The Mustang-class torpedo boat is long distance anti-shipping hybrid Aerolyth craft. It was con-ceived in 1884 as an inexpensive craft capable of patrolling and defending America’s Eastern Coast. An Army project, it was also an attempt to demonstrate that the US Army should “own” the skies, not the “New Navy.” Senior generals reasoned that if flyers like the Mustang class could effectively prevent foreign fleets from approaching the coast, and harass enemy shipping, it would ensure that the Army would be the nation’s first line of defense (and ensure ample fund-ing).