The long-delayed new warship, the Shark, has finally been unveiled by the HCS in what they say is one of the most important projects in the history of the HCS Space Fleet. The Shark is the replacement for the entire second-line of the fleet, replacing KT, KT-S, KT2 and KT2N. However as withdrawals of these have already begun the Shark is desperately needed as soon as possible.
DDS observers commented afterwards that the Shark appears similar to the DDS Rome corvette in terms of performance and size. The HCS have up to now described it as an OPV though it is thought they may describe it as a frigate. The HCS have always been rather vague with their ship designations though, with most of their fleet being classed as "cruisers" even though ships like the Kalahati Tuul are much smaller than cruisers like the DDS Pulsar.
The Shark therefore will be a Rome sized ship, capable of 600c initially though a later revision will be able to reach 650c. (These are good speeds for the HCS, their fastest ship the Soulaki can only go 680c.) It will be fitted with twin energy cannons of an unspecified type though the main armament will be missile. It is thought the type will deploy the crude multi-phase missile the Zones developed. The Shark will also have a sizable docking bay for combat transports and shuttles.
The HCS said at least 60 will be built (probably more as it is intended to replace nearly 90 ships in the long run) with a prototype now building. Although 2109 was given before as the service date it is thought the HCS will aim for a summer 2108 debut.
At the same media briefing the HCS also said they were working on a major update to their fleet of Soulaki battlecruisers called Soulaki-M.
