The Third World War was the result of failed brinksmanship between the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union. Military leaders on both sides had warned the situation was getting out of control but had to respect the orders of their political leadership. The recent development of the first Trans-Newtonian missiles fuelled the tension as they provided the ability to strike very quickly and both sides feared losing their arsenal to a first strike. Events spun out of control. Fearing an imminent Soviet attack, the American president gave the order to launch. France remained neutral, but the NATO and Warsaw Pact nations, China, India and Japan were all drawn into the conflict. Every combatant nation was devastated and the Earth suffered catastrophic ecological damage.
Several countries attempted to evacuate the survivors to other bodies in the solar system. Mars was a potential destination, until the Martian colonies fired on the first ships that approached. China and India both had a number of colonies in the asteroid belt, mainly for mining operations, while Japan had a biological research station on Titan. Several countries had moon bases. Those settlements grew rapidly in the aftermath of the war. The Soviet Union and a coalition of the Anglosphere nations, led by the United States, already had colonies in the Jovian moons. The surviving politicians from those nations ordered what was left of their respective militaries to conquer the opposing colonies to secure more space for evacuees. The military leaders on both sides refused those orders. Instead, the surviving Soviet and allied military command structures agreed a ceasefire and began a joint operation to move as much industry and population as possible to the Jovian moons, with a priority given to military dependents. The civilian leadership that had led humanity to the brink of destruction did not make it on to the colony ships.
During the months following the war, the remaining military forces from the Soviet and Anglosphere countries were amalgamated into a single command structure, which became known as the Jovian Federation. Life on the Jovian colonies was hard in the early years, especially as Trans-Newtonian technology was in its infancy, so military discipline was enforced on the entire population in order to survive. As the decades passed and life became easier, the military regulations were relaxed. Eventually a non-military government was created, based on a presidential democracy with a limited franchise. Society was divided into two classes; citizens and civilians. Although civilians enjoyed all the protections of the law, only citizens were allowed to vote or hold office. To become a citizen, a civilian had to serve in the military forces of the Federation.
The Federation retains its cultural roots from its original source nations and has both Russian and English as its official languages, although English is the more dominant language due to a bias in the original population. Both languages are taught in schools and over time a hybrid language is emerging, particularly among children. The Federation has a broad technological base, although it is not as advanced as the Martian Republic, and has the third highest population in the system. Decades of terraforming have turned the Jovian moons into ideal habitable worlds, from the sub-tropical mountains of Io to the prairies of Callisto.
The Federation Fleet is built around a small number of very capable ships, which includes the largest warship type of any Solarian power, supported by small patrol ships and attack craft. The Kirov class battlecruiser is an attempt to strike a balance between defence and offence and between missile and energy armament. During the design phase of the Kirov, some critics within the Jovian defence establishment expressed concerned that the design tried to do too much and would create a ship that did not excel at anything. The proponents of the Kirov countered with the argument that the battlecruiser would be able to handle any situation it encountered. The Kirov is equipped with a capable sensor suite, eight launchers for the SS-N-2 Malakhit anti-ship missile, eight launchers for the SA-N-1 Strela anti-missile missile, six 15cm lasers and three twin 10cm laser turrets, plus all the necessary fire control systems and magazine space.
Missile names are traditionally Russian, although a variation on the pre-war NATO designation system is used for the model number. Electronic systems, such as sensors and fire controls, have model numbers based on the pre-war Joint Electronics Type Designation System used by the United States. The primary engine manufacturer for the Federation is NPO Energomash, which effectively survived the war as Federation ships successfully evacuated many of its leading scientists and engineers.
