In the first of his HCS Intel reports Dr Forbidden of DDS Research will be assessing the current state of the HCS Space Fleet.
Major combatants
Soulaki Battlecruiser
Of course the most powerful ship in the HCS fleet is the Soulaki battlecruiser, a large ship that is in the Pulsar class. The Soulaki actually was the first clean sheet design by the Clones, prior to this they only adapted and updated Utrek and Raegris designs and as such its a great achievement. However the ship has some problems. Clone engine technology lags the DDS badly and the Clones have had to fit 2 of their largest engines to give the Soulaki a decent performance (and even then a top speed just short of 700c is pretty slow compared to where the DDS and Dinos are at these days). The bulk of these engines also makes the Soulaki rather a lumbering beast. Its thrust-mass ratio is much less than DDS ships of a similar size (Pulsar and Quasar) and hence it cannot manover quickly in battle.
Firepower is good though nothing ground breaking these days, the Soulaki's main cannons are inferior to the Z cannon though good auxiliary weapons make the Soulaki overall a decent battlecruiser. In combat though the ship has to be protected by more nimble ships. The Clones have 25 of these and with it's flanks protected its definately the cutting edge of the HCS fleet.
Cosmos cruiser
The Cosmos, now numbering 95 examples (production has just ended we believe), is the backbone of the fleet and to me its the best ship in the HCS. The Cosmos is a Raegris design, the HCS bought 6 of them a long time ago. The HCS have greatly improved the design including the addition of the massive super-energy cannon. A huge belly-mounted weapon that rivals the Z cannon in power.
The Cosmos is a sturdy ship but is slow. Even the latest S class is still limited to 650c. Most of the fleet are limited to 450c. However in a purely defensive situation the Cosmos excels. Its fairly agile for a ship of it's mass and has a decent auxiliary armament. If the HCS could develop engine technology like Neptune and get a Cosmos up to 800+c then it could be one of the best ships out there. As it is, its powerful weaponary and sheer numbers makes the Cosmos the key weapon in their fleet.
Molentic Tuul cruiser
Of course we are very familiar with the Molentic Tuul, a Utrek design that has been updated and improved in production. The Molentic Tuul is basically sound though now looking a bit dated compared to the latest DDS and Dino types. Its a bit slow now (the latest updates put it to 600c which is nothing to be too excited about) and the armament is good but unspectacular. The HCS have 45 of them so its a decent sized fleet.
The MT is an agile ship, it was designed by the Utrek as a true space dogfighter, and like all Utrek designs it is sturdy and easy to maintain. However the MT excels in no areas now, even the more powerful GX class is nothing to write home about. What would you rather be in? An Isometric or a Molentic Tuul?
Second-line combatants
Kalahati Tuul 2 cruiser
The KT2 was a development, jointly with the Remedians, of the Kalahati Tuul. At it's time the KT2 was a competant warship but now its pretty average. Even the updated KT2N can only reach 600c and it's armament is nothing too spectacular. Its role is patrol and general fleet duties however and its good enough for that.
As the first home brew design by the Clones the KT2 contains quite a few design shortcuts and problems. They wouldn't last too long against front-line DDS warships. The KT2 is a bit unweildly and sluggish despite a decent thrust-mass ratio, the engine cannot change thrust very quickly meaning that the KT2 could end up being a sitting duck.
Kalahati Tuul cruiser (B and Super)
The Kalahati Tuul was the type that started it all for the HCS. They bought several off the Utrek and then licence built further examples, later on they improved and developed the design. Original KTs are by now pretty obsolete, however they make decent patrol vessels as long as the potential enemy is not too tough! Some KTs are very slow, not even able to reach 400c. In terms of firepower they are lagging too.
The rebuilt Super Kalahati Tuul is a different story. The HCS have done a great job with these rebuilds, although you'd not really want them in your battle fleets Super KTs are excellent patrol and second-line ships with their speed boosted to 520c and armament significantly updated.
So that is the HCS fleet, some good ships (Soulaki, Cosmos) but much of the fleet is obsolete and overall the HCS are lacking in performance and of course the latest weapon tech such as transphasic missiles.
