UNP seek to reduce DDS funding

The UNP have asked the DDS to reduce their spending by 5% as the moribund economies of many UNP members is causing them to struggle to afford the billions given annually to the DDS. A 5% reduction would mean ship building programmes would have to be cut and operations reduced. The UNP are also saying the DDS should try and increase the amount of their budget funded by non-UNP sources, currently this is at 3%. This could allow the burden to be further reduced the UNP say.



Deputy Commander Firefly (above) has held meetings with the UNP this week and has told them that a budget reduction is simply not acceptable. The serious strategic situation needs continual and sustained heavy investment in the fleet and other arms of the DDS. The UNP are digging in their heels though so expect a lot of talks to come.

Interview : Head of HCSN Development Admiral V. Phoebus

The Head of Development of the HCS Navy Admiral V. Phoebus is a very busy Clone these days as the HCSN is the fastest growing part of the Clone war machine. Here he kindly granted us a short interview.

US : Admiral, recently the first carrier CNS Cloneworld was launched. Some critics have said the carrier is too small for it's role of providing a strike role against an invading enemy who has denied the HCSAF it's air fields.

PH : First of all the carriers' principal role is not this "strike role" that so many mention. The role of the carriers is two-fold : to support and help protect an at-sea fleet and to provide us with much useful experience in carrier aviation operations. Maybe a third role could be seen as this strike role but its likely that the carriers will only carry between 8 to 10 fighters in normal operations so it is hardly likely to matter much in any invasion scenario.

US : "Experience" implies that you plan for larger carriers at a later date.

PH : It does indeed and we do plan to have much larger carriers, able to embark say 40 to 50 combat aircraft some day. However we have other priorities of course.

US : These other priorities being ballistic missiles.

PH : That is one of them! I envisage SLBMs to be the true "counter strike" against an invading force. That is a huge project though. In the shorter term we want to get a viable blue water fleet up and running. Virtually all of our ships fall into the brown water category so far.

US : The Triona class OPV you mean. Some have criticised them for being overloaded with firepower.

PH : Yes guilty! [laughs] The Triona we adopted from the HCS Riverine Squadron and as it was our only ship at the time we tried to get the most out of it! Future OPVs will be less loaded. The Triona is a decent patrol boat though it can run into trouble in heavy seas.

US : Is it frustrating for you that it is taking so long to get a blue water fleet?

PH : Well yes but building a destroyer is far more complicated and far more involved than, say, building a jet fighter or tank. The Olana class will be a powerful and flexible ship however and be the core surface combatant of our fleet for decades to come.

US : One problem you are currently having is with submarines. Why did you have to go to the UNP and is the embargo going to delay matters?

PH : We had no real experience or facilities for building submarines unlike surface ships which is why we tried to jump start our industry by buying those Terran boats. Unfortunately we have had to change plans but the Dinos' submarine technology is probably superior to the Terrans anyway. We still think we can get Seawolf [the new SSKs] by 2112 or 13. Our SSN and SSBN programmes are dependant on Seawolf for experience so there will be similar delays though we currently have no in-stone deadlines for those.

US : Moving to aviation. Your F-40s are now among the oldest in HCS service. Will they be able to stay viable until the F-45Ks start to arrive in around 2115?

PH : Our F-40Ns are old but for around 10 years they were hardly used. After the demise of the old Navy they were transferred to the HCSAF but the air boys did not need them at the time so their hours was not greatly increased. We have managed to refurbish and update them slightly and more updates are planned. We are confident we can get another 7-8 years out of them including a few years of carrier operation.

US : It sounds like in 10 years time the Navy will be truly up to speed, is that your target?

PH : Yes its a long term project. In 2118 we will have at least 2 carriers with F-45Ks, a fleet of new generation destroyers and frigates, submarines and improved patrol assets. There is a lot of work to do before then, but we are getting on with it. Thank you.

