Whilst the rest of the amphibious warfare fleet has been gutted, the two Tethys Ocean support carriers have remained with the fleet, though without an apparent role. DF is thought to have considered also converting these two ships into transports as they plan with the Missileers, however they instead will keep the two Tethys Ocean ships in a command role.
It is expected they will lead deployments such as on humanitarian assistance missions and major fleet deployments.
The UNDF has a big problem, not the Tarbotians or Clones or another enemy power, but with an ageing fleet. During the first decade of the 2100s, the DDS (as it then was) fleet expanded greatly. The problem for DF is that the major ship classes built then will reach the ends of their lives in the 2130s.
The money which funded the fleet expansion, at first a war budget from the UNP and then augmented by billions of zarks in land and weapon sales, is no longer there.
The key problem is with the Quasar, Isometric and Provider/Extender fleets. These will reach the ends of their service lives from the early 2130s onwards. DF simply cannot afford (or even has the industrial capacity anymore) to replace all three at the same time.
DF have indicated they will not replace the Quasar fleet, relying instead on the Warrior fleet and LRM force for strategic attack. The Missileers are likely to be rebuilt as transports and oilers, this will help delay the need to build brand new transports.
The big question remains with the Isometric fleet. DF are hoping the forthcoming Advanced Rome is a success, as they plan to use this design as the basis of an Isometric replacement. The alternative will be to completely rebuild the Type 41 though this will be more expensive in the long run.
DF have just begun a full review of their fleet, this will help guide them with some difficult decisions to come.
DF has committed to buying all twenty Mulberry 36A cruisers it has on order, plus may order an extra pair to replace the ships lost in combat a few years ago. The Mulberry is a modified version of the Raegris built Cosmos / Yel'Tema design. They are often used as flagships or command ships for fleet deployments.
It is because of this role that DF is considering withdrawing the Missileer fleet and converting them back into transports and oilers. The need for the Missileer is no longer thought to be essential to DF going forward, though with delays expected in the next generation of heavy transport ships, converting them to transports or oilers could be very helpful.
In 2114, NS (as it was at the time) bought back the four remaining Raegris Quasar cruisers (which had been sold to them by the DDS years earlier). Three of the ships have been rebuilt to bring them back to the current MSU16 standard, the fourth is being used for spares.
The three ships have been given new names, not restored names from their DDS days. They are 15-109 Heavy Strike, 15-110 Dawn Light and 15-111 First Response. The ships are likely to be kept in reserve, they are not expected to have a long career as it is thought DF might withdraw the Quasars in the early 2130s when they reach the end of their fatigue lives.
Zeppelin has announced a full review of the UNDF Space Fleet. The review will be used to plan force strength and the types of ships to be built in future. Whilst the fleet has now largely recovered from the ravages of the MBO regime, there are a number of pending issues the UNDF need to start preparing for.
One of these is what will replace the Isometric fleet of destroyers. The oldest ships will be approaching their end of service lives in the early 2130s. The Isometric derivatives will also need to be replaced later in the next decade and early 2140s.
UNDF are said to favour a clean sheet new design instead of a development of the Corkscrew platform though there have been few details about this possible future ship.
One new ship that has now been confirmed is the Type 46B, also known as the Advanced Rome. This will be an updated version of the highly flexible and popular Rome 46A. The new ships should enter service by the end of the decade, replacing the Proxima Centauri 42A light destroyers.
In his first major interview since his ousting as the Emperor of the Clone Star Empire following the military coup led by Admiral Anderson, Oojok said that he and Sleeze were now settled on Dino-Land and would never return to Cloneworld.
"If the regime of Anderson fell and there were calls for me to return i would have to politely decline." he said, "It is time for me to move on with my life, i am basically retired!"
Oojok is understood to have an advisory role with the Dino diplomatic corps, Sleeze was elected to the new Dino Assembly a few months ago. Both roles are said to anger Anderson who agreed Oojok and Sleeze could be left in exile as long as they had no political roles going forward.
