The first MULE3 update of the Pulsar fleet has been completed with C101 North America successfully completing return-to-service trials and rejoining the fleet. MULE3 is the final major update of the Pulsar fleet and will keep the ageing cruisers viable until the fleet is withdrawn from 2111.
MULE3 focuses the Pulsar even more as a bomber in the twilight of it's career. The Z cannon has been replaced with an updated ground attack Z5g cannon (Z5g+) and a new version of the attack system SAS2C. The engine has also been totally refurbished and recored with a small sprint speed boost to 880c. Pulsar has also received FIDO for distributed virtual crewing and is the first ship fitted with the new Blast Fragmentation Containment (BFC) system, which are forcefields designed to reduce shrapnel and fragment damage during combat. TPM2 launchers have been fitted (though TPM1 will still be carried for now) and a number of bridge systems have also been replaced with wireless systems similar to that used in Quasar ILU2.
Overall MULE3 is the most significant update to the fleet since MULE itself and will greatly add to the Pulsar's effectiveness in the final phase of it's life. Two more Pulsars are currently receiving the update, the whole fleet should be completed by the Fall.
