2152 was notable for three reasons; the first significant gravitational surveys of the Sol system were undertaken by the Jovian Federation and the Shogunate of Titan, the Federation conducted the first jumps into interstellar space and all the Solarian powers began work on their next generation of capital ships.
The Jovian Federation gained a temporary lead over its rivals due to its unique combination of technology and industry. While the Shogunate had fighter factories and the Colonial Coalition had tractor technology, only the Federation had both. The construction of six 500-ton Newton class survey craft and four Gateway class space stations allowed the Federation to complete the gravitational survey of Sol by December 1st, discovering five jump points in total. During that survey, the Jovian ship geological survey ship Neil Armstrong became the first Solarian ship to conduct an interstellar jump, assisted by the Gateway station positioned on the jump point. By the end of the year, the Neil Armstrong and her sister ships Yuri Gagarin and James Cook had explored all five jump points and completed geological surveys of all five systems.
The innermost jump point, just within the orbit of Jupiter, led to Luyten 726-8, a red dwarf binary with ten planets, seventy-eight moons and two hundred and eighty asteroids. The third planet of the primary was a tide-locked terrestrial world with surface ice, temperature of -94C and a nitrogen-methane atmosphere of 0.25 atm, resulting in a colony cost of 2.00. The companion star had a dwarf planet that was also colony cost 2.00, but without any surface water or atmosphere. However, it did have six million tons of accessibility 0.9 Duranium plus deposits of five other minerals. The complete survey of the system revealed a significant number of mineral-rich asteroids orbiting close to companion star, including twenty that each had between five and thirty thousand tons of accessibility 1.0 Duranium plus several other minerals, while the third planet of the companion was a gas giant with two hundred thousand tons of accessibility 1.0 Sorium. Once all the powers surveyed the system, there was likely to be competition for its resources.
Luyten 726-8 B I Mineral SurveyDuranium: 6,223,392 0.90
Tritanium: 54,756 0.20
Boronide: 93,636 0.60
Mercassium: 2,396,304 0.50
Vendarite: 2,924,100 0.90
Sorium: 2,862,864 0.90
Asteroid #62 Mineral SurveyDuranium: 16,200 1.00
Tritanium: 12,544 1.00
Mercassium: 6,724 0.90
Vendarite: 576 0.90
Sorium: 14,400 1.00
Uridium: 34,596 0.90
Corundium: 4,356 1.00
Gallicite: 32,400 0.90
Asteroid #151 Mineral SurveyDuranium: 31,994 1.00
Neutronium: 20,512 0.90
Boronide: 21,048 1.00
Vendarite: 19,983 0.90
Corundium: 55 0.90
Gallicite: 9,718 1.00
The second Solarian jump point, mid-way between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn, connected to a jump point four billion kilometres from Sirius, an A-class star more than sixty times brighter than Sol. The star had two planets, the outer of which had a moon. Sirius-A I, orbiting eight hundred million kilometres from the star, was an Earth-like world with gravity of 0.99G, temperature of 28C, liquid oceans covering 66% of the surface and a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere of 0.98 atm. Great jungle-covered rift valleys scoured the landscape. The only reason it was not an ideal habitable world was that the oxygen content of 35% was too high for human tolerance. Removing that excess oxygen would be the only terraforming required. A geological survey of the near-habitable world revealed a stunning sixty million tons of accessibility 1.0 Duranium. Unfortunately, the other four minerals present were at 0.1 accessibility, although there was a minimal chance than a ground survey might reveal additional deposits. The primary star also had a planetless white dwarf companion.
Jump point three, just inside the orbit of Saturn and the first to be transited, led to Luhman 16, a brown dwarf binary that proved to be far less interesting system than Luyten or Sirius. The inner of two planets was a large, low density world with no water and a frozen atmosphere while the outer was a superjovian with twelve unremarkable moons. The potential saving grace was that Luhman II had fifty-four million tons of accessibility 0.6 Sorium, securing the fuel supply for the three species of humanity for the foreseeable future.
Jump points four and five led respectively to the systems of 61 Cygni, a binary of two K-class stars, and Wolf 359, a red dwarf. Both systems were planetless, except for a small number of comets. The fourth jump point was outside the orbit of Saturn while the fifth was outside the orbit of Uranus.
