The CAM 117 was designed around its main armament, an NA 117 particle accelerator that took up 1/3 of the ship's mass. The CAM 117's armor was kept to a minimum in the belief that its fast speed would be able to keep it from harm. However, by the time the CAM 117 saw combat the average speed of warships had increased to the point where its advantage was not nearly as great as had been assumed.