased number of point defence guns, a larger store of Archer missiles, and an updated reactor that charged the MAC ten percent faster. These features improved the combat abilities of the class, giving it increased survivability and firepower when facing Covenant vessels in spatial combat. The class was used exclusively for ship-to-ship combat with Covenant vessels, and a limited secondary role providing close air support to ground troops.

Hope-class destroyer
The Hope-class destroyer was a class of destroyers initially developed from the Remembrance-class frigate, however being markedly different both in design and role. Based on the spaceframe of the Remembrance-class frigate, stripped down and radically altered both externally and internally, the Hope-class was a semi-autonomous, semi-disposable ship designed to take the perceived expendability of the Remembrance-class frigate further. Stripped down to the bare minimum needed to maintain a viable mobile weapons platform, the Hope-class removed superfluous armaments, single ship complements, ability to maintaining a crew and even armour plating to increase its expendability, essentially allowing more MAC Cannons to be fielded simultaneously against the Covenant. Over three hundred examples of the class were produced between introduction in 2543 and when production ceased in 2552, with all but two, the UNSC Drake and UNSC Destiny's Child, being lost to enemy action.

Refits
The Remembrance-class frigate was subject to a large number of refits during its service life. Initially these refits were simply designed to marginally increase the poor performance of the class against Covenant warships, but in later decades as UNSC technology advanced, these refits enabled the class to remain on or above par with other warships of similar tonnage by significantly augmenting its capabilities. This section outlines the changes made to the class by each refit.

2531

The 2531 refit was intended to boost the poor performance of the class against Covenant warships.


 * Addition of 12 vertical launchers for ASGM-14 Harpoon nuclear missiles
 * Archer missile complement increased from 800 to 1200
 * Replacement of targeting and navigation equipment with fully modernised systems

2547

The 2547 refit was designed to increase the class' overall performance in combat including both Covenant warships and single ships.


 * Addition of plasma-refractive coating onto the class' hull
 * Addition of twelve dual turrets
 * quad-mounted Mark XII 50mm autocannon turrets increased from twenty to thirty
 * Upgrade to the class' electronic systems

2581

The Remembrance-class frigate's 2581 refit was the most drastic and effective in the class' history, and was an application of knowledge the UNSC had acquired from the Covenant Separatists' Sangheili and Huragok over the previous thirty years. Although the UNSC did not have the resources to create such an advanced warship until many decades after the Human-Covenant War, the refit enabled the class to, for the first time, take on Covenant vessels on an equal footing.


 * Replacement of 1 with 1 Mark III Light Magnetic Accelerator Cannon
 * Replacement of 12 dual 4.1 inch Mark 22 naval gun turrets with 12 dual Mark XII 155mm naval gun turrets
 * Replacement of 30 quad Mark XII 50mm turrets with 30 quad M502 50mm railgun turrets
 * Replacement of missiles with ASGM-16 Mark IV Archer missiles and modification of missile pods to accommodate the new type
 * Expansion of ASGM-19 Shiva complement from three to six
 * Replacement of twin linked Mark X FURY reactors with twin linked Mark XVI TEMPEST advanced fusion reactors
 * Replacement of titanium/ceramic armour with advanced material regenerative armour
 * Installation of six linked Mark XVI AURORA Projected Energy Barrier Systems
 * Complete replacement and upgrade of computer systems and electronics