Only one Durendal class of WarShip was completed before the Jihad began. It died defending Galax alongside the two unfinished hulls of her sisters and the Avalon-class Simon Davion, and many considered it the end of an era. The Federation survived though, and after the Jihad ended it began the painstaking process of rebuilding.
         In the mid-3080s, the Federation finally had the resources to look at rebuilding the Durendal program. They needed a ship capable of moving and supporting a fleet, like the last of the Avalon-class battleships, but they were unable to build many of the technologies on the Melissa Davion in enough quantities to do more than maintain the flagship. They could build larger amounts of the technology on the Fox-series though, so they chose to upsize the weapons grids of that ship on a new hull.
         The result was the modern Durendal-class cruiser. In almost all respects she is nearly a match for the Avalon. She carries comparable weapons, a similar amount of cargo and fuel, the same number of fighters, and generates the same acceleration of the larger ship. Where the lack of technology proved unable to be overcome though was in the armor. The Durendal boasts one-third the armor protection of the Avalon, making her far more vulnerable to damage. The Durendal makes up for this by being able to carry a massive ten DropShips through a jump with her, far more than the Avalon can manage.
         Far more powerful than the Fox-series, the Durendal is the primary fleet flagship of the Federation, and the pride of the post-Jihad navy. They are not sold to anyone, a rare exception to standard Federation practices.