Even while the Sol survey was still underway, the Newton survey craft were sent into the surrounding systems. The first extra-solar jump point was discovered in the Luhman system in July 2152. The full survey of the system revealed two more. They could not yet be explored as the only jump drives were on the Gateway class stations and the stations could not be moved into Luhman until the Federation developed commercial drives large enough for the 90,000-ton Apache class tug. A large drive was under development but would not be ready until July 2153.
By the end of 2152, two Newtons were surveying Luyten, two more were surveying 61 Cygni with the final two still in Sol, one in overhaul and one returning home to Europa. On December 25th, The Jovian Federation launched its first full size gravitational survey vessels, the Alexei Leonov and the John Glenn. Both ships moved into Sirius to begin operations.
The Shogunate of Titan had its own small gravitational survey craft, the Zuiun, six of which were in service by the end of the year. By that point the Shogunate had discovered four of the five jump points, missing only 61 Cygni, yet was unable to transit due to the lack of a deployed jump drive. The Shogunate had developed both military and commercial jump drives by the end of 2152, although it could not make use of a similar station to the Jovian Gateway as it lacked the tractor technology required to tow such a station into place. As the Shogunate drives were to be deployed on ships, Shogun Tokugawa had made a decision to wait for improved efficiency technology before the first Shogunate drives were designed. That technology became available in June, leading to the design of the Shimakaze class Gravitational Survey Vessel and the Kamikawa Maru class Jump Tender.
The Shimakaze was a capable ship, with an inherent jump drive, three gravitational survey sensors and substantial endurance. Two were laid down in the Kokan Shipyard, with an estimated launch date of November 2153. The role of the Kamikawa Maru was to be stationed on jump points to facilitate the movement of Shogunate colony ships and freighters and to provide a forward refuelling capability for all Shogunate ships. The Kawasaki Heavy Industries shipyard was ordered to build the new design, with retooling 87% complete at the end of 2152. Some Shogunate designs, such as fuel harvesters and terraforming stations, were too large for the Kamikawa Maru’s Mitsubishi-Matsuda MM-49C Commercial Jump Drive, so a larger version of the drive, with a capacity of 128,000 tons, was under development and expected to be available by August 2153.
Shimakaze class Gravitational Survey Vessel 6,450 tons 164 Crew 819 BP TCS 129 TH 360 EM 0
2785 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 1-30 Shields 0-0 HTK 42 Sensors 5/6/3/0 DCR 8 PPV 0
Maint Life 6.26 Years MSP 673 AFR 39% IFR 0.5% 1YR 30 5YR 443 Max Repair 135 MSP
Kaigun-Ch?sa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 60 months Morale Check Required
Mitsubishi-Matsuda MM-65 Military Jump Drive Max Ship Size 6500 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Sakura Drive Systems SDS-360E Ion Drive (1) Power 360 Fuel Use 19.49% Signature 360 Explosion 7%
Fuel Capacity 1,000,000 Litres Range 142.9 billion km (593 days at full power)
TH-5 Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 17.7m km
EM-6 Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
Gravitational Survey Sensors (3) 3 Survey Points Per Hour
Kamikawa Maru class Jump Tender 42,700 tons 206 Crew 683.9 BP TCS 854 TH 1,440 EM 0
1686 km/s JR 2-25(C) Armour 1-108 Shields 0-0 HTK 107 Sensors 5/6/0/0 DCR 1 PPV 0
MSP 10 Max Repair 88.1 MSP
Kaigun-Ch?sa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Mitsubishi-Matsuda MM-49C Commercial Jump Drive Max Ship Size 49000 tons Distance 25k km Sqdn Size 2
Commercial Ion Drive (10) Power 1440 Fuel Use 1.97% Signature 144 Explosion 3%
Fuel Capacity 8,000,000 Litres Range 1,710.1 billion km (11739 days at full power)
Refuelling Capability: 50,000 litres per hour Complete Refuel 160 hours
EM-6 Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
TH-5 Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 17.7m km
The only other Solarian power to begin a gravitational survey of Sol in 2152 was the Colonial Coalition. The Coalition laid down three Artemis class Gravitational Survey Vessels in 2152, with the first two ships scheduled for delivery in April 2153. To speed up the survey process, the Coalition also produced a 1000-ton survey design. The Aethra class Gravitational Survey Craft was equipped with two survey sensors, making it more capable than the Jovian Newtons and Shogunate Zuiuns, and had the endurance to conduct 18-month missions. The first Aethra was launched on November 23rd 2152 and discovered the Sirius jump point before the end of the year.