Oojok said the situation on Miliaris saddened him. "Clones make up just over 90% of the empire's population but that still leaves many millions of Daggas, Eritrans, humans and other races and they need to be looked after not demonised. The war on Miliaris needs to end and the ethnic Eritrans treated as equals, for the stability of Miliaris and the empire. Anderson needs to understand that, an empire is only as strong as the stability of it's foundations."
News reports from Miliaris, confirmed by UNDF and Dino sources, indicate that Clone Army troops have entered an ethnic Eritran village on the planet and massacred the population. One source (Clone originated) said that villagers were lined up in the village square and machine gunned. No one was spared.
The UNP and CIN have both protested to the Clones, who have denied anything took place. An opposition group on Cloneworld have said Anderson's regime is out of control and must be stopped.
Dozens of CDF officers, including the heads of two Clone Army legions, have been arrested in the latest purge by Admiral Anderson against those he calls disloyal. This is following the mysterious train explosion which is now being taken seriously as a possible assassination attempt against the leader of the Clone Star Empire.
Whilst most officers have been arrested, two were executed in the street. This included the head of air defence in Micom sector on Cloneworld. It is not known why these two were treated differently.
UNDF Commander Torus has ordered the alert status to be raised to AMBER. This is due to the Miliaris situation and fears of Clone unpredictability. AMBER status means an attack is not thought likely but that there should be increased caution.
Torus has also announced that Firefly has accepted a formal role of Deputy Commander of the UNDF alongside Stella.
A train carrying ammunition has exploded on Cloneworld, luckily in a rural area meaning that no casualties have been reported. However, half an hour earlier the train was passing close to the summer dacha of Admiral Anderson, the head of the Clone Star Empire. Analysts say that if the train had exploded there it could have devastated the dacha complex.
Anderson was not at the dacha at the time, though had been scheduled to stay there this week but changed his plans due to the Miliaris situation. Clone Army experts are now examining the wreckage of the train to see if it was caused by foul play.
The Z26 Halogen is one of the iconic weapon systems of the Clone Defence Forces, well over 15,000 have been built since the early Clone Wars and over 8,000 remain in service with the Clone Air Force and Clone Naval Air Service. Production has finally ended for good after the last few examples were built fro the CNAS.
Work is now on-going on the Future Universal Helicopter programme (FUHX). This is expected to enter service around 2130 (although a prototype has yet to be revealed). The CAF aim to replace all of their Halogens by 2140 though that may be ambitious.
UNDF is reporting that three senior Clone Defence Force officers, including the head of space defence in the Cloneworld system, have been removed from their roles and may even be under arrest. All three are thought to have disagreed with Admiral Anderson's decision to redeploy an entire legion to Miliaris.
Anderson is understood to have warned that dissent will not be tolerated and is "unpatriotic".
Admiral Anderson has ordered the entire 13th Legion of the Clone Army, which is currently on Austini 55, be redeployed to Miliaris. This would be a major undertaking and require the bulk of the Clone Space Fleet's amphibious warfare assets. Moving the legion to Miliaris would greatly increase the military forces on the planet.
Some CDF critics have said sending an entire legion would be expensive, time consuming and unnecessary however, Anderson has lost patience with Miliaris. He has vowed to crush the insurgency once and for all.
Officials from the Commonwealth of Interstellar Nations (CIN) are visiting Cloneworld and are expected to travel on to Molab next week to meet with representatives of Freedom Miliaris. CIN are trying to get the ceasefire resumed on Miliaris. A key problem however is the reluctance of the Clones to stick to the existing agreement.
Admiral Anderson is reported to have said the ceasefire violated Clone sovereignty. CIN and the UNP are putting pressure on the Clones to change their minds.
