"She may be old, but she is the only thing protecting the invasion fleet from Ursean air dominance."
Captain thytus rodlance, Antarusea War

The ANS Auriga is the lead ship of her class and praise for her incorporation of many new technology such as VLS and phased array radar. The Auriga and her class is one of the primary air defence assets of the Arsenian Navy and is used in almost every major operations since their introduction to the force in 1983. It has one of the most impressive air to air arsenal for her size. She is equipped with the new CITADEL battle management system similar to the Ursean AEGIS.

Development And Construction
After the 2nd Ordosa-Allies War the efficacy of the anti ship missile as a combat platform was truly proven. A large number of Allied warships was sunk by Ordosan Anti ship missiles, proving that anti air capabilities will be needed in the next naval war. With this development the two major naval power Ursea and Arsenia each started the development of new anti air warships, the Ursean navy with the Ticonderoga class and the arsenian with the Auriga Class. In 1978 the contract for the construction of the first 10 ships of the Auriga Class was awarded to Arkford Shipbuilding. The new ship was built from the ground up to be a powerful air defense asset. While being smaller than the previous Hyford Class the Auriga posses a much more effective defence system with the addition of the CITADEL battle system. Her design would be inspired by the Ursean Virginia and later the Ticonderoga class of ships. The class was the ship in the Arsenian navy to feature the new MDS-55 VLS system which was based on the larger MDS-50 VLS found on the older Joukahainen class of destroyer. She was also one of the in the navy to use a phased array radar, the RS-58K. While being primarily a air defense ship she is also equipped to be a communication relay ship for submarines. Her keel was laid down in December 1980 only 3 months after her counterpart the Ticonderoga, but due to Arsenia's larger ship building capacity she was launch 2 days before Ticonderoga and was commissioned on 1 January 1983.

Design
The Auriga class of cruiser displaced 10.000 GRT 165 meter in length and 16.9 meter in beam and crewed by a total of 250 sailor. She is powered by two heavy marine diesel engine, allowing her to reach speed of up to 32 knots. She is equipped with 4x RS-58K PESA Radar, 1x RD-288A Fire Control Radar, 4x RD-212C Fire Control Radar. Her Arsenal is very mighty for her size equipped with 144 MDS-50 VLS Cell, 96 of them is taller MDS-50C and 48 of them the smaller MDS-50B. Her missile Loadout will usually be filled with air defense missile such as the AAM-200N Troll long range air to air missile, AAM-220N Orcs medium range air to air missile, and AAM-184N Goblin short range air to air missile in 2 CIWS position. The ship would original be fitted with 2x MK-15 8 Inch Single turret, but in 1999 these would be replaced by the MK-748 8 inch Railgun. She has a total of 4 CIWS position 2x Type-2 MK-3 HDG twin 20mm rotary cannon fore of the superstructure and atop the helicopter hangar roof, as well as 2x Type-3 MK-5 HDM with 16x AAM-184N Goblin on each side of the superstructure. She equipped with countermeasures such as Noisemaker and Chaff to confuse torpedoes and missiles. The ship wasn't without flaws, one the main thing crew complaint about is her small internal volume, meaning her crew facilities were smaller than Ursean ship. She also has a low freeboard causing water to spill in to the deck and giving the crew a harder time in stormy conditions.

Service History
Immediately after commissioning she was sent to the Pacific Ocean for her first deployment escorting the Avastasia battle group throughout their power projection deployment. This is when she had her first encounter with the Ticonderoga in the neutral port of Macau where both Ursean and Arsenian fleet was conducting a friendly port visit. There both ship was showed of to the world as the crowning example of technology and shipbuilding for both nations. The comparison between both ships would on of the major talking point of the visit, both of them was built for the same purpose but incorporated their nation's seperate military doctrine, the large and towering Ticonderoga symbolising the power projection of the Ursean navy while the short and sleek Auriga being a strictly functional design with power projection being the task of larger battlecruiser. By early 1984 a total of 5 Auriga class has been commissioned and was in competition with the 5 Ticonderoga of the Ursean navy. This cruiser arms race would be one of the cause for the 1984 Arsenia Ursea War. The war broke out in 1 December 1984 shortly after the accidental shoot down of a Ursean airliner over cape Hytea. While the Auriga and Ticonderoga never face of directly with one another, both of them proved crucial in the defense of both sides fleet. The ANS Auriga was primarily task with escorting the 1st strike fleet consisting of the carrier ANS Avastasia, battlecruiser ANS Toriger, helicarrier ANS yasirel, and various other cruisers, destroyers, and frigates. This fleet would be the main striking force of the Arsenian navy in the Pacific theatre where they would clash with the Ursean Navy (URN) 7th fleet. The auriga would prove herself to be one of the most important asset in the strike force, repelling many missile attack from URN forces.