Kirov class Battlecruiser 24,000 tons 612 Crew 3,453.2 BP TCS 480 TH 1,920 EM 0
4000 km/s Armour 8-74 Shields 0-0 HTK 141 Sensors 18/6/0/0 DCR 14 PPV 93.48
Maint Life 2.13 Years MSP 1,303 AFR 318% IFR 4.4% 1YR 384 5YR 5,758 Max Repair 240 MSP
Magazine 870
Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
NPO Energomash RD-480 Military Ion Drive (4) Power 1920 Fuel Use 35.00% Signature 480 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 960,000 Litres Range 20.6 billion km (59 days at full power)
15cm Near Ultraviolet Laser (6) Range 180,000km TS: 4,000 km/s Power 6-3 RM 30,000 km ROF 10
Twin 10cm Laser Turret (3x2) Range 90,000km TS: 16000 km/s Power 6-6 RM 30,000 km ROF 5
SPG-6 Laser Fire Control (1) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 4,000 km/s
SPG-5 Point Defence Fire Control (1) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 16,000 km/s
Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (3) Total Power Output 38.1 Exp 5%
MK II Guided Missile Launch System (8) Missile Size: 4.5 Rate of Fire 25
MK I Guided Missile Launch System (8) Missile Size: 1.2 Rate of Fire 15
SPG-12 Missile Fire Control (1) Range 62.8m km Resolution 100
SPG-4 Missile Fire Control (2) Range 16.6m km Resolution 1
SS-N-2 Malakhit (120) Speed: 24,000 km/s End: 42m Range: 61.8m km WH: 5 Size: 4.5 TH: 80/48/24
SA-N-1 Strela (266) Speed: 34,560 km/s End: 2m Range: 4.4m km WH: 1 Size: 1.25 TH: 161/96/48
SPS-3 Missile Detection Sensor (1) GPS 144 Range 16.6m km MCR 1.8m km Resolution 1
SPS-11 Array Surveillance Array (1) GPS 14400 Range 77m km Resolution 100
SQR-9 Passive EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
SAR-15 Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 18 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 33.5m km
The four Jovian moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, each have a pair of orbital defence platforms; one Guardian class armed with thirty anti-missile launchers and one Burevestnik class, armed with eight quad laser turrets. With displacements of less than 10,000 tons, the defence platforms are much smaller than their Martian equivalents. Given the isolationist perspective of the Martian Republic, the Classis Martia has emphasised defence capability, while the Jovian Federation regards the Kirov class as its primary defence, intended to engage the enemy outside the Jovian system, with the orbital platforms providing backup. This forward defence posture is partly due to the need cover four separate locations. Although, depending on orbital positions, the four moons are sometimes close enough to provide mutual anti-missile defence. Collectively, the eight platforms are known as Skywatch, which is subdivided into Ganymede Skywatch, Callisto Skywatch, etc.
Guardian class Orbital Defence Platform 9,950 tons 231 Crew 1,508.8 BP TCS 199 TH 0 EM 0
1 km/s Armour 8-41 Shields 0-0 HTK 71 Sensors 6/6/0/0 DCR 3 PPV 36
Maint Life 1.36 Years MSP 284 AFR 264% IFR 3.7% 1YR 165 5YR 2,472 Max Repair 144 MSP
Magazine 1,411
Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Morale Check Required
MK I Guided Missile Launch System (30) Missile Size: 1.2 Rate of Fire 15
SPG-4 Missile Fire Control (6) Range 16.6m km Resolution 1
SA-N-1 Strela (1128) Speed: 34,560 km/s End: 2m Range: 4.4m km WH: 1 Size: 1.25 TH: 161/96/48
SPS-3 Missile Detection Sensor (1) GPS 144 Range 16.6m km MCR 1.8m km Resolution 1
SQR-9 Passive EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
SAR-10 Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
Burevestnik class Orbital Defence Platform 9,850 tons 316 Crew 1,607.7 BP TCS 197 TH 0 EM 0
1 km/s Armour 6-40 Shields 0-0 HTK 59 Sensors 6/6/0/0 DCR 3 PPV 126.72
Maint Life 1.33 Years MSP 305 AFR 260% IFR 3.6% 1YR 183 5YR 2,752 Max Repair 81.6 MSP
Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Morale Check Required
Quad 10cm Near Ultraviolet Laser Turret (8x4) Range 64,000km TS: 16000 km/s Power 12-12 RM 30,000 km ROF 5
SPG-5 Point Defence Fire Control (4) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 16,000 km/s 84 69 53 38 22 6 0 0 0 0
Large Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (4) Total Power Output 98.4 Exp 5%
SPS-7 Missile Detection Sensor (1) GPS 16 Range 5.5m km MCR 602k km Resolution 1
SPN-8 Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1600 Range 25.7m km Resolution 100
SAR-10 Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
SQR-9 Passive EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
The Kirov class battlecruisers are line-of-battle ships and not suited for more general patrol duties. Therefore, the Federation has developed the River class Patrol Vessel. The River is small and cheap, yet has a reasonable sensor suite, excellent range and endurance and a battery of ten SS-N-3 Bazalt missiles in a vertical launch system. Although the Bazalt has a significantly shorter range than the SS-N-2 Malakhit and is eleven percent slower, it has a warhead almost twice as large. The Rivers can be sent on long duration missions throughout the Sol system, without the risk involved in dispatching one of the valuable Kirovs.