Windy postpones trip to New Arit

Windscorpion was planning to head to New Arit today for talks with the DDS ally and to visit DDS liaison troops whom Windy said must be "lonely so far from home". However he has postponed his trip because of the possible Bolitic threat. Instead he has set off in his flagship Barents Sea to join the 1st Fleet which is taking up position near Proxima 5 and will be conducting some training exercises.

Reserve units have been called up to join the fleet and it is reported the 1st Fleet has been bolstered to 14 ships. Other ships returning from Operation Hard Thrust have also been told to hold position in case they are needed.

Dinos go to yellow alert over Bolitic

The current flap about the Bolitic Confederacy attacking the DDS is largely due to humint from an obscure Bolitic house who claim the Emperor is going to destroy the DDS and some ambiguous fleet movement intelligence. However now the Dino forces on Pulsin have gone to yellow alert after a scout mission detected some 30 Bolitic ships conducting an exercise near the border.

17 Dinomarks have been despatched to bolster the forces at Pulsin and the 5th Legion is being prepared to deploy. The DDS are understood to be sending a scout ship to see what the Bolitic are up to.

Ships Of The Galaxy : Solaris II (Updated)

The Solaris II has been a mainstay of the DDS for a few years now but is obsolete in DDS terms and it's time in DDS service has now ended. The Solaris was one of the first generation of DDS warships and served well in the late 2080s to early 2090s before its loss in action. When the plans for DDS fleet expansion were drawn up the Solaris design was considered for series production as the standard frigate but lost out to the Starsystem. Later on in the 2090s the DDS' fleet of long-range scouts the Ranger class was reaching the end of it's service life so the DDS decided to replace it with the Solaris for it's long-range patrol and surveying missions.

The series production Solaris (known as the Solaris II) differed only internally from the original ship. The production rig and tools from building the original ship still existed so to save money the design was left unchanged though of course internally the ship was totally different and much updated. The Solaris II was notable for it's fin-mounted shield generator in a large pod dating from a time when such equipment tended to be held externally to generate a better shield. Later on the shield was replaced by a newer model stored in the main structure. The pod nowadays holds passive sensors and ECM equipment.

The Solaris is well suited for long-range missions being a roomy and reliable platform and in it's day its top speed of 600c was very good. However in terms of firepower and protection the Solaris is lacking and several have been lost in combat including one to the Zones in 2107. At one stage it was planned to replace the Solaris with a long-range Isometric rebuild called the Rhombus, however in the end it was found the Isometric was already suitable to take over the Solaris' role unmodified. All but 1 Solaris was sold to the New Aritans with the survivor becoming a training frigate and survey ship for the DDS Departmental Fleet, however in 2108 as part of a cost saving push this remaining ship was also sold to the Aritans.

The 5 remaining Solaris II are popular in Aritan service and have been refurbished, though will need a major overhaul early in the next decade. The Aritans plan to keep the Solaris in service until the 2120s at least.

DDS to move to carrier battle group fleet model

The DDS currently operate 4 fleets, with a 5th fleet on paper consisting of ships in reserve, and will be moving to a carrier battle group model in future with all fleets having 1 or 2 Missileer carriers as their flagships and command centres. In the past a Pulsar or Quasar has been the command ship of a fleet but the DDS have intended for the Missileer to be the "centre of everything".

Only 3 Missileers are currently in service though the 4th is on proving trials. By the end of the year there should be 5 in service and the DDS will be able to begin this new model. The 1st Fleet based at Proxima 7 already has a Missileer as flagship and the 2nd Fleet at Remedia Prime will later in the year follow suit. 4 fleets having a full carrier complement will mean 8 Missileers will be required at all times, with a planned fleet of 12 this may be cutting it a bit fine (with ships having refits and repair). One analyst has said the DDS are looking for funding to boost the Missileer fleet up to 15.

