Author Topic: SEW ship (Space Early Warning)  (Read 2316 times)

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Offline plasticpanzers (OP)

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SEW ship (Space Early Warning)
« on: June 11, 2018, 09:03:08 PM »
I built a specific ship for fleet support.  It goes in with the fleet thru the JP and then moves off on an angle millions of km.
It can light up the center of most solar systems while my fleet ships creep a bit closer and ID enemy ships before I have
to light them up with my warships active sensors.  It has sufficient defenses to engage missiles with AMM and has some
Bandsaw Close Attack Missiles to discourage smaller beam firing ships/gunboats.  Its escorts can be a couple FGE/SLE
Frigate/Sloop Escorts.

Arclite class SEW - Space Early Warning Ship   9,000 tons     254 Crew     5358.9675 BP      TCS 180  TH 546.7  EM 0
8677 km/s    JR 3-50     Armour 1-38     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 5     PPV 6
Maint Life 1.33 Years     MSP 1861    AFR 129%    IFR 1.8%    1YR 1122    5YR 16825    Max Repair 2700 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Spare Berths 1   
Magazine 360   

J9000(3-50) Military Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 9000 tons    Distance 50k km     Squadron Size 3
Wright Ranger 3-35-1562.5 EP Magnetic Fusion Drive (1)    Power 1562.5    Fuel Use 26.2%    Signature 546.875    Exp 12%
Fuel Capacity 650,000 Litres    Range 49.6 billion km   (66 days at full power)

CIWS-320 (1x8)    Range 1000 km     TS: 32000 km/s     ROF 5       Base 50% To Hit
Size 1 Missile Launcher (6)    Missile Size 1    Rate of Fire 5
Missile Fire Control FC38-R1 (50%) (3)     Range 38.9m km    Resolution 1
Rimfire S-1 Anti-missile Missile (340)  Speed: 69,100 km/s   End: 11.6m    Range: 48m km   WH: 1    Size: 1    TH: 322/193/96
Bandsaw A-1 Close Assault Missile (20)  Speed: 60,000 km/s   End: 3.7m    Range: 13.2m km   WH: 3    Size: 1    TH: 200/120/60

Active Search Sensor MR40-R1 (50%) (1)     GPS 225     Range 40.5m km    MCR 4.4m km    Resolution 1
Active Search Sensor MR1448-R20 (50%) (1)     GPS 36000     Range 1,449.0m km    Resolution 20

ECCM-3 (1)         ECM 30

Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
 

Offline Michael Sandy

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Re: SEW ship (Space Early Warning)
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2018, 11:27:03 PM »
Spendy little bugger.  Max repair 2700 MSP?  What is that, the engine?

I have an issue with its mission focus:
If it is designed to spot for a fleet, it should always be within missile range of its fleet.  It shouldn't need offensive weapons, especially if that reduces its ability to do its primary mission.

Missile defense is certainly sensible, but that ship really should have some armor so a single leaking missile doesn't take out your fleet's main sensor.
 

Iranon

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Re: SEW ship (Space Early Warning)
« Reply #2 on: June 12, 2018, 03:16:43 AM »
Hardened electronics are hugely expensive and not very useful. Even if the AI used microwaves... by the time hardened electronics become relevant, your expensive scout ship is doomed.

This type of ship can't carry adequate defence for its value. I'd prefer to keep it unarmed and have it escorted. Passive defences are an option, possibly including cloaking technology if you have the tech - after all, it's the most visible and highest value target in a scouting flotilla.
To maintain a sensor advantage over the enemy, sensor capability relative to size is an important metric; plitting things up until you can't any more (just a large sensor as mission tonnage) is like a free cloak.
 

Offline Icecoon

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Re: SEW ship (Space Early Warning)
« Reply #3 on: June 12, 2018, 10:10:12 AM »
If you light up that 36000 GPS sensor their whole fleet will be coming for that ship. It will be their prime target. It should travel close to the main fleet to be able to survive anything. It is not a dedicated combat ship, but one armor layer is still too weak.  :)
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Offline Panopticon

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Re: SEW ship (Space Early Warning)
« Reply #4 on: June 12, 2018, 05:33:40 PM »
I like it, I assume your plan when you suspect hostilities are happening is to turn off it's sensor and move it to safety once you have ID'd the enemy and gotten them into sensor coverage of your main fleet, with that sensor range on the SEW ship that should be doable though i suppose it might require a little micromanagement on your part.

I am on the fence about it's armament though, that is enough to engage a couple gunboats or a lone missile ship successfully, but how often is it going to be in a position to have to fight at all? if it's sensor is off it won't be a high priority target for the AI, and if it is on you should be able to see stuff coming long before it becomes a threat. I suppose it can thicken AMM defense when it rejoins the fleet, but I also assume your fleet will have sufficient AMM on it's own. I'd probably skip weapons altogether in favor of either more armor or just a small, faster ship.
 

