HCS to begin withdrawal of Tuul fleet next year

The HCS Space Navy has announced that their large fleet of Kalahati and Molentic Tuul warships will be begun to be phased out next year with a final withdrawal within the next 10 years. The HCS will develop their fleet with 3 combat types, the Soulaki, Cosmos and OPV 08 which will form the basis of the HCS combat fleet into the 2120s and beyond.

The HCS wish to standardise on 3 types to make their logistics train and training easier (and of course save money!) Older types such as the KT-B and KT2 are coming to the end of their lives in any case. The only ships that will be withdrawn before their natural end of life will be some of the later Molentic Tuuls (in theory the KT-S too though its doubtful they would last to their advertised EOL of 2120), its possible the HCS may try and sell these ships.

The schedule for withdrawal is :

• Kalahati Tuul-B : withdrawals beginning 2108. All 12 ships will be withdrawn by 2110.
• Kalahati Tuul 2 : withdrawals beginning 2108. All 40 ships will be withdrawn by 2112.
• Kalahati Tuul-S : withdrawals beginning 2111. All 40 ships will be withdrawn by 2116.
• Kalahati Tuul 2N : withdrawals beginning 2112. All 4 ships will be withdrawn in 2112.
• Molentic Tuul : withdrawals beginning 2113. All 28 ships will be withdrawn by 2116/7.

Ships surplus to requirements may be put into storage at an earlier date and used for spares.

At the end of the media briefing the HCS have also announced that the HCS OPV 08 will be called the Shark. The name was not unexpected, having been used on the aborted frigate design of a few years ago from which the OPV 08 design came.