Bolitic moves concern DDS

Reports that the Bolitic Confederacy is starting to unite around the Emperor is concerning the DDS who fear the Bolitic could be poised to attack. A few months ago Emperor Aliowaki called on the Bolitic to stop fighting each other and to unite their strength. This only happens if the Emperor wishes to attack a major foreign power. Usually the Dinos.

However there is a fear the Bolitic could be seeking revenge against the DDS after Windy's humiliation of them during his search for the New Cross.

Fleet news (27/07/08)

D105 Cheetah, the latest Type 35A Panther destroyer, has entered service. Cheetah has a number of improvements and is the first Type 34A Rev 2 Panther. The first 4 ships will be bought up to this standard at their next Exam B refit. Rev 2 includes an improved Z5t cannon, a new missile load mechanism (which will reduce the chance of blockages at maximum rate of fire) and a number of internal changes to minimize blast damage.



The 3 Type 37A Velocity destroyers will receive an update this Summer. D151 Velocity will receive the update later whilst the other 2 ships should receive it when they have their Exam B refits in the next few weeks. The update, known as Velocity Improved Performance 2108 (VIP2108) under the new DDS update nomenclature, will include a new engine core (taking the engine to RL-06AM standard) and power flow regulators. Top speed will be increased though the DDS will not say how much yet though it won't be up to Type 37B Velocity S standard. Weaponary will also be improved.

Type 41A Isometric F106 Tertiary will receive a refit next month and be equipped with a number of updated systems planned for the Isometric ILU. This will allow these new systems to be tested in real-world conditions and include a new tactical combat suite and anti-blast fragment coating to interior panels.

SS in action against rebel tribes

The Jalan tribe in a remote area of Dino-Land has risen up against the Dinos, normally this would be generally ignored but this time Consul MBH has instructed the SS to move in and put down the uprising with the maximum of force. The infamous Black Dragon Martyrs Brigade, the 2nd Armoured brigade of the SS, has been despatched to the area. MBH has sent SS Commander Lakes, the commander of the Martyrs too, to take personal command. Much to his men's dismay.

The reason for MBH's action is said to be because he wants to restore the SS' image of a brutal iron fist of fascist might instead of the image they currently have of a bunch of S&M gay perverts following a series of high profile sex scandals.

HCS launch campaign against Randalf 74 rebels

The HCS have launched a concerted air and land campaign against the human rebels on Randalf 74 who a few days ago shot down a F-40 fighter and a A-85 COIN aircraft. The 13th Panzer Division has moved into the area of rebel activity on the planet, the East Rising province. The 447th Infantry Regiment and 42nd Cavalry Regiment has also moved into the neighbouring Kentarey province to attack rebel strongholds there.

Both forces have been supported by heavy air cover and several hundred sorties have been made on dozens of rebel and suspected rebel positions. One A-85 was shot down by a SAM missile and another forced down, though probably due to mechanical problems. An IED in the village of Illiatrom Goulam destroyed a T-89 tank killing the crew. Several dozen other troops have been injured in a number of firefights.

The HCS are moving the 39th Panzer and 106th Infantry Divisions to the area from elsewhere on the planet and also 2 COIN Air Regiments. Two Molentic Tuuls have also arrived to carry out orbital bombardments. However analysts say the rebels in the past have managed to evade heavy force like this and the HCS need to use special forces. Unfortunately only 1 company of Red Lizard is on the planet though more have been requested.

HCS fighter show down by SAM over Randalf 74

The rebellion by human insurgents on Randalf 74 seems to be back on after a HCSAF F-40 was shot down by a SAM whilst on a patrol over the East Rising province of the planet. A sustained campaign by HCS ground and air forces seemed to break the back of the rebellion earlier in the year but it is thought by analysts the rebels have simply needed to regroup and now are fighting back.