River class Patrol Vessel 1,000 tons 14 Crew 116.3 BP TCS 20 TH 60 EM 0
3002 km/s Armour 1-8 Shields 0-0 HTK 7 Sensors 6/6/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 45
Maint Life 3.03 Years MSP 18 AFR 32% IFR 0.4% 1YR 3 5YR 44 Max Repair 30 MSP
Magazine 45
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 24 months Morale Check Required
NPO Energomash RD-60 Military Ion Drive (1) Power 60 Fuel Use 98.99% Signature 60 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 136,000 Litres Range 24.7 billion km (95 days at full power)
MK III Vertical Launch System (10) Missile Size: 4.5 Hangar Reload 106 minutes MF Reload 17 hours
SPG-17 Missile Fire Control (1) Range 28.1m km Resolution 100
SS-N-3 Bazalt (10) Speed: 21,333 km/s End: 19m Range: 25m km WH: 9 Size: 4.50 TH: 71/42/21
SPN-8 Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1600 Range 25.7m km Resolution 100
SQR-9 Passive EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
SAR-10 Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
An even smaller craft than the River is the Molniya (English: Lightning) class corvette. The Molniya is primarily designed for combat operations relatively close to bases in the Jovian system, striking at any approaching hostile force. It is also capable of strikes against inner system targets, or even against Titan given certain orbital alignments. A variant, known as the Molniya-S, replaces four of the missiles launchers and the SPS-18 active sensor with the more capable SPS-16 active sensor, with a range of forty-four million kilometres. The Molniya-S allows corvette flotillas to target their missiles at maximum range when operating outside the support range of larger warships.
Molniya class Corvette 500 tons 8 Crew 72.5 BP TCS 10 TH 72 EM 0
7214 km/s Armour 1-5 Shields 0-0 HTK 2 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 27
Maint Life 0 Years MSP 0 AFR 99% IFR 1.4% 1YR 9 5YR 135 Max Repair 36 MSP
Magazine 27
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 0.5 months Morale Check Required
NPO Energomash RD-72B Boosted Ion Drive (1) Power 72 Fuel Use 722.96% Signature 72 Explosion 20%
Fuel Capacity 76,000 Litres Range 3.8 billion km (6 days at full power)
MK III Vertical Launch System (6) Missile Size: 4.5 Hangar Reload 106 minutes MF Reload 17 hours
SPG-17 Missile Fire Control (1) Range 28.1m km Resolution 100
SS-N-3 Bazalt (6) Speed: 21,333 km/s End: 19m Range: 25m km WH: 9 Size: 4.50 TH: 71/42/21
SPS-18 Active Sensor (1) GPS 480 Range 14.1m km Resolution 100
The Jovian Federation only recently completed the full geological survey of the Sol system using three Armstrong class Geological Survey Vessels. Callisto provided a good source of minerals in the early years and concentrating on survival was more important than exploration. Deposits are now running low, with Duranium below 200,000 tons and five mineral deposits below 100,000 tons. Ganymede has large, accessible deposits of Boronide and Europa has smaller, low accessibility deposits of six minerals, although not Duranium or Neutronium. In the future, the Federation will need to establish mining colonies outside the Jovian system, probably in competition with other nations. The recent news from the Martian Republic suggests those deposits may even be found outside the Sol system, which means the Armstrongs may soon be back in operation. The Armstrong is a dedicated survey design, with excellent range and endurance, plus a useful sensor suite. Unlike the much larger Martian Angelus class, they lack any armament.
Armstrong class Geological Survey Vessel 4,200 tons 99 Crew 660.7 BP TCS 84 TH 252 EM 0
3000 km/s Armour 1-23 Shields 0-0 HTK 29 Sensors 18/18/0/3 DCR 5 PPV 0
Maint Life 7.47 Years MSP 491 AFR 28% IFR 0.4% 1YR 15 5YR 232 Max Repair 100 MSP
Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 60 months Morale Check Required
NPO Energomash RD-250FE Fuel Efficient Ion Drive (1) Power 252 Fuel Use 16.57% Signature 252 Exp 7%
Fuel Capacity 665,000 Litres Range 172 billion km (663 days at full power)
SPS-16 Active Sensor (1) GPS 4800 Range 44.4m km Resolution 100
SAR-15 Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 18 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 33.5m km
SQR-14 Passive EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 18 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 33.5m km
Geological Survey Sensors (3) 3 Survey Points Per Hour
The Jovian Federation has over three hundred fuel refinery complexes, all of which are based on Europa. These complexes rely on Sorium mined from Callisto and that deposit has just dropped below one hundred and ten thousand tons. Fortunately, there is five hundred and seventy thousand tons of accessibility 0.9 gaseous Sorium in the atmosphere of Jupiter. The Jupiter class Fuel Harvester Base was designed to extract that Sorium and ensure Jovian fuel supplies for the foreseeable future.
