The Moravian Empire was ahead of the Commonwealth in several areas of research and the first contacts with the Moravian scientific establishment yielded a number of important advances. The Magneto-plasma drive technology, currently being researched on Sparta, was in operational use by Angel ships and their active sensors were almost a third more efficient, which explained the huge sensor range of the Covadonga. Commonwealth laser technology, which was almost non-existent, was massively boosted by the knowledge of 15cm focal sizes and near-ultraviolet wavelengths. Similarly, the Moravian Empire was at least a generation ahead of the Commonwealth in shield technology, although neither side had deployed any warships protected by such shields. Other technological gains included thermal reduction for engines, better EM sensors and more efficient jump gate construction techniques. A radical review of Commonwealth ship designs was planned to take advantage of the new technology as well as to incorporate lessons learned from the Angel War.
In the meantime, three new engines were designed. A basic magneto-plasma drive that was more fuel efficient than the Moravian design, a more expensive version that had only half the thermal signature and a new corvette engine that utilised advances in power boosting to provide it with 110% more power than the standard ship drive. Once development of the new engines and other newly designed systems (see below) was completed, the research facilities on Sparta would begin work on an updated missile drive, based on magneto-plasma technology. It was fortunate the Moravians had not developed this technology for themselves or it would have been much harder to defend against their missile attacks.
A new series of fire control and sensor systems were developed using the improved technology obtained from Moravian databases. As part of the ongoing effort to institute Commonwealth naming systems, rather than relying on old nation-specific names or designations chosen by the manufacturer, the electronic systems were identified using a Commonwealth version of the Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JTEDS) used by the United States. The first letter indicated the type of platform on which the system was intended to be installed. As of September 2047, this included S for ship, P for planetary defence centre, B for orbital base and C for corvette or fast attack craft. The second letter was the type of technology involved, which included G for gravitational pulse, T for thermal and E for electromagnetic. The third letter was the intended purpose, such as S for an active search sensor, P for passive sensor, B for beam weapon fire control system and M for missile fire control systems. As an example, the SGS-1 Missile Detection Array was intended to be mounted on ships (S), incorporated gravitational pulse technology (G) and was used as an active search sensor (S). If new platforms, technologies and purposes were developed in the future, the intention was that new codes would be added so they could be built into the same naming system. In summary, the name codes were as follows:
Platform
B - Orbital Base
C - Corvette or Fast Attack
P - Planetary Defence Centre
S - Ship
Technology
E - Electromagnetic
G - Gravitational Pulse
T - Thermal
Purpose
B - Beam Fire Control
M - Missile Fire Control
P - Passive Sensor
S - Active Search Sensor
Examples of some of the new electronic systems are shown below:
SGS-1 Missile Detection Array
Active Sensor Strength: 126
Sensor Size: 6 HS Sensor HTK: 1
Primary Mode: Resolution: 1 Maximum Range: 1,260,000 km
Chance of destruction by electronic damage: 100%
Cost: 126 Crew: 30
Materials Required: 31.5x Duranium 94.5x Uridium
Development Cost for Project: 1260RP
SGM-2 Missile Fire Control
Active Sensor Strength: 42
Sensor Size: 2 HS Sensor HTK: 1
Primary Mode: Resolution: 1 Maximum Range: 1,260,000 km
Chance of destruction by electronic damage: 100%
Cost: 42 Crew: 10
Materials Required: 10.5x Duranium 31.5x Uridium
Development Cost for Project: 420RP
SGS-3 Area Search Sensor
Active Sensor Strength: 126
Sensor Size: 6 HS Sensor HTK: 1
Primary Mode: Resolution: 80 Maximum Range: 100,800,000 km
Chance of destruction by electronic damage: 100%
Cost: 126 Crew: 30
Materials Required: 31.5x Duranium 94.5x Uridium
Development Cost for Project: 1260RP
STP-10 Thermal Sensor Array
Thermal Sensor Sensitivity: 80
Sensor Size: 10 HS Sensor HTK: 1
Chance of destruction by electronic damage: 100%
Cost: 80 Crew: 50
Materials Required: 20x Duranium 60x Uridium
Development Cost for Project: 800RP
With the acquisition of Moravian laser technology, the long-standing Commonwealth need for an effective non-missile anti-ship weapon was finally resolved. The 15cm C3 Near Ultraviolet Laser was a copy of the Moravian weapon and would become the primary Commonwealth energy weapon system once suitable fire controls were designed
15cm C3 Near Ultraviolet Laser
Damage Output 6 Rate of Fire: 10 seconds Range Modifier: 3
Max Range 180,000 km Laser Size: 4 HS Laser HTK: 2
Power Requirement: 6 Power Recharge per 5 Secs: 3
Cost: 22 Crew: 40
Materials Required: 4.4x Duranium 4.4x Boronide 13.2x Corundium
Development Cost for Project: 220RP
One of the strategic lessons learned from the Angel War was the need for a dedicated planetary assault element within the Commonwealth Navy. If such forces had been available during the war then a huge quantity of installations could have been seized on Archangelsk III, the considerable environmental damage would have been avoided and the task of pacifying the planet made far easier. The four Tarawa II class ships were a start but they carried a maximum of twelve divisions in total and they were too slow and too fragile to operate with the battle fleet. There were also insufficient numbers of assault divisions to form a rapid deployment force while retaining sufficient heavy divisions for the defence of major worlds. The Commonwealth ground forces in October 2047 comprised the following divisions, with the current deployments listed separately.