Aethra class Gravitational Survey Craft 1,000 tons 25 Crew 246.9 BP TCS 20 TH 38 EM 0
1903 km/s Armour 1-8 Shields 0-0 HTK 8 Sensors 0/0/2/0 DCR 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 1.77 Years MSP 38 AFR 32% IFR 0.4% 1YR 15 5YR 225 Max Repair 100 MSP
Shao Xiao Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 18 months Morale Check Required
Rokhimah-Budiarto RB-38E Ion Drive (1) Power 38 Fuel Use 63.36% Signature 38 Explosion 8%
Fuel Capacity 165,000 Litres Range 47 billion km (285 days at full power)
Gravitational Survey Sensors (2) 2 Survey Points Per Hour
In preparation for the launch of the Aethra and the Artemis class ships, the Coalition had constructed a pair of Thule class Space Stations. The Thule was intended to fulfil a similar role to the Jovian Gateway class stations, with the addition of acting as a refuelling point. A Thule was towed to the Sirius jump point by a 150,000-ton Vanadis class tug. On December 15th, the geological survey vessel Aquitania transited into Sirius, making the Colonial Coalition the second interstellar power.
Thule class Space Station 7,450 tons 96 Crew 306.7 BP TCS 149 TH 0 EM 0
1 km/s JR 3-50 No Armour Shields 0-0 HTK 34 Sensors 5/6/0/0 DCR 1 PPV 0
MSP 25 Max Repair 114 MSP
Zhong Xiao Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Zhao Marine ZM-60 Military Jump Drive Max Ship Size 6000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Fuel Capacity 5,000,000 Litres Range N/A
Refuelling Capability: 50,000 litres per hour Complete Refuel 100 hours
Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 1440 Range 23.6m km Resolution 120
T-5 Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 17.7m km
E-6 Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
The People’s Republic of Terra suffered from several disadvantages in the race to explore interstellar space. Its research establishment was more limited than its rivals, although it was starting to close the gap with the number of research facilities increasing from fifteen at the start of 2150 to twenty-three by the end of 2152. Because of that limitation, the People’s Republic lacked tractor beam technology, which would have allowed space stations similar to those of the Federation and the Coalition and also did not possess any fighter factories, which prevented the deployment of small survey craft. Furthermore, Terra did not have the sufficient research capacity to adopt the Martian and Shogunate approach of waiting for improved efficiency technology before developing jump drives. Therefore, as soon as the basic drive technologies were available, the People’s Republic developed the Vaillant Aeromarine VA60 Jump Drive, a military drive for ships of up to 6000 tons, and incorporated that drive into the Antarès class Gravitational Survey Vessel. As the drive required 25% of the tonnage of the ship, the Antarès had only two survey sensors and less endurance than similar-sized ships of other powers. The People’s Republic planned to correct that gap in capability by simply building more survey ships than anyone else. The first pair of Antarès were laid down in April 2152, with an expected completion date of May 2153.
