The result: T-58 main battle tank and the MT-LB armoured personnel carrier. They will be built in sufficient numbers to form a number of Tank companies, whose mission will be to perform counter-attacks once the static defences have worn down the Capitalist forces.
Now I'm curious what these tank "companies" look like. Usually I would think a company is too small a scale for modeling ground units in Aurora, certainly so for the size of armies NATO and the Soviets would have fielded.
- A - shuttles equipped with short-range missiles, meant to engage all types of enemy shuttles in hit and run attacks
- B - shuttles equipped with long-range missiles, meant for strategic attacks against priority targets
- C - shuttles equipped for transport duties, whether troops, colonists or cargo
- E - shuttles equipped with Active Early Warning sensors, meant for battle management
- F - shuttles equipped with beam weaponry, meant to directly engage enemy combat shuttles and to protect friendly shuttles
- K - shuttles equipped for transporting fuel, able to refuel other shuttles
- R - shuttles equipped with passive sensors, meant for covert observation
- S - shuttles equipped with survey sensors, meant for NASA research
- U - shuttles equipped for utility work not covered by the other categories
R.I.P. good ol' P-for-pursuit designation. o7
And at 1000 km/sec, the Albatross could easily outrun older Soviet Krivaks, albeit it was now clear that the Soviets had already mastered this new engine technology and any new enemy armed shuttles could prove a deadly menace to the Albatross.
I'd say the greater threat to the Albatross and to many of these craft would be the lack of sufficient MSP to repair a serious breakdown. For craft meant to be on-station for a while this can be a real threat. Don't ask me how I know this.
Thanks to the economical F-4 engine, the shuttle could reach even the recently discovered gas giant Minerva, far into the icy depths of the outer system.
Crew complaints about running way over deployment times will be roundly ignored.
With nearly three hundred thousand litres of fuel onboard, each Hippo would be a juicy target for the Soviets and thus will require appropriate protection.
Good thing no one is posting the class specs on a public board anywhere, thus the Soviets will have no way of knowing what it does.
The C-7 Penguin was not just an upgrade of the Ares Program. It was completely redesigned from ground up to allow quick disembarkation of the troops it carried, turning the lumbering transport Ares into a sleek landing ship Penguin. In essence, this meant that the US Army could conduct opposed landings on any body in the system.
I am really looking forward to the after-action reports when these things meet STOs for the first time.
The C-9 Wombat would handle colonist transportation. Its capacity had increased significantly when compared to the old Aphrodite Program.
I'm curious about why? Usually I find it's easier to keep a fixed ratio between cargo and colony ships to make it simple to calculate how to run your convoys to get the balance between infrastructure and colonists. Seems like modifying the form factor here is liable to make your life harder in little ways.
To the dismay of the Air Force, the latter three would be Navy enlisted men while the former three would be Air Force officers or warrant officers, a mixture sure to bring joy and happiness to all.
Excellent! I love joy and happiness for all!
the A-12 Banshee
[...]
the B-14 Havoc
R.I.P. lucky number 13.
Very very happy to see this getting updated!
I agree, though I will express concern at the sudden rapid pace of updates, as I am worried that all this micromanagement in such a large dose may be driving you insane...
I also look forward to seeing how the British muck things up now that they are getting involved.