As the Jihad waged around them, Andurien fought and nearly lost a war with the Capellan Confederation, ignoring the devastation around them. After the end of that war, Andurien realized they needed a new class of WarShips to take the fight to their enemies. Andurien Aerotech already built the Merchant-class JumpShip, so Andurien poured money and resources into expanding the yards and making them capable of building everything needed to manufacture a WarShip. In order to get the line operating as quickly as possible, they replicated the construction yards for the Merchant and simply began to harden the existing design to allow it to survive in combat.
         The Humphreys-class Frigate, first launched in 3076, is lighter than a Merchant due to the lighter military KF drive, but remains the same size and only a practiced eye can tell the difference between the two. It mounts heavy autocannon, missile, laser, and anti-missile system banks all around, including a heavy autocannon and missile array in the nose that can sometimes destroy enemy vessels outright, especially when a squadron concentrates fire on a target. The armor is capable of taking moderate punishment, and a squadron of fighters or small craft bolsters the main weapons. Finally, a DropShip collar on each side allows the Humphreys to carry two Andurien Intruders with it. Unfortunately, the frigate has minimal cargo bay capacity, forcing most squadrons to bring at least one cargo carrier Intruder along to supply them with needed food and spare parts.
         The Humphreys served well during the St. Ives, Trinity, and Capellan Wars, and proved instrumental to Andurien survival in all of them. They are the eyes and ears of the Andurien state, and can be seen everywhere, watching for enemy raiders.