The HCS have angrily accused the DDS of supplying the rebels citing remains of an SA-37, a common MANPAD SAM in DDS service, found near to the crashed plane. The DDS however say the SAM is fairly easily available on the black market through UNP planets and may have been sold to the rebels by unauthorised persons on Oscar where it has been supplied to the Oscar Terran Army by the DDS.

In reply to the rebel attack 46 A-85s from the 305th Counter-Insurgency Air Regiment made a series of attack on suspected rebel positions. One A-85 suffered damage from ground fire and the crew was forced to eject. The HCSAF refuse to say if any rebels were killed. The Randalf 74 military commander is understood to have requested an extra COIN regiment, a Red Lizard company and extra munitions from HCS GHQ.

Windy switches flag to Barents Sea

Windscorpion has switched his flag to frigate F136 Barents Sea and will use the Type 43B frigate as his flagship until SS Carboniferous is repaired later in the year. Windy will arrive back at GHQ this week and is expected to spend a few days on DDS issues before travelling to Terra to spend a week's leave in Stoke.



After that Windy will travel to New Arit for talks with the Aritans and then later in August will travel across to Starbot to attend the final exercises in the Strawberry Fields deployment.

Operation Strawberry Field

The DDS today announced a new exercise to begin next week and expected to be carried out during August. The exercise will take place in the space around Starbot and it is suspected the choice of venue is to enable the DDS to give the 7 Sa Sao a show of strength. DDS ships will operate with Starbotian vessels in a number of combat exercises, the Starbotians both providing "friendly" and "enemy" elements. A training frigate is also to attend and will be manned by cadets near the end of their training to give them some near-combat experience.

The fleet will be commanded by Von Kane and consist of :

D151 Velocity (flag)
C123 Boson
F113 Quarternary
F115 Cainozoic
F147 Sea Of Oskhotsk
T103 Piscis Australis (training detachment)
A107 Starlifter
A143 Liftmaster (see below)

Commercial consortium step in to fund HCS communications upgrade

The crumbling state of the HCS' communications network is well known and a crash programme to restore the network could cost over 12 billion zarks, money the military simply doesn't have. However now a commercial consortium headed by the state broadcaster Clone Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and including the major TV networks Clone TV and Cloneworld Entertainment could step in to fund an update to the tune of 8 billion zarks.

Why? Because commercial communications are dependant on the HCS network as the civil network doesn't exist in most parts of the empire. As the state of the HCS network has declined so bandwidth available to civil networks has become very hard to find, indeed the 3 biggest TV channels now have to timeshare one channel to many places in the empire (though if you had ever seen Clone television you might think this a blessing!)

The Clone government Media Department is also being urged to contribute and may add 750 million to the funding, with the HCS saying they can pay 1.3 billion. Together this money could fund major improvements and restoration to key parts of the HCS communications network but extra money will be needed to complete the job to all areas and start to build the network needed for future capabilities.

New nuclear weapon plant opened on Proxima 5

The new nuclear age of DDS land warfare has been achieved using existing stockpiles of DDS and UNP nuclear warheads. These stocks were soon used up though by nuclear attacks against Zoneland and Utrek targets and it is thought the main reason the DDS did not nuke Diareel was because all the remaining warheads would have been used. (The DDS of course will not comment on this though it has been reported the DDS have "leased" some 20 warheads from the Dinos.)

But now a new nuclear weapon plant has opened on Proxima 5 and should be producing it's first warheads next Spring. The DDS intend to move production of it's biogenic weapons here too in 2112 though these plans may change in order to reduce vulnerability.

DDS ship encounters 7 Sa Sao

A Type 71A transport A107 Starlifter has encountered a 7 Sa Sao ship near to Starbot. The Provider was scanned by the ship using a scanning technology previously never encountered before. Scans of the 7 Sa Sao ship (they did not announce themselves but it matches the ship encountered before) produced a blank indicating the 7 Sa Sao have shielding technology that can block scanning beams.

The captain of the Provider later reported he had been transported off his ship and probed by the 7 Sa Sao but his crew said he never left the bridge. Similiar to what Quarz claimed happened to him.