Two Mariner 56A light patrol craft have joined the UNDF fleet. These are 56-107 Metronome and 56-108 Mighty. The UNDF have committed to building an eventual fleet of twenty.
Two of the stop-gap fleet of Okra 86L patrol ships (modified Coril shuttles) have been withdrawn from service. Their identities have not been disclosed. UNDF are looking into the possibility of converting them into standard shuttles.
Two Cosmos CG cruisers, fitted out for ground attack, have joined the Clone forces at Miliaris. They have begun to support Clone Defence Force operations against the Freedom Miliaris militant group. It has been reported that three suspected FM positions were attacked by the Cosmos from orbit and badly damaged.
An FM source has said that innocent civilians were killed in the attacks. They have continued to launch drone and mortar attacks on Clone Army positions though said to be of limited effectiveness.
Molab have ordered three more Pentekonter 259M patrol ships to join their existing fleet of 15. Although it is expected that Molab will buy Dino ships to replace their Kalahati Tuul fleet, Molab will continue to invest in their UNDF built fleet.
Molab have also ordered upgrades for their 3 Isometric-EMM frigates, thought to be to the tactical systems including Zip cannons.
The head of the Clone Star Empire, Admiral Anderson, has called a state of emergency on Miliaris following the deadly attacks by Freedom Miliaris. Curfews will be raised across the planet, extra troops and aircraft are arriving on the planet to augment the hard pressed defence force.
The Clones have re-established the communication connection between Miliaris and the rest of the empire. The Clone Air Force has launched dozens of attacks on positions across the planet.
It has been reported that the Tarbotians have attempted to steal a Black Triangle during a test. The Tarbotians took advantage of the lack of full info-security on the ship due to it's test status, an UNDF spokesman later said that the Tarbotians would not be able to use their hacking system on a normal ship. The Black Triangles will be retrofitted with full info-security.
The ship's crew managed to stop the hijacking due to quick thinking and alerted an escorting UNDF ship which was able to attack and damage the Tarbotian ship. The Tarbotians fled back towards their base.
Freedom Miliaris have launched the attacks they promised on the Clones following the Clone massacre of Eritran villagers. Hundreds of drones have been launched, dozens of mortar attacks have also been fired. Nearly all Clone military sites and positions on Miliaris are reported to have been attacked to some extent.
The most devastating attack was on the main communication centre near the capital. The site is reported to have been totally destroyed, cutting Miliaris off from the rest of the empire.
There are reports that Clone Army troops have conducted a massacre at an ethnic Eritran village on Miliaris. Clone troops surrounded the village and then conducted a merciless bombardment of the village, before moving in and killing everyone they found. Details of the attack have horrified the CIN and UNP.
Freedom Miliaris have vowed to launch "total war" against the Clones. They said thousands of drones are being prepared to launch attacks.
Clone Army troops have entered a number of majority ethnic Eritran areas on Miliaris on the hunt for Freedom Miliaris militants. Gunfire has been reported at a number of locations, K85 COIN aircraft have also made a number of strikes on suspected militant targets though the Clone Defence Forces are not releasing any details.
Freedom Miliaris say they are not making any attacks in respect of the Commonwealth of Interstellar Nations call for a ceasefire, however if the Clones do not withdraw from the ethnic areas then Freedom Miliaris say they will resume their campaign.
The K59 Flashlight, formerly known as the K58AD, is a new light fighter for the Clone Air Force which will be deployed to secondary planets in the Clone Star Empire. The K59 is another variant of the K03 Pterodactyl advanced trainer which has a hybrid ducted fan with an electric economy mode. The K58 Raptor is a COIN version.
The K59 replaces the K47 Freedom in production, this light fighter has lost favour with the CAF. The K59 is cheaper to operate and has better capabilities, plus the fact pilots will train on the K03 means they will be able to convert to the K59 much easier.
