What to choose...

[Jorgen_CAB (OP)]

I just wanted to present four possible ships for the next patrol/escort Frigate in one of Earth Euro factions.

The basis for the decision by the politicians is that it needs to be capable if independent action and is suppose to serve in a patrol and escort role. It if preferable if the ship also have the capability to patrol and escort the maritime space in several critical system. There have been some incidents by the ultra nationalist Chinese faction (there are three Chinese or central Asian factions vying for domination over the Chinese peoples).

All four designs will follow the main design specification but all have their pros and cons. The speed of the frigate is said to be at least 3500km/s, one of the designs is a bit under this but due to its very economically viable maritime patrol capabilities it has passed the final drafting. The ship is suppose to have a deployment of at least 4 month, above 2.5 years of maintenance cycles and be of size 6000-7000t in size. On of the ships is just shy of just above 7000t but that has been deemed acceptable by the committee due to its otherwise excellent capabilities.

The standard fleet speed of the other ships of the fleet are between 3600-4400km/s. Given that this ship are suppose to mainly act on its own the speed of the ship is not significantly important in and of itself. Even if it act as part of a task-group it if likely to do so in a scouting or reconnaissance role.

Among other capabilities the ship is tasked with are the ability to defend against missiles and engage smaller ships if necessary. Its main role is to fight against FAC and fighters but the possibility to engage larger ships is a bonus.

All ships of this class are required to carry some beam weapons defences and all four have some form of point defence options from their beam weapons in the form of rail guns. Rail guns are the fore most used weapons for beam PD in almost all fleets so far, some even favour heavy rail guns for long range offensive firepower.

The sensor suite for the class have basically been predetermined and is none negotiable, it is suppose to be equipped with the necessary sensors to do the job.

If a design is selected it will be ordered from the Walter Hodgson Naval shipyard and an initial order is set to six ships with a possible further four later on. The yard have two slipways at 7500t and can produce roughly two ships every 18 months.

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Tribal Type-1 class Frigate    6,000 tons     153 Crew     1163.8 BP      TCS 120  TH 480  EM 360
4000 km/s     Armour 3-29     Shields 12-300     Sensors 42/42/0/0     Damage Control Rating 2     PPV 14.2
Maint Life 3.15 Years     MSP 303    AFR 115%    IFR 1.6%    1YR 46    5YR 687    Max Repair 120 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months    Flight Crew Berths 1   
Hangar Deck Capacity 125 tons     Magazine 283   

Ion Drive 10/45 (4)    Power 120    Fuel Use 45%    Signature 120    Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 300,000 Litres    Range 20.0 billion km   (57 days at full power)
Epsilon R300/360 Shields (4)   Total Fuel Cost  60 Litres per hour  (1,440 per day)

15cm C3 Far Ultraviolet Laser (1)    Range 300,000km     TS: 5000 km/s     Power 6-3     RM 5    ROF 10        6 6 6 6 6 5 4 3 3 3
10cm Railgun V4/C3 (1x4)    Range 40,000km     TS: 5000 km/s     Power 3-3     RM 4    ROF 5        1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
BFC 320/5000 (1)    Max Range: 320,000 km   TS: 5000 km/s     97 94 91 88 84 81 78 75 72 69
Stellarator Fusion Reactor Technology PB-1 (1)     Total Power Output 6    Armour 0    Exp 5%

Size 4 Box Launcher (7)    Missile Size 4    Hangar Reload 30 minutes    MF Reload 5 hours
Size 1 Missile Launcher (3)    Missile Size 1    Rate of Fire 10
Missile Fire Control FC36-R5 (1)     Range 36.8m km    Resolution 5
Missile Fire Control FC82-R100 (1)     Range 82.3m km    Resolution 100
Missile Fire Control FC9-R1 (1)     Range 9.4m km    Resolution 1

