The Solaris II has been a mainstay of the DDS for a few years now but is obsolete in DDS terms and it's time in DDS service has now ended. The Solaris was one of the first generation of DDS warships and served well in the late 2080s to early 2090s before its loss in action. When the plans for DDS fleet expansion were drawn up the Solaris design was considered for series production as the standard frigate but lost out to the Starsystem. Later on in the 2090s the DDS' fleet of long-range scouts the Ranger class was reaching the end of it's service life so the DDS decided to replace it with the Solaris for it's long-range patrol and surveying missions.
The series production Solaris (known as the Solaris II) differed only internally from the original ship. The production rig and tools from building the original ship still existed so to save money the design was left unchanged though of course internally the ship was totally different and much updated. The Solaris II was notable for it's fin-mounted shield generator in a large pod dating from a time when such equipment tended to be held externally to generate a better shield. Later on the shield was replaced by a newer model stored in the main structure. The pod nowadays holds passive sensors and ECM equipment.
The Solaris is well suited for long-range missions being a roomy and reliable platform and in it's day its top speed of 600c was very good. However in terms of firepower and protection the Solaris is lacking and several have been lost in combat including one to the Zones in 2107. At one stage it was planned to replace the Solaris with a long-range Isometric rebuild called the Rhombus, however in the end it was found the Isometric was already suitable to take over the Solaris' role unmodified. All but 1 Solaris was sold to the New Aritans with the survivor becoming a training frigate and survey ship for the DDS Departmental Fleet, however in 2108 as part of a cost saving push this remaining ship was also sold to the Aritans.
The 5 remaining Solaris II are popular in Aritan service and have been refurbished, though will need a major overhaul early in the next decade. The Aritans plan to keep the Solaris in service until the 2120s at least.