DDS to develop first strike UCAV; Ferret-G

With the LLAD MQ-14 currently bring prepared for it's first flight later this year the DDS Air Force have begun a programme for a future stealth first-strike attack drone. LLAD will be a subsonic platform but the Future Strike Platform MQ-15 will be a "stealth supersonic penetrator" designed to make the first strike and suppress enemy air defences for explotation by a second wave of manned and unmanned aerial assets. FSP could enter service around 2115 though as yet funding has only been found for initial design.

Meanwhile the second phase of the Ferret UCV programme is progressing well. Ferret-G will have an aerial mode as well and is being developed by the Dinos primarily though the DDS are now showing interest to procure it as a replacement for the current Ferret-E. Ferret-G will also have enhanced space fighting capabilities and extra range. Ferret-G will begin flight testing next year. The DDS have given the designation of MQ-5A to Ferret-E and MQ-5B to Ferret-G.

Pentekonter attacked near Rathun's World

P103 Pericles, a Type 44A Pentekonter patrol ship, has been attacked by an unknown assailant near to Rathun's World. The Pentekonter was attacked by the ship, which looked like a heavily modified old Tarbotian frigate, when conducting a routine patrol circuit. Its thought the ship is Zone operated as they tend to use old ships heavily modified and updated. Its possible the Zone ship was smuggling female Zones to brothels on Rathun's World, a big problem on the planet recently especially when King Rathun himself was caught in a police raid on a brothel and found with 2 underage Zone females and a large tub of yoghurt.



P103 suffered main power failure but no lasting serious damage and only minor injuries. The other ship cloaked and escaped. P103 was unfortunately not carrying any TPMs. A Type 43C Arafura Sea class frigate has been sent to the area to beef up the patrol assets available.

HCS Round-up (16/07/08)

The HCSAF Training Command has announced a major re-organisation with the closing of 2 training bases in Micom, Cloneworld and on Sandworld with the retirement of a number of training aircraft. The primary jet trainer fleet, the T-1, will be reduced to 700 examples however there will also be a 100 new build T-1s in the yet to be defined T-1M. The basic T-75 will be reduced to 1000 examples and the advanced trainer the TF-40 reduced to 160. This will save the HCSAF 180 million zarks a year and will enable the HCSAF to fund the new T-1Ms from savings. A new basic trainer to replace the ageing (and rather horrible) T-75 will also be funded, likely to be based on the A-85NT COIN aircraft.

The HCS Navy on Aquaworld has received a third Triona class OPV AP10 Senrilla. The ship has a number of detail and equipment changes to test for the forthcoming Triona II OPV which is expected from 2110.

The backbone of the Space Navy's transport fleet, the Type A has a new model. The Type A7 has an uprated engine enabling speeds up to 230c and a new cargo handling system enabling greater automation, efficiency and security. An oiler version of the A7, known as the J2, is also to be built.

Fleet news (16/07/08)

The DDS have created a new type classification system for it's fleet moving away from describing classes by their lead ship name (which can be problematical when that lead ship is lost) though it is likely the lead ship names will continue to be used in parallel. The type numbers can be seen on the DDS fleet page.

C103 South America has become the second Pulsar (or Type 12A) MULE3 cruiser to be completed and has rejoined the fleet. It has already headed to the DMZ to support existing assets as part of Hard Thrust.



The first Type 47A Fighting Falcon class ship (the Dinomark XT to DDS standards) has entered limited service to allow for full spectrum testing in near-combat conditions. P131 Fighting Falcon will spend the next 3 months on Loeuss taking part in exercises with DDS and Dino ground forces.

2 more Type 75A Friendship class transports have been delivered. The DDS has finally decided to name the class and used the Friendship name.

