As Datopala Industrial began initial design work on the Tessin-class light strike craft in the mid-48,700s, company management also had to consider the Tessin's compatibility with existing capital ships and carriers sold in Ivesceel to any TAUFOG nations. It was apparent that the light fighter, which was significantly smaller than any current mass-manufactured ship in its category, would not make efficient use of hangar space if carried in ships produced by other companies. The Tessin was both small and low-cost, with the intention of Datopala being that the craft would ideally be deployed in large quantities to outnumber opponents. Given that the expected main consumers would be law enforcement and militias, capital ships built for fleet actions would be excessive, so Datopala considered designing their own carrier which was optimal for the Tessin-class. The idea was approved by management in 48,756 ACT, three years after development of the Tessin-class had started, with the class name Velnian chosen by the design team leads assigned to the project.

The Velnian-class would not have any significant challenges in its development, with the exception of a delay caused by difficulties with the Tessin-class software package. Due to the Tessin-class design release being pushed back to 48,782 ACT, the Velnian team would not be able to put the production model on the market, as there would not be any of the strike craft that the carrier was designed to carry. The team was able to quickly modify the hull to accommodate standard strike craft sizes, although these changes did limit the quantities of strike craft that the Velnian could store in its primary hangar. The modified Velnian-class model would enter production in 48,780 ACT, the original planned date for the standard model.

The Velnian-class was designed to be inexpensive, with light armor, minimal shields, almost no capital-grade weapon systems, and only moderate defensive weapons. These included 15 Bdlx Jota-series S2 anti-fighter laser cannons and 22 Bdlx Cora-series PD0500 point defense cannons, both older models that Cuax Technologies was manufacturing in bulk at discounted prices. The Velnian-class was also quite slow and had poor maneuverability, although as a carrier this was not a significant disadvantage. Although lacking in combat capability when compared with military-grade equipment, the ship was well equipped for anti-piracy and civilian or commercial protection, with the ship often deployed by national law enforcement agencies to scout unoccupied systems and to protect shipping lanes. Additionally, the large open hangars of the Velnian-class could double as cargo holds, with a number of shipping companies and other corporations purchasing Velnians and using some of the internal space for storage.