4x Headquarters
12x Heavy Assault Division
4x Mobile Infantry Division
2x Assault Infantry Division
23x Garrison Division
6x Engineer Division
Sparta: 3x HQ, 9x HVA, 2x AST, 1x INF, 6x ENG
Xiamen-Kan: 1x HVA, 2x INF, 6x GAR
Archangelsk III: 1x HVA, 1x INF, 3x GAR
Mars: 1x HQ, 1x HVA, 1x GAR
Eden: 3x GAR
Lisbon V: 3x GAR
Budapest II: 1x GAR
Saipan and Makin Island: 6x GAR
In conjunction with the President, the Fleet Admirals laid out a new ground forces and planetary assault strategy. More divisions were needed, particularly assault divisions for attacking hostile worlds and mobile infantry divisions, which provided flexible defensive forces. As there were only three ground force training facilities in the entire Commonwealth, two of which were on Sparta and the third on Xiamen-Kan, more had to be built in order to support the expansion of the Commonwealth ground forces. With construction factories only operating on Mars and Xiamen-Kan, those were the logical choices to build the new facilities. Larger and more capable troop transports would be built that were capable of operating within a hostile combat environment, relegating the existing Tarawa IIs to an internal transport role.
The forty-seven divisions and four headquarters of the Commonwealth still bore their original national designations, which in several cases meant the same name with a different national prefix. As part of the new integrated approach to ground forces they would be renamed with new Commonwealth designations. Instead of the ad hoc deployment and organization that had been a feature of surface forces since the final war on Earth, a number of separate combat corps would be created, each comprising approximately five divisions plus a dedicated headquarters. Each combat corps would then be assigned to one of the existing Barrack class PDCs for training purposes. New Barracks would be built in prefabricated sections and assembled on planets where the troops would be deployed for any significant period. The design for the planned assault ships included a requirement to transport an entire combat corps so that the units could remain together. The overall ground forces organization would be known as the Commonwealth Atmospheric Combat Force (CACF), within which would be a Commonwealth Marine Corps dedicated to planetary assault. Although it was still being debated within the Commonwealth's military hierarchy, it seemed likely that the assault ships would actually be part of the Marine Corps rather than the Commonwealth Navy.
On October 5th, Andrea Doria entered Nottingham and contacted the third Tapajo class geological survey ship. Sufficient evidence was presented to the ship's commander to convince him of the situation and he was ordered to move through Budapest to New London. Andrea Doria re-entered Budapest and set course for the Sheffield jump point to find the Zarco class gravitational survey ship. By this time, the Commonwealth had thoroughly examined Moravian astrogation databases and found that Archangelsk had only the two jump points to Smolensk and Budapest. The extent of Angel exploration appeared to be the systems surrounding Budapest, comprising London, Nottingham and Sheffield.
Andrea Doria arrived in Sheffield on November 4th and broadcast a signal to the Angel gravitational survey ship. There was no response. After remaining in the system for several hours without success she transited back into Budapest and sent a message to Fleet Headquarters via Aconcagua and the jump gate network. While a single, unarmed ship could present no immediate threat to the Commonwealth, if left unhindered it could potentially contact other alien races and pass on information that would pose a serious threat to Commonwealth security. Sheffield had five jump points, connecting to the systems of Budapest, Douglas, Peterhead, Brighton and Newport. Of these Budapest and Newport had been surveyed, with Newport a cul-de-sac system. The Fleet Admirals decided that they could not allow the survey ship to roam free so they organised a pursuit force comprised of the three Scharnhorst class missile cruisers in Xia. These were old ships with out of date systems but more than capable of destroying the Zarco. The main problem was speed as the Angel survey ship was capable of 5423 km/s, faster than any Commonwealth combatant except the Molniya class corvette. Therefore, when the pursuit force arrived in Sheffield it would split up and cover the jump points to Douglas, Peterhead and Brighton, attempting to detect and destroy the Zarco before it even saw the warships. The main problem was that at their maximum speed of 2500 km/s the Scharnhorsts would not arrive for fifty days, so it was possible the Zarco would already be gone.
The shipyards of Xiamen-Kan built an Arleigh Burke V and three Molniya class corvettes on November 11th 2047, the last ion-powered warships to be built by the Commonwealth. At this point the new designs had yet to be finalised but no new hulls were being laid down. As soon as the Commonwealth research establishment had completed their task of developing actual systems based on the new Moravian technology, the design process would begin in earnest.
The first missile based on magneto-plasma technology was developed in March 2048. Although the SS-N-4 Shadow had a warhead only 75% as powerful as the SS-N-3 Scarab, it had a range of ninety-seven million kilometres and a speed of 24,000 km/s, compared to sixty million and 19,200 km/s for the Scarab. The design philosophy behind the Shadow reflected the experience of the Commonwealth in the Angel War. Facing an opponent with longer ranged, slow missiles led to a theory of missile design in which missile range was more important than warhead strength, especially when facing an opponent of equal or greater speed, and that sufficient speed to defeat hostile defences would make up for any reduction in the impact of individual warheads. The warships capable of employing the new missile to its full potential were still on the drawing board.
