The first Okinawa Class DropShip slipped its moorings at the BBP Industries yard at Luthien in early 3055, after an exhaustive series of trials. This vessel carries 18 aerospace fighters and was designed to fill the gap between the small Leopard CV vessel and the massive Vengeance carriers.
         The first Okinawa to see combat was the Ashi-oto, which participated in the 3055 raid on Luzerne. The craft took heavy damage during the rear-guard action and returned with less than half its fighter complement. The majority of the pilots who did return were decorated and Captain Hiyama was awarded the Bushido Blade during a ceremony on Luthien. As an aside, we believe that damage inflicted by the Ashi-oto’s fighters on the Congress Class WarShip Hunters’ Pride was responsible for the Clan vessel’s withdrawal from the battle.
         Unlike most carriers, the Okinawa is a spheroid design. Rather than using separate launch and landing bays like most carriers, the Okinawa uses a number of dual-purpose bays, arranged in a ring around the craft’s midsection. Each bay has access to a central repair area that contains the vessel’s ammunition and fuel stores. The deck immediately above the fighter bays houses the pilots’ quarters, and the engineering crews are located on the deck directly below.
         The original version of the Okinawa had almost uniform armor protection over its hull, but operational experience showed that much of the damage inflicted on the craft occurred around the nose, a result of the practice of keeping a DropShip’s nose toward the nearest hostile craft to minimize the risk of engine damage. Consequently, the Okinawas launched after April, 3056, have reinforced nose armor, at the expense of the sides and aft. The Jihad cost the Combine the advanced technologies they once employed though and BBP Industries was forced to redesign the Okinawa to use lower tech systems to keep it in production.
         Fighters provide most of the Okinawa 3’s punch, but the craft itself is well armed as well, even with reduction in capability caused by the Jihad. Large lasers and PPCs provide most of the Okinawa’s firepower, supplemented by missile systems. A modern combat computer replaces the old Star League G-11, but it is less capable and the craft's weapons rely on gunners to aim the weapons at each station unlike the original craft. Still, the Okinawa 3 is a powerful design that has helped to stop many enemy assaults.