Battle of Cape Hytea
The URN 7th fleet had laid a trap for Arsenia's fleet. With false reports of the 7th fleet in anchor near guam and a major supply convoy left with reportedly minimal escort, the arsenian fleet headed straight for the trap laid out by the URN. The supply fleet was being chased by the strike force toward the small yitzie archipelago where the destroyer and cruiser of the 7th fleet was hiding. At 05:56 local time the URN 7th fleet launch a large scale attack using Harpoon anti ship missile fired at a distance of 90km from the fleet. In an instant the whole of the 7th fleet was lit up by the rocket motor from over 200 harpoons and anti ship tomahawks missile being launched in quick succession from URN battleship, cruisers, and destroyers. The missiles raced toward the Arsenian fleet east of their position at subsonic speed, their launch was quickly detected by Arsenian AWACS and their launch platform located. Ships in the arsenian strike fleet begin launching anti air missile, the exhaust from the rocket engine tower high above the fleet and quickly turning west at supersonic speed in a desperate attempt to save their fleet. With the range closing the merge was quick ruthlessly brutal, explosion from the first wave of interceptions created large hails of metal and shrapnel damaging nearby missile. Soon mantis naval fight begun to merge with the missile, they launch a flurry of missile at the mass of harpoons and tomahawks. Even through the onslaught of interceptor there were still more than 20 missile closing in on the Arsenian fleet. In their final approach they were met with clouds of shrapnel from naval gun fire and short range missile. The sea was covered in water splashes from 8 inch, 6 inch, and 20mm cannon shells. By this time the fleet has reformed in to a arrow head shape with the carrier and battlecruiser at the rear. Soon the first few missiles arrived, the first ship in the layered shield was the frigate ANS Hannuchka. She was targeted by two harpoon, while the first one goes for the chaff launch by her the second one hit the ship's superstructure and crippling her. The second ship was the frigate ANS Uznian, she was targeted by a three tomahawk, she managed to destroy the first one with CIWS fire but was obliterated by the other two missile. A further 12 missile was intercepted by The Auriga's short range SAM and CIWS, she herself was targeted by two harpoon but manage to shot them down. Even with the many successful intercept the last few missiles managed to home in on the Avastasia, a last minute decision by captain Thuskagi of the Cruiser Vaykarenitza saved the fleet's precious carrier in return the Vaykarenitza was hit by the remaining missils causing large fire and the detonation of the ship's own anti ship missile. Shortly after the chaos the retaliation was launched. In hurry the battlecruiser ANS Toriger emptied her vast arsenal of 144 anti ship missile. Towers of plume exhaust reach reach for the sky the missile were the ASM-40N Dracula large supersonic missile and the ASM-50N Mangler Naval ballistic missile. The 7th fleet which had been hurrying to regroup and escape was targeted by the Mangler. 4 out of the 6 missile was intercepted, but the remaining two found their mark hitting the cruisers USS Yorktown and USS Mississippi. While not sinking them these hit would severely reduced the 7th fleet air defence network. Against over 100 missile with only 2 functional cruiser and several other destroyer the 7th fleet was at a severe disadvantage. Soon the air defense missile started flying towards the incoming waves of missile. With their numbers slowly Witleing down they close the range at a speed of mach 2. The USS Ticonderoga and USS Long Island is giving every thing they have at the the oncoming horde of missile. With the missile closing in CIWS and Sea Sparrow started heading towards them many of them would be intercepted but eventually some of them found their mark. The first to go down is the destroyer USS Paterson with a hit just below the bridge, next USS Clarke was hit forward of her hangar, then USS Thatch was hit near her engine compartment. Even after 3 ships were hit 8 missile were left heading toward the USS Enterprise, this time the missile manage to score a hit on the carrier striking just below her aircraft hangars, causing major structural damage and flooding. Even with such a large amount of damage she still manage to stay afloat and eventually would stabilize once again. The last of the missiles would split up to target two ships. Half of missile would go on to score a hit on battleship USS Illinois near turret number 2, neary causing a magazine explosion. Finally the last 3 missile were going for the the cruiser USS Long Island all three of them would hit the ship below the Cube, near the Tomahawk canister, and below the 5 inch gun. This cause a large explosion destroying the ship and leaving only 15 survivors. All in all the arsenian had came out as the side which lost the least with the sinking of 2 frigate and 1 cruiser, while the Ursean had lost 3 ships and receive heavy damage on 4 other ships.

