Legate Dralson, ex-Dino Army and Security CouncilMy opinion piece on the Dino fleet sparked a frenzy of debate on Twitter (including a few death threats) and elsewhere online. A number of questions reached my email box and so i have decided to answer some below. As some of the questions came from serving Dino officers i have decided to not print the sender's names.
What is the thinking about getting a Panther like ship built for the Dino forces?
The Dinos have considered a ship of this kind of size (or rather mid-way between the RS and PT) for some time now. The problem is it goes against the Dinomark doctrine that has been ingrained in the Dino military for 70-80 years. This i feel has caused the "Dinomark prison" and its a tough one to break out of!
Is the XT just too small?
For some missions yes, such as combat against a first-rate power. For other duties it is fine like patrol, special forces et cetera. The key issue is, should the Dinos be using the same type of ship for so many missions where the likes of the DDS use different ships of many differing configurations and sizes?
I think the Dinos would do well with a Missiler or "Missiler lite" type ship. Do the Dinos need to purchase the Missiler lite design to supplement the PT's sensors?
I actually think the Olympus could be bought. The Ferret UCV was a joint project between the Dinos and DDS after all but as yet the Dinos have yet to make full use of the unmanned space fighter. There have been rumours the Dinos do want some kind of carrier. As they have the rights to licence-build the Provider and Extender it could be they could roll their own Missileer type ship, or maybe even develop one from the Dinomark MX.
Are the Dinos at a disadvantage by not having wide spread super energy cannons like that on the DDS Q/P classes (Z cannon) and the HCS Cosmos?
The next version of the PT will likely have a larger cannon, but the size of the ship will dictate the maximum theoretical size of the cannon. I think the Dinos indeed are at a disadvantage here.
Why do you say the Dino fleet is too small and not fit for purpose? The Dinos have never lost a space war.
Indeed so, but a defensive war is much different to an offensive one. In a defensive war you can concentrate your resources and choose your battlegrounds. As the Dinos move to a more imperialistic and expansionist model thanks to the DTA then the deficiencies in the Dino fleet are much more pronounced.
The DTA allies have larger ships, could the Dinos simply use them?
Yes the DTA allies do have larger ships though these are either medium sized like the Shark and Pentekonter or old like the Kalahati Tuul. Plus the Dinos would be ill-advised relying on their allies without back-up. The DTA is not a cohesive force like the DDS or Clones, DTA allies might not go along with Dino plans especially if it has an imperialist edge.
