BC-304
Daedalus-class
History of BC-304
The BC-304, (also known as the Daedalus-class battlecruiser and Daedalus-class warship is a class of deep space carrier built by the Tau'ri, and the most advanced series of vessels in the Tau'ri fleet. As of 2010, six Daedalus-class warships have been built. These include the Daedalus, Odyssey, Korolev, Apollo, Sun Tzu, and George Hammond. All but two are operated by Air Force Space Command. One 304, the Korolev, was given to the Russian Federation, and subsequently lost in a battle with the Ori, while another 304, the Sun Tzu, is operated by the Chinese Government. The BC-304 boasts 32 railgun turrets for ship-to-ship combat. The fire from these turrets are able to destroy a Wraith Dart or Goa'uld Death Glider relatively quickly. However, against capital ships, their effectiveness varies; While they have proven to be a match against the shields of a Goa'uld Ha'tak in battle, they are far less effective against Hive ships due in part to the sheer size of such vessels and the density of their organic hulls. Furthermore, like all weapons, with the exception Asgard plasma beam weapons, railguns have proven ineffective against the shields of the Ori. Against vessels that possesses shields but have them deactivated, railguns have proven to be quite effective at penetrating the vessels' hulls; The hull of an Asuran Aurora-class battleship was easily penetrated by railgun fire from a BC-304. BC-304s also possess 16 VLS Missile Tubes capable of firing Cruise missiles as well as missiles equipped with nuclear warheads. Among the warheads BC-304s are known to carry are the Mark III, Mark VIII, and Mark IX. One Mark VIII is capable of destroying a Wraith Hive ship if placed (or beamed) inside the vessel and detonated. BC-304s were eventually outfitted with Asgard plasma beam weapons. Unlike most ship-based energy weapon systems, which are designed to fire individual pulses of energy, the Asgard plasma beam is a narrow, high-intensity beam of super-heated plasma. These beams are capable of overloading and penetrating even the most advanced shields and burning through the hulls and internal structures of vessel with comparative ease. In terms of effectiveness, Asgard plasma beam weapons are among the only known weapons capable of penetrating the shields of Ori warships, being able to destroy such vessels in 5 to 6 shots. They have also proven to be exceedingly effective at destroying Wraith Hive ships, being able to do so in as few as 3 shots, and Asuran Aurora-class battleships in 7 shots. Being a deep space carrier, the BC-304 carries a complement of between 8 and 16 F-302 fighter-interceptors. While F-302s are generally used as a fighter craft against comparable alien fighters, they have also proven to be effective in disabling the hyperdrive engines of larger 'capital' ships, including Wraith Hive ships. F-302s can additionally be fitted with Nuclear warheads.
BC-304 is also known as; Daedalus-class
