The Whirlwind was a Chiss combat cruiser. In 27 BBY, she was one of the main combat vessels of Picket Force Two under Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo. Although little bigger than a 115 meter Republic cruiser, the Whirlwind was nevertheless one of the front-line warships of the Chiss Expansionary Fleet in the area of frontier space around Crustai. Armed with missile batteries and the typical blue-beamed Chiss masers, she packed a powerful punch for a ship of her size. The missile launchers could also be used to deploy large shock nets, which could disable target vessels. A precisely-tuned hyperdrive enabled her to make tactical microjumps, and a powerful communications array allowed her to deploy electronic warfare techniques that could confound far more heavily-armed enemies.