The Paladin Prototype was an old fighter design in the service of the Bretonian Armed Forces. The Paladin's predecessor was a very versatile and maneuverable craft traditionally piloted only by highly decorated officers and nobles in military service, originally using expensive components and high quality, but time consuming, assembly methods.
With the continuation of the war with Kusari, whose Naval Forces rely on nimble snubfighters, Bretonian Armed Forces have made the decision to simplify the design and produce the Paladin en-masse to counter their foes' vessels, to provide a lighter alternative to the reliable but bulky Templars.
Because of limited production capability, for now the use of the Paladin will be restricted to those of Lieutenant Rank and higher.