Allo everybody!  I've been pretty inactive recently, not just on PMC but on Minecraft, so I thought I'd upload this project so I could focus more on finishing up Archangel.  I threw this together a couple months ago to play with the MCHeli mod, and I might have gotten carried away.  I've included the MCHeli version as well, just in case any of you have the mod and want to play with its additions. (Make sure you have all the content packs.)  Technically this isn't a guided-missile frigate, despite being designated FFG, but it has two RAM launchers, one fore and one amidships, so I figured those counted.  I ran out of deck space for any VLS or Harpoon launchers.  I also wanted to try out building an actual Navy ship, so let's see how this first attempt turned out!  Anyway, time for specs!

Specs:

Class: Libra
Type: Frigate/Guided Missile Frigate (Designation FFG)
Manufacturer: Poseidon Shipbuilding (New Mistral Shipyards and Blackiron Naval Yard)
First Commissioned: 08/28/98
Length: 125m
Width: 17m
Height: 41m
Armament:

• 1 5-inch Autoloading Naval Cannon
  
• 1 TACRAM (Tactical Rolling Airframe Missile) Launcher
  
• 1 SeaRAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) Launcher
  
• 3 Phalanx CIWS Systems
  
• 4 Mk. 32 3-Tube Torpedo Launchers
  
• 6 Browning M2HB Turrets (2 guns each)
  

Top Speed: 35 kn
Powerplant: 2 Zephyr Industries 30,000 horsepower gas turbine engines
Propulsion: 2 shafts connected to 4-blade controllable pitch propellers.
Displacement: 4,000 tons
Commissioned Ships:

• SNS Libra (FFG-40)
  
• SNS Taurus (FFG-41)
  
• SNS Aries (FFG-42)
  
• SNS Cancer (FFG-43)
  
• SNS Capricorn (FFG-44)
  
• SNS Gemini (FFG-45)
  
• SNS Leo (FFG-46)
  
• SNS Virgo (FFG-47)
  
• SNS Scorpio (FFG-48)
  
• SNS Sagittarius (FFG-49)
  
• SNS Aquarius (FFG-50)
  
• SNS Pisces (FFG-51)
  
• SNS Aquila (FFG-52)
  
• SNS Auriga (FFG-53)
  
• SNS Carina (FFG-54)
  
• SNS Centaurus (FFG-55)
  
• SNS Columba (FFG-56)
  
• SNS Cygnus (FFG-57)
  
• SNS Eridanus (FFG-58)
  
• SNS Fornax (FFG-59)
  
• SNS Lacerta (FFG-60)
  

Crew: 100 (85 enlisted, 15 officers)
Maximum Range: 5,000 nautical miles
Cost: $100 million Skylord Dollars
Auxiliary Aircraft:

• 1 SH-66 Shrike General Purpose Helicopter
  
• 1 MQ-8 Fire Scout UAV (Since 2006)
  

While the Skylord Air Navy remained relatively stagnant in development since World War II, as its combat role never really changed, the normal Navy modernized quickly alongside the rest of the world to adapt to changing naval combat environments.  The Libra-class replaced the Scarlett-class line of guided missile frigates, intended to engage in littoral combat and carrier escort duties alongside destroyers and cruisers of similar size and capability to US Navy Arleigh-Burke- and Ticonderoga-class vessels.  In many cases, the Libra is the primary vessel for outreach in international relations, especially when combat exercise rules forbid the Air Navy from participating.  (RIMPAC is always interesting when the Skylords show up, though.)  As their beam is very narrow, the ships are also capable of transiting most of the major rivers in the Minecraftian continent, providing border security and deterrence with short-range yet powerful rolling airframe missiles.  Several saw combat during the Skylord-Iyecte War, although the Navy has stayed out of most of the recent conflicts due to their inability to participate in any of the battlefields. (Namely the sky and space, although the Air Navy and Space Fleet are currently administered under the Department of the Navy.)  Libras are common and popular training vessels due to their simple design and strong parallels to other ship layouts.  While they are authorized for civilian and foreign purchase, only two are in private hands (SS Diamond, owned by Skylord Eranus, and SS Falcon, a security vessel for Brony Aerospace) and three have been purchased by foreign nations. (USS Nathan Kelly, a US Navy weapons test ship, HMCS Lacombe, and INS Yaari.)  The ships are in continuous production by long-time naval shipwright Poseidon, and the Skylord government has ordered an additional 10 in an attempt to expand Skylord Naval power in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf.

One familiar with Air Navy ships would see strong parallels between the Libra and the more current Rapier-class guided missile destroyers.  This is no coincidence, as Skylord Brony, designer of the Rapier, served aboard SNS Pisces during his Naval Academy PROTRAMID Navy cruise, and was strongly impressed by the ship.  While not impressed enough to switch from the Air Navy, he heavily based the destroyer off of Libra.