Antarès class Gravitational Survey Vessel 6,000 tons 147 Crew 652.1 BP TCS 120 TH 240 EM 0
2000 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 1-29 Shields 0-0 HTK 40 Sensors 5/0/2/0 DCR 5 PPV 0
Maint Life 4.63 Years MSP 373 AFR 52% IFR 0.7% 1YR 28 5YR 425 Max Repair 114 MSP
Capitaine de frégate Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 48 months Morale Check Required
Vaillant Aeromarine VA60 Jump Drive Max Ship Size 6000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Saint-Pierre-Gasnier Marine SPGM-120E Nuclear Pulse Drive (2) Power 240 Fuel Use 27.56% Sig 120 Exp 7%
Fuel Capacity 856,000 Litres Range 93.2 billion km (539 days at full power)
Falcon-Segre AS-20 Active Search Sensor (1) GPS 1200 Range 22.2m km Resolution 100
Bellegarde-Beaumanoir BB-5T Passive Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 17.7m km
Gravitational Survey Sensors (2) 2 Survey Points Per Hour
The Martian Republic laid down its first pair of Belisarius class survey ships in 2151, but due to their size and cost the expected delivery date was April 2153. In any event, the Senate was more interested in producing capable ships than competing with what they regarded as the lesser powers. In October 2152, Mars began construction of two Cygnus class jump freighters, a design intended for either holding station on a jump point to provide jump capability to Martian commercial traffic or for independent operations as a jump-capable freighter.
Cygnus class Jump Freighter 93,800 tons 403 Crew 1,352.7 BP TCS 1,876 TH 3,744 EM 0
1995 km/s JR 2-25(C) Armour 1-183 Shields 0-0 HTK 124 Sensors 8/0/0/0 DCR 1 PPV 0
MSP 9 Max Repair 296.2 MSP
Cargo 25,000 Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 5
Trierarch Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Valerian-Sollemnis Drive Systems VSD-95C Jump Drive Max Ship Size 95500 tons Distance 25k km Sqn. Size 2
Commercial Magneto-plasma Drive (13) Power 3744 Fuel Use 1.41% Signature 288 Explosion 3%
Fuel Capacity 150,000 Litres Range 20.4 billion km (118 days at full power)
S8 Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
2152 saw a great deal of activity in the arena of warship design. In February, the Shogunate of Titan began retooling two of its shipyards to build the Nagato class strike cruiser and the Soryu class carrier. At 27,350 tons and 33,300 tons respectively, the Nagato and Soryu were both larger than the largest warship in service with any power, the 24,000 ton Kirov class of the Jovian Federation. The Nagato was a scaled-up Kongo class, with fifty percent more railguns and shields than the earlier design.
Nagato class Strike Cruiser 27,250 tons 747 Crew 3,950.8 BP TCS 545 TH 2,400 EM 4,140
4400 km/s Armour 5-80 Shields 138-368 HTK 159 Sensors 10/12/0/0 DCR 16 PPV 149.28
Maint Life 2.00 Years MSP 1,448 AFR 372% IFR 5.2% 1YR 482 5YR 7,223 Max Repair 240 MSP
Kaigun-Ch?sa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Sakura Drive Systems SDS-480 Ion Drive (5) Power 2400 Fuel Use 40.0% Signature 480 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 1,065,000 Litres Range 17.6 billion km (46 days at full power)
Tanaka Defence Systems TDS-46 Shield Generator (3) Recharge Time 368 seconds (0.4 per second)
Twin Gauss Cannon Turret (4x6) Range 30,000km TS: 16000 km/s Power 0-0 RM 30,000 km ROF 5
Katsura-Takagi KT-20 Railgun (12x4) Range 160,000km TS: 4,400 km/s Power 12-4 RM 40,000 km ROF 15
Gauss Turret Fire Control (2) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 16,000 km/s 84 69 53 38 22 6 0 0 0 0
Railgun Fire Control (3) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 4,000 km/s 96 92 88 84 80 77 73 69 65 61
Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (3) Total Power Output 50.1 Exp 5%
Kitagawa-Takemoto KT-55 Active Search Sensor (1) GPS 7560 Range 55.3m km Resolution 105
Kitagawa-Takemoto KT-5A Missile Detection Sensor (1) GPS 12 Range 4.8m km MCR 521.3k km Res 1
TH-10 Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 10 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 25m km
EM-12 Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 12 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 27.4m km
Rather than a larger version of the existing Akagi class strike carrier, which was intended to function as an integral part of the Shogunate battle fleet, the Soryu class was intended to operate in a support role and conduct strikes at a distance. With no requirement for high speed or strong defences, the Soryu was able to dedicate fifty percent of its displacement to the hangar deck, compared to thirty-eight percent for the Akagi. By the end of 2152, two Nagatos and one Soryu were under construction with completion dates in August and September of 2154.