Offline MarcAFK

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Re: SEW ship (Space Early Warning)
« Reply #5 on: June 12, 2018, 05:44:15 PM »
I like it in theory, but I prefer having decent passives on my scout so that it's useful without the huge "come-get-me" light switched on. At least a moderate EM sensor so you can see if theres a bunch of actives following it after you switch your sensors off and start running back to the fleet. If you want to sacrifice it's offensive capability for a good thermal sensor is debatable, but as others have mentioned this has no real ability to survive any significant opposition unless it has some escort.
Ideally you might deploy this in a pair with the other ship carrying passive sensors, and some armour or shielding for leakers.
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Offline TT

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Re: SEW ship (Space Early Warning)
« Reply #6 on: June 13, 2018, 10:25:41 AM »
There are two things I would do differently. Iranon is right when he says that this ship can't really defend itself adequately. With its sensor, it is goingto attract alot of bad guy attention. I would instead try to make it hard to target with theexpectation that it will bedefended by escorts. So, I would lose all of it's offensive and defensive weapon systems. I would lose the jump drive. Then I would make this as small as is possible to make it harder to target at range. If you have researched cloaks, then add a cloack too. Make your escorts larger. They will be easier to target and the AI will probably fire at them first.

Next, get rid of the one big engine and use two engines half the size. Right now you don't have enough MSP to fix the engine if it dies and, with only one, you'll be stuck.  Cutting the size in half will reduce the MSP necessary to repair it and will insure you can still move if one breaks down.

Finally, I will echo what amny posters have already mentioned which is, more armor.
 

Offline Shiwanabe

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Re: SEW ship (Space Early Warning)
« Reply #7 on: June 15, 2018, 07:42:58 PM »
While I agree with what everyone else is saying, there's something else I noticed that might be more generally useful for you.

Rimfire S-1 Anti-missile Missile (340)  Speed: 69,100 km/s   End: 11.6m    Range: 48m km   WH: 1    Size: 1    TH: 322/193/96

This AMM is only accurate up to 9.4km/s targets.

While I can see the value in longer range AMMs, in this case you really need to reduce the fuel and give it a better engine and more agility. Personally I find ~2m km to be an adequate minimum range for AMMs, with 6-10m km being a more usual range. (Although, I just realised I tend to only make my missile sensors for 300-400k km. ><; )


Anyway, it's a good idea for a design and I hope you manage to get something that works in the role you envision. :)
 

Offline plasticpanzers (OP)

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Re: SEW ship (Space Early Warning)
« Reply #8 on: June 16, 2018, 04:38:27 AM »
Actually have used the 'Arclight'.   Entered system with CAs, CLEs, DDs, DEs.   Arclight with some DEs as escort moves off on a tangent
at lower speed.   When about 50mk off my fleet I light up the system core.   Of course the bad guys go for the ship which is when they pop
into my waiting fleet.   Have whacked 2x 5 8000ton groups so far and some orbital forts.  Beyond S1 AMMs she carries some S1
Bandsaw close assault missiles as I have run into short range energy weapon ships and she is fast enough to stay away from
most ships except gunboats.   Two of these or two smaller Escort Sloops (7200km/s) as escorts:


Kiev C class Destroyer Escort    13,550 tons     340 Crew     4496 BP      TCS 271  TH 760  EM 0
5608 km/s    JR 3-50     Armour 2-50     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 6     PPV 37.72
Maint Life 1.4 Years     MSP 1141    AFR 267%    IFR 3.7%    1YR 632    5YR 9478    Max Repair 1080 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months    Spare Berths 0   
Magazine 822   

J13600(3-50) Military Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 13600 tons    Distance 50k km     Squadron Size 3
Wright Wasp 4-50-760 EP (2)    Power 760    Fuel Use 159.23%    Signature 380    Exp 19%
Fuel Capacity 3,000,000 Litres    Range 25.0 billion km   (51 days at full power)

Twin Colt 12cm C6 Far Ultraviolet Laser Turret (2x2)    Range 200,000km     TS: 40000 km/s     Power 8-12     RM 5    ROF 5        4 4 4 4 4 3 2 2 2 2
Light Fire Control S04 120-40000 H50 (1)    Max Range: 240,000 km   TS: 40000 km/s     96 92 88 83 79 75 71 67 62 58
Reactor Technology PB-1 (2)     Total Power Output 24    Armour 0    Exp 5%

Size 1 Missile Launcher (12)    Missile Size 1    Rate of Fire 10
Missile Fire Control FC28-R1 (50%) (4)     Range 28.2m km    Resolution 1
Rimfire S-1 Anti-missile Missile (822)  Speed: 66,500 km/s   End: 4.8m    Range: 19.1m km   WH: 1    Size: 1    TH: 244/146/73

Active Search Sensor MR28-R1 (50%) (1)     GPS 204     Range 28.6m km    MCR 3.1m km    Resolution 1

ECCM-3 (1)         ECM 30

Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
« Last Edit: June 16, 2018, 04:47:07 AM by plasticpanzers »