SS-N-4 Shadow
Missile Size: 4 MSP (0.2 HS) Warhead: 6 Armour: 0 Manoeuvre Rating: 10
Speed: 24000 km/s Endurance: 68 minutes Range: 97.5m km
Cost Per Missile: 3.1
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 240% 3k km/s 80% 5k km/s 48% 10k km/s 24%
Materials Required: 1.5x Tritanium 1.35x Gallicite Fuel x3250
Development Cost for Project: 310RP
The equivalent Commonwealth anti-missile was the SA-N-3 Gladius, which used a similar combination of speed and agility as the successful SA-N-2 Gauntlet. It was estimated to be a third more accurate than the Gauntlet, with a seventy-eight percent chance of hitting a target moving at 10,000 km/s.
SA-N-3 Gladius
Missile Size: 1 MSP (0.05 HS) Warhead: 1 Armour: 0 Manoeuvre Rating: 22
Speed: 35500 km/s Endurance: 1 minute Range: 1.5m km
Cost Per Missile: 1.142
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 781% 3k km/s 242% 5k km/s 156.2% 10k km/s 78.1%
Materials Required: 0.25x Tritanium 0.63x Gallicite Fuel x12.5
Development Cost for Project: 114RP
On March 24th, the tug Eos arrived at New London towing one of the smaller Angel shipyards, which had a single slipway with a capacity of 13,000 tons. By this time the population of New London had risen to two point six million and a dozen maintenance facilities were in place, allowing the maintenance of ships up to 2400 tons. The Second Corvette Flotilla, which had defended the system against the Moravians and was forced to pull back to Mars after the destruction of the colony, was back on station. There was a long way to go but a new colony and base was slowly rising out of the ashes.
The results of the wide-ranging six-month Commonwealth ship design review were published in April 2048. The aggressive strategy of President Vorokov in attacking the Angel home system was praised, although it has to be noted that several of the President's political allies were involved with the review. Admiral Perti's tactic of heading straight for a key objective while brushing off the attacks of the Angel fleet was viewed equally favourably. Destroying the Moravian's Empire's ability to continue the war without having to eliminate their fleet brought the conflict to an early conclusion and resulted in several valuable prizes being taken. Using these successes as the basis for the review led to the conclusion that Commonwealth missile defences were the primary reason for success in the war, allowing the Striking Forces to operate with impunity within their protective umbrella. However, the fragility of the escorts was of considerable concern. Several Trafalgars had been destroyed during the entry into Archangelsk and if the Tribals had been targeted they would have suffered equally badly, depriving the battlecruisers of their primary missile defence. Speed, which had been a primary design driver in the past, was not viewed as a significant factor in the recent victory. Instead, the recommendations of the review concentrated on defence and survivability. The future offensive doctrine of the Commonwealth Navy would be to identify and eliminate key economic objectives, using well protected ships to advance through any defending enemy forces. Elimination of hostile mobile forces would be of minor importance compared to the destruction or capture of their major planets.
The first result of the review's recommendations was the Athena class Battlestar. The design incorporated the abilities of all three current battle fleet units protected by an unprecedented depth of defence. It was equipped with same offensive armament as a Peter the Great II class battlecruiser and the same number of anti-missile launchers as a Tribal III class escort cruiser, plus a twenty-five percent greater magazine capacity than the two ships combined. The new Mk 3 Guided Missile Launch System had a ten second reload time compared to the AML-15 launchers on the Tribal III, which had the same effect as increasing the number of launchers by fifty percent. Six newly designed Advanced Rapid-fire Railguns formed a second defensive line. While this was only two-thirds of the point blank firepower of a Trafalgar III, the new model railguns recharged twice as fast. The formidable armour was twice as thick as the battlecruisers and because of the Athena's much greater size, the overall amount of armour was almost four times as great. This was also the first Commonwealth ship to feature shields, which provided an extra layer of protection that could regenerate relatively quickly. Finally, a recently developed ECM system was fitted, making the Athena harder to hit than any other major Commonwealth warship. Any missile-armed enemy would have to penetrate the Athena's point defence missiles and her railguns, overcome the fire-confusion ability of her ECM, beat down her shields and then penetrate her impressive armour belt. A beam-armed enemy would have to face up to two hundred and sixty SS-N-4 Shadow anti-ship missiles if they tried to close. Unlike the existing battle fleet formations, all of the Athena's anti-missile defences were extremely well protected.
The only controversial aspect of the design was the modest increase in speed over the previous generation of capital ships. The Athena devoted thirty percent of her tonnage to propulsion, compared to thirty-seven point five percent for the Peter the Great battlecruiser. In contrast, only ten percent of the battlecruiser's tonnage was devoted to passive defences compared to twenty-one percent for the Battlestar. The design reflected the recommendations of the review board, concentrating on smashing through enemy defences to reach key objectives rather than trying to chase down hostile fleet units. A fortunate side effect was that existing battle fleet units, capable of 4500 km/s, could operate alongside the Athena without significantly slowing down the new design. Retooling began in the Syria Planum shipyard on Mars, which had three slipways of 25,000 ton capacity.