Hard Thrust : Utrek withdrawal taking place

Following their crushing defeat at the hands of the DDS the Utrek were given just 3 days to withdraw all military forces from Diareel. A desperate exodus of 1000s of military personnel has been taking place and the Utrek have been forced to destroy a huge amount of military equipment as they haven't the time to remove it from the planet. DDS forces monitoring report large amounts of brand new tanks and artillery are being blown up.. before the DDS blow them up themselves with a devastating orbital bombardment.


MBF, who commanded the devastating Panther attack during the battle, has now been put in charge of looking after the prisoners.

The Diareel loss has further weakened the Utrek Central Command, reeling already from the spectacular loss against the DDS & Dinos last year and a costly grind against the Mantae. Some reports claim its the last straw for some senior officers who have been replaced by a new generation. Its thought these younger officers are keen on ending the conflict with the DDS to concentrate on strengthing the greatly weakened Utrek Federation.

Windscorpion meanwhile is returning to Proxima 7 with part of the fleet, Sea Urchin being left to make sure the Utrek withdraw from Diareel on time.

HCS Navy to procure Dinomark XTs

With the first DDS Dinomark XTs now preparing for entry into service later in the year (Fighting Falcon class) now the HCS have also become XT users. 6 elderly Dinomark XT/70ws have been bought from Dino Reserve Organisation for the HCS Navy. Navy? Because these XTs are capable of travelling underwater.

The XTs are around 35-40 years old and were considered too old to be reactivated in the recent Utrek War but will be fully refurbished and refuelled in the 470 million zark (though it will be paid for with new T-55ZDMs, spares and ammunition) deal which also includes new sonar, acoustic management and communication systems. The XTs will form a useful submarine force for the HCSN and it is hoped they will enter service by 2110. The ships also have a space role of course though are rather obsolete (top speed 120c) but will be available to the Space Navy for emergencies.

Two newer Dinomark XT/86ws will go to Cloneworld next month to help begin the training of the future crews of the HCSN XTs.

The Battle Of Diareel

DDS forces in the Hard Thrust deployment have engaged and defeated a sizeable Utrek force. Around 47 Utrek ships were engaged in a battle near to the planet and could not match the multi-spectrum attack by the DDS' latest technologies. In one engagement the 2 Panthers cut a swathe through a Utrek battle line destroying 9 ships in less than 9 seconds. Other Utrek were defeated by Ferret-E USVs equipped with pre-production TPM-2s.

C121 Quasar (below) was badly damaged in the main engagement being at the apex of the DDS line. Initially the ship was thought to need to be abandoned due to a near critical reactor core problem however courageous engineering staff managed to shut down the reactor core and the ship can now be recovered though repairs will take a long time. Frigate F137 South China Sea was also badly damaged but will be able to return home under it's own power. Three other ships also received noticeable damage. Total DDS casualties were 21 dead and 39 injured. The Utrek suffered at least 43 destroyed ships and a massive loss of life.



Following the destruction of the Utrek fleet the attack squadron led by Sea Urchin entered orbit and threatened to attack the planet (including with nuclear weapons) if the Utrek did not remove all military forces from the planet. The Utrek have been given just 3 days to accomplish this task, a DDS force is remaining in the area to make sure they do just that!

UV131 : A History Of Violence

• Proud Sponsor - SFX leads his team into Oscar... including Quarz...
• Succession + Loss - Ronald chooses his successor and its not El Diablo or Cruggson...
• Has Ron Lost His Mind? - El Diablo and co. investigate a corrupt SS officer, so what is new? He is also a deviant gay sadist. Usual SS then...
• The Battle Of Diareel - The DDS punish the Utrek for breaking the DMZ treaty...

Stay tuned for UV132 Steers Or Queers next month!

HCS Infocom architecture crumbling due to neglect

At the height of the Clone Wars the information technology and communication systems of the HCS was second to none. The HCS invested heavily in excellent communications between it's planets and created a virtual "map" of HCS deployment through the installation of transponders on all military vehicles to create the Virtual Universe. A system later replicated by the DDS (as VR Battlefield 1.0).

