When the Unification War began the Independents only had a few ships. Some of these craft were models also used by the Alliance military such as the Alliance Short Range Enforcement Vessel and the Alliance Patrol Boat. In response to the threat posed by the Firefly gunboats the Alliance Navy developed the AFAS which was first deployed at the Battle of Sturges. The new craft's capabilities combined with Wolfpack tactics devastated the Firefly Gunboats of the Independent fleet thus turning the tides of the space battlefields of the Unification War firmly in favor of the Alliance. SHIPS: