Andrasta

Unit type: pocket battleship
Manufacturer: Helwan Mechano-Industries
Dimensions: length 178.5 meters
Armament: 4 x 2-barrel beam cannon, 2 port, 2 starboard; 6 x antiaircraft laser cannon, 3 port, 3 starboard
Powerplant: high-endurance fusion reactor, output rated at 86500 kW
Propulsion: 2 x rocket engine
Hangar capacity: 10 mobile suits

The lunar city of Port Tranquility is a bustling cosmopolitan center and site of major industrial operations, with a well-organized defense market second only to Earth's own. One such conglomerate, Helwan Mechano-Industries, produces a variety of military-grade hardware, focusing chiefly on producing armed warships for expedition and patrol forces.

The Andrasta is a "pocket battleship" that's well-armed for its size and quite mobile as well, intended for use in situations beyond that which HMI's Varona would be outgunned. The battleship's rear end is dominated by two large engines, giving it excellent speed and overall handling, with an internal hangar for mobile suits positioned between them. Due to the compactness of its design, however, the Andrasta doesn't have any catapults - room was simply unavailable. The battleship's weapons are focused entirely over the frontal arc, allowing it to direct a high level of firepower to targets ahead as well as above and below. Four twin-barreled beam cannons run along the battleship's sides, while half a dozen antiaircraft lasers in directional mounts cluster above the first set of turrets.

Compared to the Varona, far fewer Andrasta-class ships have been fielded due to their significantly higher cost of manufacturing. The highly efficient systems and miniaturized equipment crammed into the Andrasta's compact hull made it somewhat expensive to produce, essentially limiting it to use by well-financed organizations.