Minbari Federation Tinashi Class Warship

The Tinashi was once the Federation’s standard heavy warship, and the forerunner of the Sharlin. It is a powerful vessel with speed; armor and striking power that makes it the equal or superior to nearly any other craft its size. When constructing fleets for missions that might be variable in nature, the Tinashi has been a natural choice for centuries and many Alyts default to them when looking for a vessel capable of accomplishing any mission objective. Its powerful weaponry and extremely adaptable battle strategy makes it absolutely the most numerous ship in their fleet – in one form or another.

With so much focus on the ship, it is natural for the Minbari to expound upon its usefulness. They created several more specialized versions of the Tinashi – making newer vessels, but eliminating the average usefulness of the hull by doing so. Thought to be a test-bed for the technologies finally used in the White Star, the Shantavi includes the latest weaponry the warrior caste could call upon. Dreamed up by a warrior caste eager for any technological innovation, the Esharan is perhaps the biggest threat to any fighter pilot of any fleet though as a frontline warship – though its over-specialization can prove its downfall. Trading long-ranged firepower for close-in defense, the Ashinta is a superb escort vessel and can often be found wherever blockades must be reinforced. This variant is favored by the Religious Caste due to its more defensive purpose but the network of deadly fusion cannons proves lethal enough for most Warrior Caste captains. There are many more ideas on the Warrior and Worker Castes’ drawing boards dealing with specialization of the ‘common’ Tinashi – the only real flaw in most Minbari thinking.

Tinashi Warship
Ashinta Heavy Escort
Esharan Anti-Fighter Frigate
Shantavi Heavy Battle Frigate

Source
The Babylon 5 Project: Minbari cruiser (Shadow War era)
Babylon 5: Ships of the Galaxy (pages 36-39)
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