However now a HCS watchdog is warning the info systems of the HCS are in decay and the communications network creaking and running out of capacity. The problem is years of under investment and upgrade projects postponed and then postponed yet again. The Virtual Universe, once the pride and joy of the HCS, has a restricted service more often than not. Transponders are not maintained and computers fail to the extent that some commanders now say it should either be fixed or shut down.

The communications network of the HCS has simply failed to keep pace with demand. Wheras years ago there was plenty of spare capacity now the average load of 92% and 100% occurs frequently causing a data bottleneck for users and further problems for Virtual Universe. HCS encryption technology has also lagged and it is suspected that the DDS can routinely break all but the highest level codes.

Captain Clone has called for new investment but the watchdog says 12 billion zarks is needed over the next 3 years just to keep the network working. Twice that to start improving the system to the level needed. With the ballistic missile, submarine and naval programmes that 12 billion simply isn't available. What is likely to happen is an emergency 1.6 billion zark programme to patch the system up but this will just literally paper over the cracks.

DDS pitch Velocity-E to Vosun Voth

As yet the DDS do not have any buyers for the export version of the Velocity-N development which will be built for the DDS as the Solaris III class. However it is understood the Vosun Voth Star Empire, who have already ordered DDS hardware, are interested in the Velocity-E and have requested a Velocity visit them for evaluation.

Such is the importance of getting a launch export order the DDS have despatched D152 Advance to the VVSE where it will spend several weeks being evaluated by VVSE officials.

Hard Thrust : DDS prepare to cross border

Reports are coming in that the DDS fleet has reunited at the DMZ border at an unspecified location and is preparing to cross the border and head to Diareel. It is thought this is being delayed for a few hours to allow repairs to D102 Jaguar to be completed.

The Utrek have refused DDS ultimatums to withdraw from the DMZ leaving the DDS no choice but to fight. Windscorpion however told reporters via videolink that the DDS was ready to fight.



"The Utrek are the enemies of freedom, freedom for young men to find self-expression, freedom for young men to find true happiness. The DDS will now release them from their prison of hetro evil."

Fleet news (09/07/08)

K116 Caligula has become the latest Rome corvette to join the fleet. The ship will join the patrol pool next week following successful trials. K116 includes a development build of the main tactical software and will be running a field test of the system. If successful the new software should increase tactical capacity by 12% and speed of response by 7% and will be rolled out to the rest of the fleet.

The final Solaris II class frigate has left DDS service to join the New Aritans. The ship had been serving in the departmental fleet mainly doing surveying. Following localisation and some minor refurbishment the ship will join it's 4 sisters in the Is Lanki.

With one Solaris gone a new one arrives. The DDS have assigned the Solaris name to the forthcoming Velocity-N destroyer class. The lead ship will be named Solaris, the other ships will be named at a later date but are expected to use star names like the old Solaris class.

The Sea Of Tranquillity class frigates were due to enter service before the end of the year but have now been delayed until February 2109. This is to allow extra time for development of some key systems and also to leave the production jig free for an Isometric update planned for the Fall.

Marconi class EW ship E105 Westinghouse has joined the fleet, this is the 5th and final member of the class and has much more extensive facilities for special forces. The other 4 ships will will retrofitted to match over the next couple of years. The changes include extra docking space, casualty receiving facilities, improved accommodation and training facilities.

Two more Friendship transports have joined the fleet. The DDS have yet to name the ships which fulfil the UNP's "colonial" role which the DDS is now paid to do.

Hard Thrust : Sea Urchin goes on ahead

Sea Urchin (below), the deputy commander of the Hard Thrust task force heading to the DMZ to punish the Utrek for breaking the treaty, has taken a small detachment ahead of the main fleet which is currently waiting for the ground attack detachment to rendezvous with it.



