Ork Light Cruiser
The New Breed
Lite Kroozer
Size: 4.1-5.1 KM long, 1.6-2.1 KM abeam at widest point
Crew: Unknown
Max Acceleration: Varies
Defences: Variable armour, Looted Void Shield.
Standard Main Armament: Varies
Standard secondary Armament: Shootas, Missiles and Kannonz (broadside, belly and spine mounted, undetermined numbers)
Auxiliary Craft: Varies
Lore: After the 2nd war of Armageddon, vast space-borne grave yards of crippled or destroyed vessels littered the entirety of the Armageddon sector. Both Battlefleet Armageddon and Ork stranglers spending much of the time between the 2nd and 3rd wars for Armageddon picking through these vast treasure troves for salvageable parts and warships. It is thanks to this that battlefleet Armageddon was able to recover its losses relatively quickly, despite the high attrition, and built up an impressive arsenal of Armageddon Class Battlecruisers in readiness for future Ork invasions. But the Orks also created a new breed of warship from the scrap yards.
Ork freebooters and escort captains lurking in the scrap yards made miniaturised Kill-Kroozers from the hulls of damaged or destroyed Dauntless and Endeavour Light Cruisers. The Ork captains cunningly able to manoeuvre these more nimble Ork capital ships into positions they would not be expected to attack from, and unleashing more firepower than Imperial scouting patrols would be able to handle alone. Disappearing back into the depths of the junk before a response could be assembled. Ghazghull, recognising the tactical value in these warships, began reshaping the Ork fleet in preparation for the next awaited offensive on Armageddon.
When the 3rd War for Armegeddon broke out, hundreds of Ork Lite Kroozers poured out of the junk fields and emerged from the Warp, supporting the massive Ork assault spear-headed by 12 Ork Space Hulks. Battlefleet Armageddon was caught almost totally by surprise by the sheer scale of the attack, the Ork Lite Kroozers almost doubling the number of effective capital ships in the Ork fleet, each one able to easily match any Imperial light cruiser for firepower and were much more durable.
However, for the Armageddon Battlecruisers they were little more than target practice, as each was slow to manoeuvre for its apparent 'light' status and poorly protected against battleship-calibre weaponry. But the Lite Kroozers debut proved a deadly surprise for Battlefleet Armageddon, and the wider Imperium.