Athena class Battlestar 25000 tons 2105 Crew 3908.6 BP TCS 500 TH 2400 EM 1920
4800 km/s Armour 8-76 Shields 64-300 Sensors 24/24/0/0 Damage Control Rating 14 PPV 70
Annual Failure Rate: 357% IFR: 5% Maintenance Capacity 1362 MSP Max Repair 126 MSP
Magazine 1852
NPO Energomash Magneto-plasma Drive (30) Power 80 Efficiency 0.60 Signature 80 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 600,000 Litres Range 72.0 billion km (173 days at full power)
Gamma R300/12 Shields (32) Total Fuel Cost 384 Litres per day
10cm Advanced Rapid-Fire Railgun (6x5) Range 30,000km TS: 4800 km/s Power 3-3 RM 3 ROF 5
SGB-12 Railgun Tracking System (2) Max Range: 48,000 km TS: 6000 km/s 79 58 38 17 0
Stellarator Fusion Reactor (3) Total Power Output 18 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Mk 3 Guided Missile Launch System (12) Missile Size 1 Rate of Fire 10
Mk 1 Guided Missile Launch System (10) Missile Size 4 Rate of Fire 60
SGM-4 Long Range Fire Control (2) Range 100.8m km Resolution 80
SGM-2 Point Defence Fire Control (2) Range 1.3m km Resolution 1
SS-N-4 Shadow (260) Speed: 24,000 km/ Range: 97.5m km WH: 6 Size: 4 TH: 80 / 48 / 24
SR-N-2 Raptor Recon Drone (8) Speed: 3,000 km/s Range: 226.5m km WH: 0 Size: 4 TH: 10 / 6 / 3
SA-N-3 Gladius (780) Speed: 35,500 km/s Range: 1.5m km WH: 1 Size: 1 TH: 260 / 156 / 78
SGS-1 Missile Detection Array (1) GPS 126 Range 1.3m km Resolution 1
SGS-3 Area Search Sensor (1) GPS 10080 Range 100.8m km Resolution 80
STP-5 Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 24 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 24m km
SEP-6 EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 24 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 24m km
ECM 10
The design review also examined the problems of guarding colonies and decided that the Arleigh Burke V was not an ideal solution. While it had a reasonable offensive punch for its size, it could not provide its own anti-missile defences, making it very vulnerable to attack. In addition it was not sufficiently well-protected to compensate for its slow speed so it didn't fall within the new doctrine of survivability or the old doctrine of speed means life and it was unable to effectively operate with the Battle Fleet. Both the Arleigh Burke V and the Sentinel Missile Defence Base suffered from gradual systems failure when they were deployed at a planet without suitable maintenance facilities which, given the specialised nature of many Commonwealth colonies, was a common problem. A new approach was needed. The requirement was three-fold; sufficient defences for colonies to resist missile attack, a way to confront or investigate intruders within Commonwealth space and a low maintenance requirement.
One small success within the New London debacle was the performance of the Molniya fast attack craft. Its ability to strike quickly from outside its opponent's detection range could have turned the battle if more corvettes or a more substantial supply of modern missiles had been available. While its fuel consumption and lack of range made it unsuitable for offensive operations, it was a useful defensive asset and required little in the way of maintenance. Therefore the review recommended that the primary colony defence should be based on an updated corvette produced using the latest technology and that missile defence should be carried out by PDCs rather than orbital bases in cases where there were minimal or non-existent maintenance facilities. While PDCs were more limited in the sense that they could not be moved once constructed or assembled, they had no maintenance requirement and could be built by construction factories rather than shipyards then shipped to their destination by freighter. Assembly on site would be carried out by construction factories or engineers. As an example of this technique, a Barrack class PDC was already being assembled by engineers on Eden to house the ground forces defending the colony.
Furthermore, the review board recommended two new studies should be carried out immediately. The first on the feasibility of developing the necessary technology for larger ships to transport corvettes over strategic distances, retaining the corvette's advantages of stealth and speed while eliminating their lack of range, and the second on the possibility of creating a smaller vessel by developing a new compact engine with an even higher power to mass ratio than the corvette engine. The object of the second study was quickly dubbed the fighter engine, although in reality vessels powered by such an engine would likely be on the order of 100-200 tons, compared to approximately 1000 tons for the corvette.
The requirement for a defensive PDC was filled by the Spaceguard class. The compact size meant that the components for a Spaceguard could be carried within the holds of a single freighter, making deployment very easy. With fifteen of the new PDC-specific Mk 4 GMLS, it could provide significant defensive firepower at minimal cost. Compared to the Tribal III and the new Athena class, the Spaceguard had limited magazine capacity but as it would be deployed on a planetary surface, it could easily draw from the planetary stockpiles.
Spaceguard class Planetary Defence Centre 2450 tons 240 Crew 441 BP TCS 49 TH 0 EM 0
Armour 5-16 Sensors 1/126 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 15
Magazine 375
Mk 4 Guided Missile PDCLS (15) Missile Size 1 Rate of Fire 5
SGM-2 Point Defence Fire Control (2) Range 1.3m km Resolution 1
SA-N-3 Gladius (375) Speed: 35,500 km/s Range: 1.5m km WH: 1 Size: 1 TH: 260 / 156 / 78
SGS-1 Missile Detection Array (1) GPS 126 Range 1.3m km Resolution 1
The Molniya II class corvette was designed as the follow-up to the successful Molniya I and incorporated several improved features. A new missile, the SS-N-5 Scimitar, was developed specifically for the Molniya II and had a warhead fifty percent larger than the SS-N-4 Shadow at the expense of range. As the corvettes were capable of approaching far closer to enemy fleets without detection than the Commonwealth's larger warships, range was not as important. The speed of the Scimitar was matched to that of the Shadow so that if a larger ship choose to carry both types, they could be used within the same salvo if required. The CGM-8 Corvette Fire Control system was only half the size of its equivalent on the Molniya which allowed more fuel storage, doubling the corvette's range and providing the flexibility for both multi-system missions and ease of deployment. Finally, the new NPO Energomash Supercharged Magneto-Plasma Drive gave the Molniya II a top speed of 8800 km/s, allowing it to evade pursuit, rearm and return for multiple strikes against an intruder fleet.