Active Search Sensor MR26-R5 (1)     GPS 420     Range 26.3m km    Resolution 5
Active Search Sensor MR7-R1 (1)     GPS 56     Range 7.8m km    MCR 854k km    Resolution 1
Thermal Sensor TH3-42 (1)     Sensitivity 42     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  42m km
EM Detection Sensor EM3-42 (1)     Sensitivity 42     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  42m km

Compact ECCM-1 (1)         ECM 20

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Tribal Type-2 class Frigate    7,200 tons     208 Crew     1433 BP      TCS 144  TH 576  EM 540
4000 km/s     Armour 3-33     Shields 18-300     Sensors 42/42/0/0     Damage Control Rating 4     PPV 23
Maint Life 4.11 Years     MSP 498    AFR 103%    IFR 1.4%    1YR 47    5YR 707    Max Repair 120 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months    Flight Crew Berths 1   
Hangar Deck Capacity 250 tons     Magazine 279   

Ion Drive 10/71 (4)    Power 144    Fuel Use 70.98%    Signature 144    Exp 12%
Fuel Capacity 400,000 Litres    Range 14.1 billion km   (40 days at full power)
Epsilon R300/360 Shields (6)   Total Fuel Cost  90 Litres per hour  (2,160 per day)

25cm C4 Far Ultraviolet Laser (1)    Range 320,000km     TS: 5000 km/s     Power 16-4     RM 5    ROF 20        16 16 16 16 16 13 11 10 8 8
10cm Railgun V4/C3 (2x4)    Range 40,000km     TS: 5000 km/s     Power 3-3     RM 4    ROF 5        1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
BFC 320/5000 (1)    Max Range: 320,000 km   TS: 5000 km/s     97 94 91 88 84 81 78 75 72 69
Stellarator Fusion Reactor Technology PB-1 (2)     Total Power Output 12    Armour 0    Exp 5%

Size 4 Missile Launcher (25% Reduction) (6)    Missile Size 4    Rate of Fire 2400
Size 1 Missile Launcher (3)    Missile Size 1    Rate of Fire 10
Missile Fire Control FC82-R100 (1)     Range 82.3m km    Resolution 100
Missile Fire Control FC36-R5 (1)     Range 36.8m km    Resolution 5
Missile Fire Control FC9-R1 (1)     Range 9.4m km    Resolution 1

Active Search Sensor MR26-R5 (1)     GPS 420     Range 26.3m km    Resolution 5
Active Search Sensor MR7-R1 (1)     GPS 56     Range 7.8m km    MCR 854k km    Resolution 1
Thermal Sensor TH3-42 (1)     Sensitivity 42     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  42m km
EM Detection Sensor EM3-42 (1)     Sensitivity 42     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  42m km

ECCM-2 (1)         ECM 20

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes


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Tribal Type-3 class Frigate    6,000 tons     151 Crew     1110.6 BP      TCS 120  TH 384  EM 360
3200 km/s     Armour 3-29     Shields 12-300     Sensors 42/42/0/0     Damage Control Rating 2     PPV 16
Maint Life 3.36 Years     MSP 289    AFR 115%    IFR 1.6%    1YR 39    5YR 581    Max Repair 120 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months    Flight Crew Berths 0   
Hangar Deck Capacity 125 tons     Magazine 279   

Ion Drive 10/26 (4)    Power 96    Fuel Use 25.76%    Signature 96    Exp 8%
Fuel Capacity 210,000 Litres    Range 24.5 billion km   (88 days at full power)
Epsilon R300/360 Shields (4)   Total Fuel Cost  60 Litres per hour  (1,440 per day)

15cm C3 Far Ultraviolet Laser (1)    Range 300,000km     TS: 5000 km/s     Power 6-3     RM 5    ROF 10        6 6 6 6 6 5 4 3 3 3
10cm Railgun V4/C3 (1x4)    Range 40,000km     TS: 5000 km/s     Power 3-3     RM 4    ROF 5        1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
BFC 320/5000 (1)    Max Range: 320,000 km   TS: 5000 km/s     97 94 91 88 84 81 78 75 72 69
Stellarator Fusion Reactor Technology PB-1 (1)     Total Power Output 6    Armour 0    Exp 5%

