Varona

Unit type: large patrol ship
Manufacturer: Helwan Mechano-Industries
Dimensions: length 151.3 meters
Armament: 2 x 2-barrel beam cannon, 2 fore, 1 aft; 2 x 2-barrel antiaircraft laser cannon, 1 port, 1 starboard
Powerplant: high-endurance fusion reactor, output rated at 79000 kW
Propulsion: 12 x rocket engine
Hangar capacity: 8 mobile suits
Catapults: 2

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.

HMI's best-known product is the Varona series of patrol ships. The classification is a rather humble one - aVarona is armed well enough to be considered a light cruiser by most analysts, with a trio of beam cannons and two laser positions for close defense. Its mobility is nothing to laugh at either, with powerful engines that enable it to gain a good overall speed with great acceleration. Much of the ship's central hull is given over to a hangar capable of housing eight standard-size mobile suits, with two catapults allowing the embarked units to be launched quickly. The ship's arrangement is, however, totally defenseless against enemy units approaching from below, a requirement necessary to allow the Varona to survive atmospheric re-entry. The ship can safely land on a calm body of water, and can also fly in atmosphere for a limited period of time, but this rapidly exhausts fuel and is primarily intended to give the vessel a comfortable margin to reach a properly-equipped spaceport.

Varona-class ships have been in service with a variety of forces since the mid-210s, and were at one point employed by the anti-Cloud Nine Satryicon group, the Iris Corporation's expeditionary fleets, Guild renegades, the various defense militias of the other lunar cities, and many others.