Soryu class Carrier 33,300 tons 574 Crew 3,756.4 BP TCS 666 TH 2,400 EM 0
3603 km/s Armour 2-92 Shields 0-0 HTK 167 Sensors 5/0/0/0 DCR 23 PPV 0
Maint Life 2.09 Years MSP 1,621 AFR 386% IFR 5.4% 1YR 496 5YR 7,446 Max Repair 240 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 16,000 tons
Kaigun-Ch?sa Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Flight Crew Berths 320 Morale Check Required
Sakura Drive Systems SDS-480 Ion Drive (5) Power 2400 Fuel Use 40.0% Signature 480 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 1,750,000 Litres Range 23.6 billion km (75 days at full power)
Kitagawa-Takemoto KT-55 Active Search Sensor (1) GPS 7560 Range 55.3m km Resolution 105
TH-5 Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 17.7m km
Strike Group
32x Reisen Strikefighter Speed: 9638 km/s Size: 9.96
The Martian Republic designed the Tiberius class battlecruiser which, at 24,000 tons, was one third larger than the existing Trajan class, and began retooling the single-slipway Panthera Marine shipyard. The Tiberius was a straightforward up-scaling of the Trajan, with sixteen launchers vs twelve, an appropriate expansion in magazine capacity, increased armour and improved passive sensors. With a fourth Trajan launched in March 2152 and a fifth under construction, it would be 2154 before the first Tiberius was even laid down.
Tiberius class Battlecruiser 24,000 tons 610 Crew 3,759.2 BP TCS 480 TH 2,560 EM 0
5336 km/s Armour 9-74 Shields 0-0 HTK 142 Sensors 24/24/0/0 DCR 15 PPV 96
Maint Life 2.10 Years MSP 1,518 AFR 297% IFR 4.1% 1YR 461 5YR 6,908 Max Repair 320 MSP
Magazine 1,344
Trierarch Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Marcellus-Gaius MG-640 Magneto-plasma Drive (4) Power 2560 Fuel Use 35.00% Signature 640 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 1,000,000 Litres Range 21.4 billion km (46 days at full power)
Gladius Missile Launcher (16) Missile Size: 6 Rate of Fire 20
Victricius Sensor Systems VSS-90F Missile Fire Control (2) Range 90.3m km Resolution 105
Gladius Anti-Ship Missile (224) Speed: 32,633 km/s End: 46.3m Range: 90.6m km WH: 9 Size: 6 TH: 108/65/32
Victricius Sensor Systems VSS-90 Active Search Sensor (1) GPS 15120 Range 90.3m km Resolution 105
S24 Passive EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 24 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 38.7m km
S24 Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 24 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 38.7m km
By the end of 2152, the People’s Republic of Terra had eighteen 20,000 ton République class missile cruisers in service, with a further two under construction, supported by nineteen 10,000 ton Normandie class escort cruisers with one more under construction. The first of a new class, the Arrogante class Missile Cruiser, intended to succeed the République design, was laid down in October. As with the Shogunate Nagato and Martian Tiberius, the Arrogante was a larger version of its predecessor class, with two extra Exocet launchers, twenty-five percent greater magazine capacity and additional armour.
