Before the first Y-Class Heavy Cruiser was completed, Canine engineers designed and built the J-Class Light Frigate. The light frigate is a smaller ship than the Y-Class but is still fairly powerful. Nearly 200 meters long, loaded with weapons, and with a small hanger for fighters, the J-Class Light Frigate was an outstanding success.

A standard J-Class Light Frigate is 180 meters in length. It has a large engine compartment which is connected to the command section by a boom; that also contains the hanger and several guns. These designs were decided after studying various other cruisers like the KDY Nebulon B-Class Escort Frigate, and the SoroSuub Quasar Fire-Class Bulk Cruiser. The command section resembles that of the Dalmorian Manufacturing Carrack-Class Light Cruiser; another borrowed design.

The small hanger is only capable of carrying six fighters. The lack in starfighter support is compensated in the increased amount of laser cannons; including a rear firing cannon, solving the Y-Class Heavy Cruiser's aft vulnerability problem. Only a single squadron of fighters is available and the fighters are usually deployed in groups of two or three. They may include V-26, V-34, or V-40 "Foxx" fighters; they are now carrying the new V-45's.

The J-Class Light Frigate is armed with six light turbolaser batteries for ship-to-ship skirmishes and twelve standard capital ship laser cannons to protect it from enemy starfighters. There are a total of eight extra weapon's mounts for other possible armament; including more turbo or laser cannons, more powerful cannons, tractor beam projectors, or even missile tubes.

After the first six J-Class Light Frigates were completed, they were tested and then started the Great Canis Fleet. A few smaller ships like Canis Beowulfe Corvettes and the new Y-Class Heavy Cruisers were added later and the fleet was renamed the Royal Canis Navy. As more sophisticated Canis starfighters were developed the J-Class soon found itself nearly obsolete. The new cruisers were capable of carrying more fighters and the fighters were equipped with hyperdrive units, making them nearly totally self-sufficient.

J-Class Light Frigates have a very powerful sensor system for both long and short range scanning. They can pick up a ship as it emerges from hyperspace or for three seconds after the ship has entered hyperspace, giving it an extra few seconds to mark down the trajectory for calculations of possible destinations. Most J-Class Light Frigates were originally used as flying sensor clusters.

After the battle against the Empire over Canis, many light frigates had either been destroyed or damaged beyond repair. With the doubt that the ship would ever be great again the Royal Canis Navy canceled all production of the ship. Only ships that were being built were completed, leaving the total of operational ships at sixteen.

One ship, the Trawler; owned by Captain Rahn of the RCN, must have been the most famous J-Class Light Frigate ever. Captain Rahn was a military genius, able to bring his ship and limited number of fighters into a heavy combat zone and return safely without losing a single fighter. Unfortunately he decided to pair bond with a female of another breed and had a son; a hybrid that they named Balto. This act was against Canis laws and Rahn and his family were in trouble. His mother was caught and killed, but Balto managed to make it into the Canis Military Academy. A few years later, the Canis Government agreed to join the Rebel Alliance. When Balto was eighteen, his father; while flying a routine patrol, turned on his squadron and destroyed the other two ships. He then joined the Empire.

With a knowledge of Canis transmission codes he was able to reveal the location of a Rebel cruiser carrying five-hundred Canines. He led waves of Assault Gunboats against the cruiser. The Gunboats succeeded in destroying the ship but Rahn was shot down by a young Rebel X-Wing pilot named Wedge Antilles.

After Balto had graduated from the Academy; despite his half-breed heritage, he inherited his father's ship and joined the Rebel Alliance.

So far, the Trawler has been used in three missions, but mostly the ship just stays with the fleet. Balto; who admired the new Alliance A-Wing fighter, traded in his modified V-36 and joined Green Squadron. He was soon transferred to a lower ranking squadron and has flown very few missions; due to his shadowy past and rumored untrustworthy nature.

The Trawler, however, has had a few parts removed in order to service more modern ships. The deflector shields were removed and replaced with a much weaker unit, making it susceptible to attacks even from smaller and lighter armed vessels such as Corellian Corvettes.

The Trawler has managed to keep all of its armament (including two tractor beam projectors) but the fighter complement has been reduced to three; Balto's personal A-Wing and his friends Muk & Luk's fighters, both T4-662 Light "Snowflake" Attack Fighters.

Name/Model: J-Class Light Frigate
Designer/Manufacturer: Royal Canis Navy Space Fleets
Combat Designation: Light Frigate
Length: 180 meters
Crew: (Standard) 86 (6 pilots, 60 officers, 20 gunners)
The Trawler is maintained by a crew of 4
Weapons: 6 Canis Weapons Corps. Light Turbolasers, 12 CWC Standard Capital Ship Laser Cannons (Has eight mounts for other possible weapons; ie: more powerful turbolasers, tractor beam projectors, concussion missile tubes)
Starfighter Squadrons: 1 (either six V-24's, V-36's, or V-40 Foxx; may now carry the new V-45) The Trawler carries 1 Alliance A-Wing fighter and 2 T4-662 Light "Snowflake" Attack Fighters