Molniya II class Corvette 1000 tons 47 Crew 147.2 BP TCS 20 TH 176 EM 0
8800 km/s Armour 1-8 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 9.6
Annual Failure Rate: 8% IFR: 0.1% Maintenance Capacity 92 MSP Max Repair 44 MSP
Magazine 64
NPO Energomash Supercharged MPD (1) Power 176 Efficiency 7.20 Signature 176 Exp 30%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres Range 25.0 billion km (32 days at full power)
Mk 2 Guided Missile VLS (16) Missile Size 4 Hangar Reload 30 minutes MF Reload 5 hours
CGM-8 Corvette Fire Control (1) Range 50.4m km Resolution 80
SS-N-5 Scimitar (16) Speed: 24,000 km/s Range: 52.5m km WH: 9 Size: 4 TH: 80 / 48 / 24
The third area covered by the review board was the survey operations of the Commonwealth, in particular the potential for future alien contact. Copenhagen, Newton and Kepler had all been lost during first contact situations. Although the circumstances of each loss were not known in detail, all three were investigating habitable worlds at the time of their disappearance and they had very limited sensors, leading to the obvious conclusion that they had been forced to get too close to the planets in question and had been spotted by alien sensors. Any intercepting forces would not have been detected until it was too late. One option considered by the review board was that all investigations of new systems should be carried out by specialised scout ships but that was eventually dismissed as impractical. Suspending survey operations until a scout could be called forward would be extremely time-consuming, especially as at least one survey ship would have to pull back to a system from which they could communicate with the rest of the Commonwealth. Keeping a scout close to the survey ships would be a waste as it would spend ninety-nine percent of its time with nothing to do. Therefore the board recommended that all gravitational survey ships should be equipped to handle scouting operations, in particular the investigation of habitable planets from a safe distance.
The Magellan class Survey Cruiser was the result of the board's recommendations. Twice the size of the existing Galileo class Gravsurvey Ship, the Magellan was intended for long-range stealthy operations and was an extremely capable multi-role scout. The thermal emissions of its specialised engines were reduced by fifty percent, making the ship considerably harder to detect on passive sensors. It had the same SGS-3 Area Search Sensor as the Athena class Battlestar, allowing it to detect ships at up to a hundred million kilometres, although it would only use the active sensor when absolutely necessary to avoid giving away its location. The passive sensor suite included the same gravitational sensors as the Galileo plus the latest EM and thermal sensors. The unusual flexibility of the Magellan was provided by its two Mk 5 Guided Missile Launch Systems, which were twice as large as the Commonwealth's normal missile launchers, plus the SGM-4 Long Range Fire Control System. As well as being able to fire all the Commonwealth's normal missiles, the Mk 5 allowed the deployment of several specialised items of ordnance (see below the Magellan's summary).
Magellan class Scout Cruiser 8000 tons 789 Crew 1668 BP TCS 160 TH 400 EM 0
5000 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 1-35 Shields 0-0 Sensors 24/24/3/0 DCR 5 PPV 16
Annual Failure Rate: 102% IFR: 1.4% Maintenance Capacity 652 MSP Max Repair 126 MSP
Magazine 376
Rolls-Royce Merlin-8 Jump Drive Max Ship Size 8000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
NPO Energomash Low Emission MPD (10) Power 80 Efficiency 0.60 Signature 40 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 550,000 Litres Range 206.3 billion km (477 days at full power)
Mk 5 Guided Missile Launch System (2) Missile Size 8 Rate of Fire 80
SGM-4 Long Range Fire Control (1) Range 100.8m km Resolution 80
SR-N-3 Raptor-L Recon Drone (15) Speed: 3,000 km/s End: 744.2m Range: 354m km WH: 0 Size: 8
SB-N-1 Geosurvey Buoy (16) Speed: 0 km/s End: 180d Range: 0m km Size: 8
SS-N-7 Starfish (16) Speed: 8,000 km/s End: 156.2m Range: 77.4m km WH: 0 Size: 8
SGS-3 Area Search Sensor (1) GPS 10080 Range 100.8m km Resolution 80
STP-5 Thermal Sensor (1) Sensitivity 24 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 24m km
SEP-6 EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 24 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 24m km
Gravitational Survey Sensors (3) 3 Survey Points
The SR-N-3 Raptor-L was a normal SR-N-2 Raptor Recon Drone on top of a second stage that increased its range to over three hundred and fifty million kilometres, allowing the Magellan to launch sensor drones from well outside the range at which it was likely to be detected.
