Originally posted by Shrike:
Hmmm, you know those things would probably need buttloads of maintenance, right? Those kind of massive refits tend to be very expensive and in the long run be less useful than entirely new ships.
Actually, no. The hull sections of the head and engine are the same, basically, but the internals are much newer. Although, the engine section is largely untouched (except for a tune-up) since it was working okay anyway.
It's the fact that the ship is partially prefabricated which makes it more appealing to Command; it can be pumped out faster and at a lower cost. Considering the plot of WoF, it would be preferable to the more expensive Aeolus.
The other reason is, Aeoluses have to have a ton of ultra-compact (and ultra-expensive) systems to support their high turret density. Peleuses are less condensed, so they don't need that extra compactness. Besides, Peleuses are better against capships than Aeoluses, thanks to its forward MGreen.