This was exactly what the Auriga Class needed, after the the battle 30 additional ship of her class would be ordered. The Auriga would remain one of the most important ship in the fleet and would continue to soldiered on through the war. With peace in 1985 the remaining Auriga Class would continue to see service through the empire. The Auriga herself would see continued used in many operations up until the 2022 Anterusean War where she would prove to be one of the most important ship in that conflict. The Auriga would be used as usual, providing escort for strike group and naval convoys. But with the changing time her capabilities has been surpassed by other ships such as the Gostovkya Class. As such she was primarily used for convoy escort and eventually guarding the naval landing force at Cornne Bay.

Battle of Cornne Bay
5 October 2022, the Auriga was on guard duty for the night. She was providing air cover for the landing forces and denying air operation in an large area around the fleet. At 22:34 local time the Auriga detected a large number of anti ahip missile heading towards the fleet, she immediately launch large numbers of SAM. But before she could empty her arsenal she was hit by a hypersonic missile which had snuck through her air defense. It managed to hit her engine room causing major flooding and cutting power from the ship. With her gone the rest of the missile would hit and destroy the other escort ship in the fleet, leaving the landing ship to be pray for the USS New Jersey's large naval artillery. With the Auriga and her fleet sinking the Arsenian Invasion force would be alone and at the mercy of the Ursean navy and airforce. After her sinking would tipped toward the Ursean's favor until the Red Brotherhood's attack. A memorial for the fleet's lost sailors would be built outside East Park naval training ground in 2023.

Ships in the class
In total there have been 40 ships in the Auriga class. With most of them being named after constellations with a few exceptions. The first batch of the class consists of 10 ships with the ANS Auriga as the first ship in the class. By 1995 all 40 ships had been commissioned with ANS Hastrix being the last commissioned. The ships would be a key assets in every major operations after their commissioning. The first ship in the class to be sunk would be ANS Gemini in the 1984 Arsenia-Ursea War, suffering from a mark 48 torpedo hit below her keel, she sunk together with 183 of her crew. Another ship the Aquila would also be sunk in the same conflict. Over the years a total of 8 ships in the class would be sunk, with 2 additional ship being too heavily damaged to be repaired.

Future
By 2024 a total of 30 ships remain in service and they are expected to continue operating for a further 10 year until the next generation of air defence warships arrived. The class is expected to receive a large overhaul in 2025 and 2026 with improvement such as new radar and improve systems allowing them to serve up until the 2030s. In 2001 the construction of the Gostovkya class would begun, these larger and more capable ship would replace the Auriga in fleet defence mission. In 2022 a new program the ACGX would be initiated with a projected completion date in 2026.

Control
Pitch : forward
Yaw : turning
Brake :reverse

Notes
The turning is made by a gyroscope
Turning is a bit unrealistic
Low part version available
https://www.simpleplanes.com/a/5bErkC/ANS-Auriga-Lower-Parts