SR-N-3 Raptor-L Recon Drone
Missile Size: 8 MSP (0.4 HS) Warhead: 0 Armour: 0 Manoeuvre Rating: 10
Speed: 3000 km/s Endurance: 744 minutes Range: 134.0m km
Cost Per Missile: 1.4053
Second Stage: SR-N-2 Raptor Recon Drone x1
Second Stage Separation Range: 220,000,000 km
Overall Endurance: 1 day Overall Range: 360.4m km
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 30% 3k km/s 10% 5k km/s 6% 10k km/s 3%
Materials Required: 0.3x Uridium 0.108x Gallicite Fuel x9050
Development Cost for Project: 141RP
The SB-N-1 Geosurvey Buoy was an entirely new piece of technology. When deployed in orbit of a planet or other system body, it could gather geological survey data in the same way as geological survey sensors on a ship. Although the sensor on the SB-N-1 had only seven percent of the power of a single ship-mounted geological survey sensor, it could remain in orbit for several months until sufficient data was gathered. If a habitable planet was discovered, the Magellan would able to visit the planet and launch one or more SB-N-1s which could survey for mineral deposits or ruins while the Magellan continued with its gravitational survey. In the past, such surveys had to be put on hold until a geological survey ship was available. In fact the review board had recommended a study to determine if all normal geological survey activity should be left to the private sector. With the Magellans investigating any interesting planets as they were discovered, the civilians could visit the system later and complete the survey. In this scenario, the existing geological survey ships would be sold to the civilian sector. Several officers in the Commonwealth Navy, particularly those serving on survey ships, were appalled at the idea of relinquishing the ability to conduct complete geological surveys of a system but the review board cited the potential savings in fuel, maintenance and administration.
SB-N-1 Geosurvey Buoy
Buoy Size: 8 MSP (0.4 HS)
Reactor Endurance: 6 months
Geo Sensor Strength: 0.07 Maximum points: 302.4
Cost Per Buoy: 2.6
Materials Required: 1.2x Boronide 1.4x Uridium
Development Cost for Project: 260RP
In the past, Commonwealth scout ships and survey ships had been unable to defend themselves or even attack targets of opportunity. As the Magellan had two missile launchers, its designers were keen to provide it with a limited offensive capability. One option was simply to arm it with SS-N-4 Shadows or SS-N-5 Scimitars, which could still be fired from the larger launchers. An alternative was a new larger missile, perhaps with a large warhead to compensate for the lack of missiles in each salvo. Several missile designs along those lines were examined and ultimately discarded. Eventually, the designers decided on a radical new approach. The SS-N-7 Starfish had a creditable range of seventy-five million kilometres but was even slower than the Angel anti-ship missile used in the recent war. However, once it closed within two point four million kilometres of its target, the Starfish released four SS-N-6 Scorpion sub-munitions, each with a speed of 22,400 km/s and a strength-4 warhead. With two Mk 5 GMLS, the Magellan would be able to create salvos of eight missiles, giving the point defence of its foes a much more difficult task. The Commonwealth's warship designers were interested in the possibilities of the Starfish, although concerned about the tactical limitations of its slow first stage. Despite that it provided the Magellan with far more striking power than would be expected from a dedicated survey vessel.
SS-N-7 Starfish
Missile Size: 8 MSP (0.4 HS) Warhead: 0 Armour: 0 Manoeuvre Rating: 10
Speed: 8000 km/s Endurance: 156 minutes Range: 75.0m km
Cost Per Missile: 6.9355
Second Stage: SS-N-6 Scorpion x4
Second Stage Separation Range: 2,400,000 km
Overall Endurance: 3 hours Overall Range: 77.8m km
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 80% 3k km/s 20% 5k km/s 16% 10k km/s 8%
Materials Required: 4x Tritanium 1.6855x Gallicite Fuel x5000
Development Cost for Project: 694RP
SS-N-6 Scorpion
Missile Size: 1.25 MSP (0.0625 HS) Warhead: 4 Armour: 0 Manoeuvre Rating: 10
Speed: 22400 km/s Endurance: 2 minutes Range: 2.9m km
Cost Per Missile: 1.4672
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 224% 3k km/s 70% 5k km/s 44.8% 10k km/s 22.4%
Materials Required: 1x Tritanium 0.2172x Gallicite Fuel x30
Development Cost for Project: 147RP
Design of the new assault transport for the Commonwealth Marine Corps was completed in May 2048. The Fearless class could carry six divisions, was well protected by both armour and point defence railguns and with a speed of 4800 km/s could operate with the battle fleet. In situations where taking out planetary defences would inflict too much collateral damage, the Fearless provided the capability to land troops in the face of hostile fire. With the new survivability doctrine of the Commonwealth Navy, its designers could envisage situations where Commonwealth fleets units would escort the Fearless into planetary orbit so its marines could capture defending planetary defences centres. Retooling began at the Utopia Planitia shipyard on Mars and construction of the first Fearless was expected to begin in August 2048.