Size 1 Missile Launcher (3)    Missile Size 1    Rate of Fire 10
Size 4 Missile Launcher (25% Reduction) (6)    Missile Size 4    Rate of Fire 2400
Missile Fire Control FC9-R1 (1)     Range 9.4m km    Resolution 1
Missile Fire Control FC36-R5 (1)     Range 36.8m km    Resolution 5
Missile Fire Control FC82-R100 (1)     Range 82.3m km    Resolution 100

Active Search Sensor MR26-R5 (1)     GPS 420     Range 26.3m km    Resolution 5
Active Search Sensor MR7-R1 (1)     GPS 56     Range 7.8m km    MCR 854k km    Resolution 1
Thermal Sensor TH3-42 (1)     Sensitivity 42     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  42m km
EM Detection Sensor EM3-42 (1)     Sensitivity 42     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  42m km

Compact ECCM-1 (1)         ECM 20

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes


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Tribal Type-4 class Frigate    6,000 tons     160 Crew     1211.4 BP      TCS 120  TH 576  EM 270
4800 km/s     Armour 3-29     Shields 9-300     Sensors 42/42/0/0     Damage Control Rating 2     PPV 13.6
Maint Life 2.98 Years     MSP 315    AFR 115%    IFR 1.6%    1YR 53    5YR 795    Max Repair 120 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months    Flight Crew Berths 5   
Hangar Deck Capacity 125 tons     Magazine 279   

Ion Drive 10/71 (4)    Power 144    Fuel Use 70.98%    Signature 144    Exp 12%
Fuel Capacity 350,000 Litres    Range 14.8 billion km   (35 days at full power)
Epsilon R300/360 Shields (3)   Total Fuel Cost  45 Litres per hour  (1,080 per day)

15cm C3 Far Ultraviolet Laser (1)    Range 300,000km     TS: 5000 km/s     Power 6-3     RM 5    ROF 10        6 6 6 6 6 5 4 3 3 3
10cm Railgun V4/C3 (1x4)    Range 40,000km     TS: 5000 km/s     Power 3-3     RM 4    ROF 5        1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
BFC 320/5000 (1)    Max Range: 320,000 km   TS: 5000 km/s     97 94 91 88 84 81 78 75 72 69
Stellarator Fusion Reactor Technology PB-1 (1)     Total Power Output 6    Armour 0    Exp 5%

Size 1 Missile Launcher (3)    Missile Size 1    Rate of Fire 10
Size 4 Box Launcher (6)    Missile Size 4    Hangar Reload 30 minutes    MF Reload 5 hours
Missile Fire Control FC82-R100 (1)     Range 82.3m km    Resolution 100
Missile Fire Control FC9-R1 (1)     Range 9.4m km    Resolution 1
Missile Fire Control FC36-R5 (1)     Range 36.8m km    Resolution 5

Active Search Sensor MR26-R5 (1)     GPS 420     Range 26.3m km    Resolution 5
Active Search Sensor MR7-R1 (1)     GPS 56     Range 7.8m km    MCR 854k km    Resolution 1
Thermal Sensor TH3-42 (1)     Sensitivity 42     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  42m km
EM Detection Sensor EM3-42 (1)     Sensitivity 42     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  42m km

Compact ECCM-1 (1)         ECM 20


All ships carry the Raptor class scout vessel...

