shrike plans from valkyrie-013 at deviantart

A light attack craft, commonly abbreviated to LAC, was a comparatively small, armed intrasystem space vessel. The fact that it was not hyper-capable distinguished it from the larger types of warships. Most star nations employed LACs for their system defense forces.

LACs were initially built as light system defense vessels, but their low acceleration and poor armament and defense meant they had fallen out of favor in modern navies by the 20th Century PD. Using new inertial compensator and nuclear fission technology obtained from Grayson, the Royal Manticoran Navy introduced new LAC designs with far superior performance, and created the LAC carrier to transport them through hyperspace. The Manticoran Alliance used the new LACs to devastating effect during the First Havenite-Manticoran War, and the Republic of Haven Navy in turn introduced its own modern LACs during the Second Havenite-Manticoran War.