Jupiter class Fuel Harvester Base 155,150 tons 630 Crew 2,094.8 BP TCS 3,103 TH 0 EM 0
1 km/s No Armour Shields 0-0 HTK 333 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 1 PPV 0
MSP 8 Max Repair 30 MSP
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Fuel Harvester: 60 modules producing 2,880,000 litres per annum
Fuel Capacity 3,000,000 Litres Range N/A
Refuelling Capability: 50,000 litres per hour Complete Refuel 60 hours
The Genesis class Terraforming Stations were the means by which the Jovian moons were transformed into ideal habitable worlds, a task which required many decades of effort. All four stations have now been towed into orbit of Io, the innermost of the four inhabited moons, in case they are needed in the future, a situation that seems far more likely after the Martian revelation regarding jump point theory.
Genesis class Terraforming Station 151,600 tons 610 Crew 3,218.6 BP TCS 3,032 TH 0 EM 0
1 km/s No Armour Shields 0-0 HTK 79 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 1 PPV 0
MSP 13 Max Repair 500 MSP
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Terraformer: 6 modules producing 0.0019 atm per annum
Federation Fleet Order of Battle6x Kirov class Battlecruiser:
Constitution, Enterprise, Kirov, Slava, Victory, Yorktown4x Guardian class Orbital Defence Platform
4x Burevestnik Orbital Defence Platform
3x Armstrong class Geological Survey Vessel:
Neil Armstrong, Yuri Gagarin, James Cook2x Iwo Jima class Troop Transport:
Iwo Jima, Stalingrad12x River class Patrol Vessel:
Amur, Colorado, Dnieper, Don, Mississippi, Missouri, Murray, Neva, Rio Grande, Saint Lawrence, Severn, Volga.24x Molniya class Corvette
4x Molniya-S class Corvette
2x Liberty class Freighter
3x Mayflower class Colony Ship
4x Jupiter class Fuel Harvester Base
4x Genesis class Terraforming Station
2x Apache class Tug
2x Boris Chilikin class Tanker
Federation Ground ForcesAll army and naval ranks in the Jovian Federation follow the pre-war Western pattern. Ground force organization generally follows the pre-war Soviet Union in terms of both structure and the naming of different ground unit types, although some old Western numeric designations survive in the same way as shipboard missiles. The main manoeuvre formations are the Motor Rifle Regiment and the Tank Regiment. Each Motor Rifle Regiment comprises three Motor Rifle Battalions and one Tank Battalion, plus Regimental-level assets such as artillery, air defence and static anti-tank weapons. A Tank Regiment has the reverse structure with three Tank Battalions, one Motor Rifle Battalion and various Regimental assets.
A Motor Rifle Battalion is a combined-arms formation that comprises five hundred riflemen armed with the AK-40 assault rifle, forty-two BMP-4 combat vehicles armed with light autocannons, forty-five RPK-40 light machine guns, thirty-five light anti-vehicle RPG-1s, eight light mortars and nine SA-1 Berkut light SAMs. A Tank Battalion has a much simpler organization with forty T-50 medium battle tanks and two T-50B command tanks. Regiment-level assets for both regimental types include D-30 medium howitzers and SA-2 Dvina medium SAMs, plus security forces. The Motor Rifle Regiment also has a separate Anti-Tank Battery armed with the AT-1 Schmel medium anti-tank missile.
Each of the four moons has a Motor Rifle Regiment assigned to its defence. Three Tank Regiments are based on Ganymede as the strategic offensive force, should one be required. As with all the Solarian powers, ground forces are tiny compared to pre-war. Throughout almost all the trans-Newtonian age, it was believed that any war would be won in space and ground forces were therefore irrelevant. In recent years, as planetary defences against missile strikes have improved and the potential for future conflicts over resources has increased, ground forces are once again being regarded as a key element of military capability.
In addition to normal ground forces, each of the four moons has a Space Defence Regiment, which comprises six ZSU-23-4 Shilka static quad laser turrets and a Ground-based Laser Regiment, which comprises of twelve Peresvet 15cm lasers. Each of the two regiment types also includes twenty-four SA-2 Dvina medium SAMs, to protect against attack by hostile corvette-sized ships. The Jovian Molniya class Corvette, unlike larger Trans-Newtonian ships, is capable of moving very close to the surface of a planetary body where it cannot be engaged by weapons designed for surface-to-orbit fire. The SA-2 Dvinas are present in case a hostile power develops similar-size craft dedicated to a close-ground-strike mission.