Arrogante class Missile Cruiser 25,000 tons 660 Crew 2,931.4 BP TCS 500 TH 1,200 EM 0
2400 km/s Armour 7-76 Shields 0-0 HTK 157 Sensors 15/6/0/0 DCR 14 PPV 120
Maint Life 2.24 Years MSP 1,062 AFR 345% IFR 4.8% 1YR 285 5YR 4,274 Max Repair 120 MSP
Magazine 1,334
Capitaine de frégate Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Saint-Pierre-Gasnier Marine SPGM-240 Nuclear Pulse Drive (5) Power 1200 Fuel Use 46.19% Sig 240 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 1,250,000 Litres Range 19.5 billion km (93 days at full power)
Exocet Launcher (10) Missile Size: 12 Rate of Fire 35
Falcon-Segre FC70 Missile Fire Control (2) Range 70.8m km Resolution 120
MM50 Exocet (111) Speed: 7,200 km/s End: 153.6m Range: 69.6m km WH: 0 Size: 12 TH: 24/14/7
Falcon-Segre AS-70 Active Search Sensor (1) GPS 12960 Range 70.8m km Resolution 120
Bellegarde-Beaumanoir BB-15T Passive Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 15 Detect Strength 1000: 30.6m km
Bellegarde-Beaumanoir BB-6E Passive EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Strength 1000: 19.4m km
Unlike the other powers, the Colonial Coalition had no true capital ships, instead relying on a fleet of fast attack craft supported by several 6000-ton Kassandra class patrol vessels. Faced with the prospect of expansion into interstellar space, the Coalition Council decided to design and build the first large Colonial warship. With no experience in the field of capital ship design, the Colonial shipwrights fell back on their existing knowledge and created a much larger version of the Kassandra. With six 10cm railguns, the Alkeste could mount a limited defence against missile attack and had a point-blank offensive energy weapon capability. The main armament comprised one hundred and forty box launchers for the Medusa anti-ship missile, which maintained the Colonial doctrine of deterrence through a massive second strike capability. The Khorram Marine shipyard, which built the Apollo class defence monitors, began retooling, with an expectation that the first Alkeste would be laid down in March 2153.
Alkeste class Patrol Cruiser 15,000 tons 244 Crew 1,894.9 BP TCS 300 TH 1,200 EM 0
4000 km/s Armour 6-54 Shields 0-0 HTK 59 Sensors 5/6/0/0 DCR 7 PPV 578
Maint Life 2.33 Years MSP 552 AFR 257% IFR 3.6% 1YR 139 5YR 2,080 Max Repair 120 MSP
Magazine 560
Zhong Xiao Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
Kabadagi-Baidya KB-240 Ion Drive (5) Power 1200 Fuel Use 49.50% Signature 240 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 845,000 Litres Range 20.5 billion km (59 days at full power)
Jiang Kinetics JK-10 PD Railgun (6x4) Range 40,000km TS: 4,000 km/s Power 3-3 RM 40,000 km ROF 5
Tsien-Ren TR-16M Beam Fire Control (2) Max Range: 48,000 km TS: 16,000 km/s 79 58 38 17 0 0 0 0 0 0
Pamungkas-Rokhimah PR-9 Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (2) Total Power Output 18.2 Exp 5%
Medusa Box Launcher (140) Missile Size: 4 Hangar Reload 100 minutes MF Reload 16 hours
Minerva-45 Missile Fire Control (2) Range 45.2m km Resolution 105
Medusa Anti-Ship Missile (140) Speed: 24,000 km/s End: 27.9m Range: 40.2m km WH: 5 Size: 4
Dhonsi-Rao DR-70 Active Search Sensor (1) GPS 12960 Range 70.8m km Resolution 120
Dhonsi-Rao DR-5A Missile Detection Sensor (1) GPS 12 Range 4.8m km MCR 521.3k km Resolution 1
E-6 Passive Sensor (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
T-5 Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 17.7m km
The Jovian Federation went further than any of the other powers with the design of the Kirov II class Battlecruiser, fifty percent larger than the original Kirov. The number of anti-ship and AMM missile launchers was increased from eight to twelve, the 15cm lasers increased from six to eight and a fourth twin 10cm laser turret was added. Total armour volume increased by over sixty percent. Jovian doctrine was to build a ship that could do everything, although that objective continued to provoke debate within the naval community. The Severodvinsk Shipyard would be ready to lay down the first Kirov II in February 2153.