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Raptor Mode-C class Scout    125 tons     3 Crew     39 BP      TCS 2.5  TH 24  EM 0
9600 km/s     Armour 1-2     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/7/0/0     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 0
Maint Life 23.62 Years     MSP 20    AFR 1%    IFR 0%    1YR 0    5YR 1    Max Repair 14 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 0.5 months    Spare Berths 3   

24 EP Ion Drive (1)    Power 24    Fuel Use 280.02%    Signature 24    Exp 20%
Fuel Capacity 5,000 Litres    Range 2.6 billion km   (3 days at full power)

Active Search Sensor MR19-R100 (1)     GPS 1400     Range 19.6m km    Resolution 100
EM Detection Sensor EM0.5-7 (1)     Sensitivity 7     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  7m km

Missiles and probes that can be carried are either the Viper AMM, Baracuda ASM or the Striker anti fighter missile, along with a varied number of 40cm missiles, probes or buoys. Some of the class only have box launched 40cm missile options which is a clear drawback as they have to be pre-loaded at port with whatever missiles and probes the mission might require. There are some options of 10cm anti-fighter type missiles available as an option though along with a few 10cm probes. It is not the best option though.

Just for fun I allow you to become the committee and see if the council can decide which ship the Northern Alliance faction should order.

[Garfunkel]

Interesting designs! Always good to see TL3 era multipurpose ships.

[Jorgen_CAB (OP)]

Interesting designs! Always good to see TL3 era multipurpose ships.

As it is a multi-faction game there are many constraints that make it necessary for ships to be more or less multi-purpose. I also have some research rules such as restricting the number of labs early era scientists can use and also a minimum number based on their admin rating. This can make big and expensive components very difficult to get within a reasonable time frame. So it forces most factions to build their ships a bit more conservative in many ways.

The above faction do have a few more or less dedicated escort ships, although they are a bit ageing now. These frigates are also smaller, but they are built in the same yard as these are to be built and they want to use the enlarged space to build a slightly more capable ship.

It also might be weird to see both laser and rail-gun technology in the same faction, but the laser technology actually come from another faction and are licensed out to other factions they are friends with. Same goes for allot of other racial technologies. Sometimes components are manufactured and bought, sometimes they are licensed, it depend on how secretive they are about giving out technology to others and making money or other trades.

It is also likely that this ship will be exported to one other faction as well, so that is also part of why they might want a specific type of ship. They are probably also likely to export their old frigates instead of scrapping them eventually.

[Michael Sandy]

While flavorwise, I like that the Raptors have both active and passive sensors, mechanically you would be better off separating them.  You either get a faster Raptor, or variants with more capable active and passive sensors.

I really like having minimal sized scouts available.  More capable sensors ships as well, but for probing ahead of a fleet you want something fast and hard to see.  Cheap enough to have with every squadron.

[Jorgen_CAB (OP)]

While flavorwise, I like that the Raptors have both active and passive sensors, mechanically you would be better off separating them.  You either get a faster Raptor, or variants with more capable active and passive sensors.

I really like having minimal sized scouts available.  More capable sensors ships as well, but for probing ahead of a fleet you want something fast and hard to see.  Cheap enough to have with every squadron.

VB6 only allow the engine to be no smaller than size 1, so it is really hard to get smaller scouts and only one 125t scout fit into the hangar.

For the most part the scouts will be running passive sensors and be spread out all over the place so having more with smaller sensors might actually be beneficial most of the time they are used. The active sensors is only used sometimes.

I'm also trying to run this campaign in preparation for Aurora C# where sensor ranges are not linear anymore so spiting them up like that will not actually provide any real benefit, to get a feel for how those ships will operate with sensors. All factions in this game do for that reason.

Otherwise I agree that having dedicated sensors is the way to go for all small crafts. I usually deploy specifically designed EM, TH or active scouts.

If this was Aurora C# (I wish) then each ship probably would have three or four really small scouts instead and a mix of active, passive type scouts. This would be possible as engines can be much smaller and really small sensors still are quite potent. A 35t scout would be quite difficult to detect with even a resolution 1 sensor and could still scan a significant part of the area around them in contrast.