The Sacheen-class light escort was the first ship class built as part of the Alliance's New Class Modernization Program. They were 375 meters long and armed with 10 heavy turbolaser cannons, 8 laser cannons, and 8 ion cannons. Sacheen-class escorts had a hangar large enough to hold a single squadron of short-range starfighters (most likely the small Defender starfighter).
The first ship class built under the Allies’s New Class Modernisation Program, the Sacheen was also the smallest class capable of performing extended independent missions. Equipped with a fast hyperdrive and capable of carrying a single squadron of starfighters, the Sacheen was well suited for the patrol duties it was often assigned to. Sometimes referred to as a gun frigate, the Sacheen operated as a screen for capital ships when with a battle group; although it’s heavy turbolaser were also capable of engaging other capital ships. The New Class practice of using the same basic design for multiple ship configurations stemmed from the successful adaptation of the Sacheen design for the Hajen fleet tender.