Frigates, Carriers, and War in Orbit

War in Halo is often decided in orbit before soldiers ever reach the surface. This episode introduces UNSC frigates, destroyers, cruisers, carriers, and support vessels, explaining why human warships are built around Magnetic Accelerator Cannons, missiles, point defenses, fighters, and heavy armor. It contrasts them with Covenant ships protected by energy shields and armed with plasma torpedoes and energy projectors capable of cutting vessels apart or glassing worlds. Human commanders respond through coordinated volleys, numerical concentration, ambush, nuclear weapons, and a willingness to trade ships for time. Carriers move fighters and invasion forces, frigates escort fleets and support ground operations, while orbital defense platforms turn planets into fortified positions. The discussion also explains why losing space control can make a successful ground defense meaningless. An army may hold a city or continent, but an enemy fleet above it controls reinforcement, evacuation, bombardment, and ultimately whether the world remains habitable.