In early 3053 the DCMS approached a number of DropShip manufacturers with the intention of procuring a modern infantry transport. A six-month consultation period ensued. Although the bid of BBP Industries was considered superior to that submitted by Hinsdale Elec, BBP already faced a huge challenge with the construction of the Okinawa, and so DCMS officials awarded the contract to Hinsdale.
         Hinsdale began constructing a prototype within weeks of the decision, and flight trials began the following year. However, a series of mishaps plagued the testing, and on May 11, 3055, the DCS Fukushu was lost with all hands when her control thrusters failed during atmospheric re-entry. Several members of the Hinsdale design department were forced to resign over the incident, and a major redesign of the control systems began. The second prototype, the DCS Kibo, began trials at Dover in September of 3056. A third craft, the DCS Koun is started trials in March of this 3057.
         Forty-three tons of armor cover the Nagumo's hull, a sizable amount for an infantry transport. Almost one third of this armor covers the nose. The rest of the armor is divided more or less evenly between the aft and sides. Similarly, the craft’s weapons systems are above average for a troop transport.
         Nose-mounted autocannons form the main weaponry of the DropShip, and laser and missile systems in the nose and wings supplement these. A huge LRM-20 missile system occupies a bay directly below the autocannons. The laser bay directly below the bridge contains three medium lasers and a large laser, as do the bays on the leading edge of each wing. This collection of lasers gives the craft excellent staying power in a protracted battle. The aft of the craft has not been neglected either. A 200-mm autocannon in the base of the tail discourages pursuers from coming too close, and aft-facing bays in each wing contain additional lasers and an LRM system. The original Nagumo mounted more advanced weapons systems and freezer heat sinks, but after the Jihad Hinsdale Elec was forced to retool them with less advanced weapons and systems that the Combine could build. The Nagumo 2 carries less cargo, but has nearly triple the original heat sinks, making it more capable of firing its weapons grid than the original.
         The infantry bays are the one flaw on this otherwise excellent design. The Nagumo’s lack of a bottom-mounted transit drive means that all of the fittings must be reconfigured whenever the craft leaves a planet’s gravity well. On a merchant vessel this requires only minimal work by the crew, but reconfiguring the bunkrooms of a battalion of infantry can take several hours.