Kirov II class Battlecruiser 36,000 tons 887 Crew 5,128.8 BP TCS 720 TH 2,880 EM 0
4000 km/s Armour 10-97 Shields 0-0 HTK 203 Sensors 18/18/0/0 DCR 21 PPV 132.64
Maint Life 2.05 Years MSP 1,887 AFR 489% IFR 6.8% 1YR 598 5YR 8,975 Max Repair 240 MSP
Magazine 1,443
Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
NPO Energomash RD-480 Military Ion Drive (6) Power 2880 Fuel Use 35.00% Signature 480 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 1,400,000 Litres Range 20 billion km (57 days at full power)
15cm Near Ultraviolet Laser (8) Range 180,000km TS: 4,000 km/s Power 6-3 RM 30,000 km ROF 10
Twin 10cm Laser Turret (4x2) Range 90,000km TS: 16000 km/s Power 6-6 RM 30,000 km ROF 5
SPG-6 Laser Fire Control (2) Max Range: 256,000 km TS: 4,000 km/s 96 92 88 84 80 77 73 69 65 61
SPG-5 Point Defence Fire Control (2) Max Range: 64,000 km TS: 16,000 km/s 84 69 53 38 22 6 0 0 0 0
Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (4) Total Power Output 50.8 Exp 5%
MK II Guided Missile Launch System (12) Missile Size: 4.5 Rate of Fire 25
MK I Guided Missile Launch System (12) Missile Size: 1.2 Rate of Fire 15
SPG-12 Missile Fire Control (2) Range 62.8m km Resolution 100
SPG-4 Missile Fire Control (3) Range 16.6m km Resolution 1
SS-N-2 Malakhit (192) Speed: 24,000 km/s End: 43m Range: 61.8m km WH: 5 Size: 4.5 TH: 80/48/24
SA-N-1 Strela (463) Speed: 34,560 km/s End: 2.1m 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-14 Passive EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 18 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 33.5m km
SAR-15 Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 18 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 33.5m km
In mid-2152, the Federation launched four of the new Vishnya class intelligence ships. All four of the 1000-ton vessels were immediately deployed. Kareliya was ordered to remain within sixty million kilometres of Mars, Tavriya moved to shadow Earth at a similar distance, Vishnya was assigned to Ceres and Priazovye held position five million kilometres from Mercury. Over time, the intelligence ships would gather data on the populations of the other powers until they had an accurate picture of the installations on the surface.
In July, the Martian Republic completed development of a new ground unit, the Scientia Antiquatis Aliena vehicle, which was intended be used to study alien ruins if any were ever found. Martian Ground Force Construction Complexes began building two Cohors Scientia Antiquatis formations, each with sixteen such vehicles escorted by sixty Veles (Martian light infantry).
The Colonial Coalition launched its first two Alexandra class fuel harvester stations in August, which were towed to Neptune by the two Vanadis class tugs. While Hygeia had two hundred and eighty fuel refineries, the Sorium deposits on Ceres were below 100,000 tons, so the Coalition was preparing for a time when planetary-based Sorium might not be available. The harvesters would also make deep space operations easier by providing a convenient refuelling point if a suitable gas giant was located.
All five powers constructed numerous ships during 2152, several of which have been previously mentioned. The Martin Republic launched Vespasian, the fourth Trajan class battlecruiser plus a Maximus class orbital weapon platform, a troop transport and four freighters. The Jovian Federation constructed the Kirov class battlecruiser Ontario, the two Alexi Leonov gravitational survey vessels, the four Vishnya class intelligence ships, two colony ships and five freighters. The People’s Republic of Terra launched two Normandie class escort cruisers, two Jaguar class troop transports, three colony ships and three freighters. The Shogunate of Titan built Fuji, the ninth Kongo class strike cruiser, two fuel harvesters and three freighters. Finally, the Colonial Coalition constructed an Apollo class defence monitor, the Kassandra class patrol vessel Tolkien, two Alexandra class fuel harvester stations, a Hesperia class mining station, an Aethra class gravitational survey craft and two Kythera class freighters.
The ship production of the People’s Republic was slowing in 2152 due to shortages of both Duranium and Gallicite, the stockpiles of which were down to 1500 tons and 1000 tons respectively by mid-year. The problem was not the size of the deposits on Earth, which were 170,000 tons and 275,000 tons respectively, but rather due to high consumption of Duranium and the 0.5 accessibility of Gallicite. The latter was eased somewhat by the deployment of seventy-seven automated mines to the comet Wild, which had an 8000-ton deposit of 0.8 accessibility Gallicite, but that was a temporary solution, especially as Terra was competing for the minerals on Wild with the Colonial Coalition. Diversion of precious research efforts served to improve mining technology and by the end of the year the stockpiles had improved by 500 tons each. Even so, resources were becoming a constraint on the Terran capability to simply out-produce its rivals.