The Dinos, on behalf of the Commonwealth of Interstellar States (which includes the Free Eritran States), has called on both Freedom Miliaris and the Clones to stand down from the sudden heating up of the conflict on Miliaris. The Dinos said that the insurgency should end but also the Clones need to honour the ceasefire agreement which includes greater autonomy for Miliaris.
Freedom Miliaris have launched another attack at the CDF, a small airbase was hit by mortar fire. No aircraft were destroyed but base facilities were damaged. The Clone Air Force have launched air raids on a number of suspected insurgent villages.
Freedom Miliaris have restarted their conflict against the Clone Army on Miliaris. Over 150 drones were launched at the main army base, despite the improved aerial defences of the base there was substantial damage caused.
Nearly 100 drones also attacked the main air base, the K85s were caught on the apron and destroyed, other base facilities were damaged. Mortar fire has also been reported at three smaller CDF facilities.
Clone soldiers are reported to have attacked two remote ethnic Eritran villages on Miliaris. The Clones say the villages were a base for the Freedom Miliaris insurgent group and a manufacturing centre for drones. However, independent reports say the soldiers have failed to locate any drone factories.
Freedom Miliaris fighters were present however, there are reports of various gun battles between them and Clone soldiers. There have been casualties on both sides though the numbers are unknown. Two K85 COIN aircraft also attacked buildings on the outskirts of the villages.
Freedom Miliaris have said the Clones will pay for their attack, part of what they say is a betrayal of the ceasefire agreement.
The UNDF has announced a six billion zark investment in new data centres across UNP space. New data centres will be built on Proxima 7, Solaris, Mars, Liberation and Saeou over the next three years. This will replace the existing UNDF network but will be greatly upgraded with a much higher data throughout and fractal encryption built into the computers and communicatiosn equipment.
The data centres UNDF use have a number of vital functions including combat simulations, code breaking, engineering analysis and intelligence analysis. The current generation are now considered to have reached their processing limit, plus upgrading them with fractal encryption has proved to be troublesome, hence why the replacements will have the ability built in from the start.
UNDF Terrestrial Forces are to be reorganised, the various brigades will be organised along planetary lines instead of being a mixture of regiments from different planets. Two brigades will be formed from Terran/Proximan regiments and one each from regiments from Liberation, Remedia and Porquat 640.
The primary role of the Terrestrial Forces will be base defence and supporting local security services. The UNDF said that the amphibious warfare capabilities which the MBO withdrew will not be restored.
The peace deal with the ethnic Eritran insurgent groups such as Freedom Miliaris included a degree of self-goverance for majority Eritran planets in the Clone Star Empire - East such as Miliaris. However, Freedom Miliaris have accused the Clones of reneging on the deal and indeed have increased repression of Eritrans.
Freedom Miliaris say they will resume their attacks unless the Clones return to the agreement and release hundreds of Eritrans held in prisons.
The final two Dinomark AMs have been completed and have joined the Dino Army. The Dinos have said that no more will be built other than the 82 built for the Army and SS. However, an export version for other members of the CIN is being considered, Sirikwan has shown an interest.
The Dinomark XT is also nearing the end of production (though this has happened before but has been restarted a couple of times). However, as the Dinomark LM/2 is looking like it has solved the issues with the Mark 1 and full-scale production is now expected to be agreed.
Two Repulse 51B destroyers have joined the fleet as UNDF shipbuilding continues to recover after the ravages of the MBO regime. 51-205 Astcote and 51-206 Grimscote have completed their proving trials and are now ready to be deployed. Both ships were actually completed during the MBO regime but their original engines were looted by the MBO.
The UNDF have committed to building the full twenty Repulse destroyers ordered as planned.
The 2nd Legion of the Dino Army has added a new unit to it's order of battle, the 1st Unmanned Attack Regiment of the Dino Army. This unit is equipped with an unspecified number of attack drones, thought to be of a variety of types but including a new Dino type based on the successful Molab type drone which was successfully used during the Eritran uprising.