Fearless class Assault Transport 15000 tons 1116 Crew 1783.2 BP TCS 300 TH 1440 EM 0
4800 km/s Armour 5-54 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 7 PPV 24
Annual Failure Rate: 257% IFR: 3.6% Maintenance Capacity 515 MSP Max Repair 50 MSP
Troop Capacity 6 Divisions
NPO Energomash Magneto-plasma Drive (18) Power 80 Efficiency 0.60 Signature 80 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 350,000 Litres Range 70.0 billion km (168 days at full power)
10cm Advanced Rapid-Fire Railgun (8x5) Range 30,000km TS: 4800 km/s Power 3-3 RM 3 ROF 5
SGB-12 Railgun Tracking System (2) Max Range: 48,000 km TS: 6000 km/s 79 58 38 17 0
Stellarator Fusion Reactor (4) Total Power Output 24 Armour 0 Exp 5%
SGS-9 Missile Detection Array (1) GPS 21 Range 210k km Resolution 1
ECM 10
[attachment=0:1xakpztr]CoreSystemsJune2048.GIF[/attachment:1xakpztr]
In late June, the construction ships Stephenson and Telford built jump gates either side of the London - Budapest jump point, connecting Budapest and Archangelsk to the rest of the Commonwealth. Jump gates were already in place at the Budapest - Archangelsk jump point. A third jump gate was built by Brunel at the Xia - Smolensk jump point. If a second gate was constructed on the Smolensk side and two more gates at the Smolensk - Archangelsk jump point, it would be possible to travel from Xia to Archangelsk without the need for a jump cruiser. However, there was still a hostile alien race beyond the Smolensk - Zagorsk jump point so building any jump gates in Smolensk would open a highway for them into the Commonwealth. Fortunately there had been no sign of them during the Angel War or in the nine months since the conflict ended. The Commonwealth still had over half its Battle Fleet in Archangelsk so all contact had been avoided in an effort to maintain the status quo. For that same reason, the construction of any further jump gates would be put on hold until sufficient forces were available to defend the Smolensk - Zagorsk jump point. At least with the completion of the gates on the London - Budapest jump point, the five captured Angel cruisers could be moved out of Archangelsk and into the Commonwealth's core systems. The fleet support vessel Aconcagua was able to end its escort duty and head home to Sparta.
Seventeen divisions were in position on Archangelsk III and the Second Striking Force was in orbit. The three Arleigh Burke class destroyers that had been guarding the Angel cruisers were also en route to the planet. The Fleet Admirals estimated that a force equal to five battlecruisers, or eight Arleigh Burkes, would be necessary to maintain order in Archangelsk so they decided to try and assemble the latter so that the Second Striking Force would be available to use against the aliens in Zagorsk, or at least to defend the point of contact. The First Striking Force was in Sparta orbit with all three battlecruisers repaired.
Thirteen Arleigh Burkes were in service. Three were already in Archangelsk, four were in Sparta orbit, three had just arrived in Xia after being transferred from Sparta when the First Striking Force arrived and one each was in orbit of Lisbon V, Eden and the Xiamen colony in the Saratov system. The three that had just arrived in Xia were ordered to refuel and resupply at Xiamen-Kan then head into Archangelsk. Two more were sent from Sparta via Sol, London and Budapest. Two alternatives to the Arleigh Burkes were the four Nagatos and the three Scharnhorsts. All seven were out of date but sufficient for guard duty. However, the Nagatos were virtually falling apart after their long picket duty at the Xia - Smolensk jump point and were returning to Xiamen-Kan on a regular basis for resupply. One had lost its active sensor and was unable to repair it. As soon as the Second Striking Force could be released, the Nagatos would be overhauled or finally withdrawn from active duty. The Scharnhorsts were still picketing the jump points out of Sheffield in an attempt to spot the missing Moravian survey ship. It was beginning to look as if they arrived too late but the Fleet Admirals wanted them to remain for the moment.
The five Moravian-built Covadonga class missile cruisers arrived in Sparta orbit on August 1st 2048. They were soundly constructed ships and could have operated with the existing battle fleet with no modifications, especially as their speed of 4480 km/s matched almost perfectly with the existing battle speed of 4500 km/s. Their electronic systems were already capable of operating the new SS-N-4 Shadow anti-ship missile to its fullest extent. However, bearing in mind the new fleet doctrine of survivability and the emphasis on multi-role ships that were capable of defending themselves without escort, the Fleet Admirals ordered the design of a new class, retaining as many of the original Covadongas' systems as possible to reduce refit costs while adding the latest anti-missile systems and their associated electronics. Eight of the Covadonga's eighteen anti-ship missile launchers were removed and replaced with an SGS-1 Missile Detection Array, two SGM-2 Point Defence Fire Controls, ten MK 3 GMLS point defence launchers, extra magazine space and extra fuel. The existing engines, armour, fire control and sensors were all left intact. The refitted design was named the Redoutable class and, in anticipation of their forthcoming refit, the five cruisers were renamed as Redoutable, Scipion, Formidable, Santa Ana and Santisima Trinidad. Retooling of the BAE Systems Shipyard on Sparta in order to carry out the refits began immediately.
