The Garuda class is a long range patrol and assault starfighter craft that was popular among Home Guard units, especially Nietzscheans, prior to the fall of the Commonwealth. Garuda class vessels, while normally dependent on their carrier capital ships in the pre-fall eras have usually been subject to modifications after the fall of the Systems Commonwealth. In the post-fall era, Garuda class ships are still a Nietzschean favorite, though generally better suited for more independent operations than their pre-fall counterparts, including a small axial-mounted slipstream drive, some form of particle or plasma weaponry arrays, more efficient power generators and life support systems. They were used by the Alliance of Nations.