Henry Ford-class Missile Destroyer
- Role: Fleet Escort
- Length: 680 meters (inc. radiator fins)
- Weapons Systems: Eight nuclear missile pods
- Country of Origin: Coalition of Western Republics
- Users: Coalition, Springfield Pact, United Technocracies, Restored American Empire
The Henry Ford-class destroyer was developed in response to growing Conseil aggression during the early decades of the 28th century. The Coalition Navy believed that it was necessary to bring a dedicated missile launcher to fleet battles against the Conseil, as their vessels had superior EMSEL point-defense systems that needed to be overwhelmed. The existing Thomas Hobbes-class patrol boats of the Coalition Navy did not suffice, as they could not carry enough missiles into combat, and the concurrently-developed Ulysses Grant-class gun destroyers were armed with coilguns and EMSELs, and could not carry missiles. Thus, the Henry Ford was born. Armed with five thousand nuclear missiles, a single Henry Ford can overwhelm and destroy a Conseil ship of similar size. The simple dual-radiator design - adopted because the Henry Ford generated less heat than other Coalition ships of the same size - made the Henry Ford faster and cheaper than it would be if it had been armed with other weapon systems. However, they were armed only with missiles, could not operate in deep space without support, and in order to make the ships quicker, their shields and armor were reduced. Thus, the tactical effectiveness of the Henry Ford was limited to fleet support.