Redoutable class Missile Cruiser 12500 tons 1183 Crew 2047 BP TCS 250 TH 1120 EM 0
4480 km/s Armour 5-47 Shields 0-0 Sensors 6/6/0/0 Damage Control Rating 8 PPV 50
Annual Failure Rate: 156% IFR: 2.2% Maintenance Capacity 819 MSP Max Repair 126 MSP
Magazine 1094
Magneto-plasma Drive E7 (14) Power 80 Efficiency 0.70 Signature 80 Armour 0 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 300,000 Litres Range 61.7 billion km (159 days at full power)
Mk 3 Guided Missile Launch System (10) Missile Size 1 Rate of Fire 10
Angel Size 4 Missile Launcher (10) Missile Size 4 Rate of Fire 40
Missile Fire Control FC42-R95 (2) Range 119.7m km Resolution 95
SGM-2 Point Defence Fire Control (2) Range 1.3m km Resolution 1
SS-N-4 Shadow (170) Speed: 24,000 km/s Range: 97.5m km WH: 6 Size: 4 TH: 80 / 48 / 24
SR-N-2 Raptor Recon Drone (3) Speed: 3,000 km/s Range: 226.5m km WH: 0 Size: 4 TH: 10 / 6 / 3
SA-N-3 Gladius (440) Speed: 35,500 km/s Range: 1.5m km WH: 1 Size: 1 TH: 260 / 156 / 78
Active Search Sensor S126-R95 (1) GPS 11970 Range 119.7m km Resolution 95
SGS-1 Missile Detection Array (1) GPS 126 Range 1.3m km Resolution 1
Thermal Sensor TH1-6 (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 6m km
EM Detection Sensor EM1-6 (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 6m km
With the major design projects resulting from the review all completed, attention turned to the workhorse classes of the Commonwealth, in particular the freighters and colony ships. New versions of both, featuring the magneto-plasma drive, were designed. The existing thirty-four Alaska III colony ships would be refitted by the Argos Shipyard at Sparta and the Hephaestus Shipyard at Xiamen-Kan. Because engines were the primary cost associated with building freighters, there would be no refits of the existing Atlas II and Atlas III classes as it would be cheaper to build new ships. Fifty Atlas IIs and fifteen Atlas IIIs were in service. As the former were capable of only 2000 km/s, they would be sold off to the civilian sector once sufficient quantities of the Atlas IV were available.
Alaska IV class Colony Ship 4250 tons 211 Crew 788.2 BP TCS 85 TH 400 EM 0
4705 km/s Armour 1-23 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 144% IFR: 2% Maintenance Capacity 116 MSP Max Repair 40 MSP
Colonists 50000 Cargo Handling Multiplier 5
NPO Energomash Magneto-plasma Drive (5) Power 80 Efficiency 0.60 Signature 80 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres Range 70.6 billion km (173 days at full power)
Atlas IV class Freighter 4250 tons 186 Crew 338.2 BP TCS 85 TH 400 EM 0
4705 km/s Armour 1-23 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 144% IFR: 2% Maintenance Capacity 50 MSP Max Repair 40 MSP
Cargo 25000 Cargo Handling Multiplier 5
NPO Energomash Magneto-plasma Drive (5) Power 80 Efficiency 0.60 Signature 80 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres Range 70.6 billion km (173 days at full power)
By August 2048, the fuel problems suffered by the Commonwealth since its inception were finally being overcome. In small part this was due to the one hundred and twenty fuel refineries in operation on Hannover-B II and the one hundred and sixty-five operating on Xiamen-Kan. Most of the latter were scheduled to be moved to the Xiamen colony on Saratov III to free up manpower for the arrival of the major shipyard being towed very slowly to Xia from the Moravian home world. The real solution to the fuel crisis though was the fifty-one Jovian class fuel harvesters orbiting Warsaw VI. Each one was capable of extracting half a million litres of Sorium per annum from the atmosphere of the gas giant and with an experienced commander that could rise to more than six hundred thousand litres. Together they were producing thirty million litres of fuel per annum. The fuel harvesters represented a huge investment by the Commonwealth. Had the same wealth and materials been spent on warships, it would have paid for thirty-eight Peter the Great II battlecruisers or thirteen Athena class battlestars. Despite this investment and the importance of the Jovians they were totally undefended, a serious oversight that the Fleet Admirals finally corrected on August 18th with the assignment of the Arleigh Burke class destroyers McCampbell and Michael Murphy. Additional forces would be dispatched as new construction became available. Plans were also made for the establishment of a military outpost on the innermost moon of Warsaw VI, which would feature planetary sensors and Spaceguard class planetary defences centres.
Eight Arleigh Burke V destroyers were assembled in orbit of Archangelsk III in late August, forming the Archangelsk Guard Force. This was deemed a sufficient force to ensure cooperation of the occupied Angel population so the Second Striking Force entered the Smolensk system and took up station on the Smolensk - Xia jump point. While a forward deployment to the Smolensk - Zagorsk jump point would have effectively covered both Xia and Archangelsk, it risked the Second Striking Force if the Zagorsk aliens, the capabilities of which were completely unknown, sent a powerful fleet into Smolensk. This deployment protected the Xiamen home world and provided an easy retreat route. The Smolensk - Archangelsk was picketed by the jump cruiser Littorio and Archangelsk III was protected by the eight Arleigh Burkes. Even so, the Moravian home world was not vital to the security of the Commonwealth so it would be abandoned if necessary. With little chance of bringing the Moravians into the Commonwealth due to their racial outlook and their anger at the huge damage caused to their world, their assets were being stripped and taken away to other worlds. Both smaller shipyards had already been towed to New London and Xiamen-Kan and the third, much larger, yard was en route to the Xiamen home world. The Moravian fuel stockpile was gone, most taken by tanker to Sparta and the rest used by Commonwealth freighters as they took away construction factories, mines and fuel refineries. A significant number of installations remained, including three research facilities, but it only a matter of time before everything was removed. With that in mind, the Fleet Admirals decided to adopt a wait and see attitude with regard to the Zagorsk aliens, planning to commence offensive operations once new construction was available, in particular the assault ships and Battlestars.
Steve
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