The purpose of the regiment, initially, will be to help other Dino Army units develop tactics and weapons to defend against mass attacks by cheap drones.
The former flagship SS Cicero has begun fleet trials following a refurbishment and upgrade to the latest security and tactical standards. After a successful set of trials the ship will resume it's former role as the UNDF flagship, this is expected before the end of July.
Until then Caratore's ship SS Jurassic is serving as the flagship and has been taking Torus on her tour of the UNDF. Jurassic is expected to remain the reserve flagship after the return of Cicero to service.
UNDF Commander Torus has visited Aldebra as part of her tour of all major planet bases in the UNDF. At Aldebra she announced a big expansion to the orbital facilities and an increased allocation of ships. She said that Aldebra would be the front line against any resurgent MBO or other threats in that area of space and so needed to become a key strong point in the UNDF defence.
It is also rumoured the Rapid Reaction Force could be relocated to Aldebra though this has not yet been decided.
The UNDF fleet of ten MBO built Sting 58A scouts are to be withdrawn by the end of 2126, the UNDF have confirmed. The ships perform a variety of tasks including scouting, patrol and general communication but the difficulty in obtaining spare parts (they include far less UNDF sourced equipment than the Nectar destroyers) means that it will become more difficult to keep the fleet going as time goes on.
They will be replaced by new built Mariner 56A light patrol craft, as well as the planned Rome-NG.
Two Violet 57B light patrol ships have joined the UNDF fleet, 57-216 Victoria and 57-217 Virgilia. Just three more Violets are to be built, all three are in various stages of construction and should be finished by the end of the year.
UNDF say they have now reached the sufficient numbers of ships to perform their patrol circuits across UNDF space. The three final ships will allow for operational flexibility. A follow-on Type 57C was considered at some stage but has now been shelved.
UNDF Commander Torus has said that DDS City, the large former GHQ next to Hexian City on Proxima 7 will be renamed at last. There has been a desire to rename the base, the largest in UNDF, for years and Torus said it was finally time. Torus said the base would be renamed Windy City after Windscorpion who died during the battle to destroy MBO.
Torus said that Windscorpion was the greatest warrior in the history of DDS/NS/UNDF and the galaxy would never see his likes again.
The UNDF have confirmed the death of Windscorpion, the Apogee of Man and the ultimate fighting machine. UNDF Commander Torus said that Windscorpion led the attack on the MBO moon HQ, infiltrating the base inside a specially modified TPM. Once inside the MBO base he began to ruthlessly hunt down the Mutre Bee. Torus said that a video feed from Windy's helmet shows the unprecedented destruction wrought by Windy against the core of the MBO.
Windy engaged Mutre Bee in combat which was intended to lure Mutre Bee into the centre of the base. As well as Windy's TPM, four MRMs fitted with extra-high yield cluster nuclear warheads were fired into the core of the moon, where a massive power array was located. The moon was destroyed by the massive explosion, this also killed both Mutre Bee and Windy.
The debris from the moon explosion is estimated to have wiped out 99% of the hundreds of MBO warships assembled around the moon. Torus said that the MBO have been crippled as a fighting force. They may be able to rebuild but it will take them a very long time. It is not known if the Mutre Bee can be resurrected.
The UNDF has claimed they have destroyed the moon HQ of the Mutre Bee Organisation and the debris wiped out an estimated 97% of the entire MBO fleet! Windscorpion led a joint UNDF-Dino force to attack the MBO. All four Mutre Bee cloning vats are reported to have been destroyed which means that a new Mutre Bee clone cannot be created. Mutre Bee is thought to have been killed by Windscorpion who attacked the moon HQ. The UNDF destroyed the moon using MRMs with very high yield cluster warhead which directly attacked the moon's massive power plant battery.
Whether Windscorpion survived the destruction of the moon is currently unknown. UNDF Commander Torus has applauded the attack and has reduced the alert status to CYAN.