It is thought Sea Urchin's force, consisting of a Panther (which has to be the Panther) and 2 Terran Sea frigates, is conducting deep scans of the DMZ using a new strategic sensor array being fielded by the DDS for the first time. The array has been fitted to D101 Panther and is a full-aspect sensor suite with a very long range.

Captain Clone sets up Zone brigade

Captain Clone (below) has begun setting up a new brigade of the HCS which will be manned by Zones, who now live on Colom. The brigade will be ready for operational service by 2110 a HCS source claimed and will take mainly Zones with combat experience to ease training.



The 4 regiment brigade will have a panzer regiment equipped with T-55Zs and 3 infantry regiments equipped with TRV-5s. All AFVs will come from HCS reserve stocks. Captain Clone has high hopes for the Zone brigade citing the legendary fighting spirit (though some would say psychotic need for violence) of the Zones. He said that eventually he wishes to have a full Zone legion. It is thought some Zones (an example below) are already in the HCS serving in Red Lizard units. One unnamed HCS source has criticised the plan saying the last thing they should do with the Zones is give them guns!

DDS accused of war crimes on Oscar

A DDS unit operating on Oscar to "advise" Oscar Human soldiers has been accused, by the HCS, of war crimes against Clones. A HCS spokesclone presented testimony by Oscar Clones that prisoners had been butchered and raped by DDS soldiers operating in conjunction with Oscar Terran Army (OTA) forces (the OTA is the name for the relaunched Human army).

The DDS have denied the accusations saying that the DDS are purely there to advise the OTA and assist them in setting up their new army to defend themselves against Clone aggression. DDS forces only used their weapons in self-defence and had been engaged in at least 1 incident against Clones but said the Clones had fired first.

Meanwhile the OTA is celebrating after scoring a notable success near the hamlet of Oh Mera. Three T-55Z1 tanks of the Clone Army of Oscar (CAO) were caught by the OTA and 1 tank was destroyed by an anti-tank missile. It is thought the tank was lost after the crew failed to operate proximity defensive systems and find cover. The HCS have recently transferred some 30 old tanks to the CAO though training is generally very poor.

Windy talks of his desire for young men to self-develop

Windy has spoken to reporters about his aims for DDS 3.0 and his desire for the young men of the DDS to self-develop and achieve their potential. "I believe young men should get their heads down and perform under pressure from their older mentors." Windy does not believe in sparing the rod. "Coming down hard on these young men is the best way for them to see the light."

And that light is to be found through self-denial, adventure sports and nudity. "Young men should spend a lot of time with nature, nude of course. Just watch out for thorn bushes and stingers, that can be... unpleasant in certain areas." Windy said that he learnt so much while spending time in the woods with older men.


The woods, yesterday

Windy said that when he has returned from destroying the Utrek he will devote much time to completing the DDS 3.0 project and crushing the degenerate evil of Hoods 2.0. "The Hoods seek to deny young men true pleasure, and those white sheets are so out of season."

Shark frigate gives HCS flexibility

The new Shark frigate, which is now entering service with the HCS Space Navy, is bringing real tactical flexibility to the fleet. It is replacing the Kalahati Tuul fleet which has served the HCS well for over a decade but while the KT and KT2 were useful general purpose ships they did not excel in specialist areas. The Shark has a modular multi-mission system (similar to Rome and Panther on the DDS side but not as plug & play) which means ships can be fitted out for specialist missions in just a few days.

One example, which has just been tested, is a geological survey module. In the past fitting out a KT for such a mission could take weeks with equipment being installed, calibrated and integrated. With the Shark the process is much quicker with all equipment having to adhere to Standard Mission Architecture (SMA) which is similar to the common platform elements of Open Architecture which the DDS have standardised in. The module does not have to be integrated or calibrated into the Shark's systems manually, everything occurs automatically greating cutting down on time spent at dock.

Other modules including a minesweeping module are in development. The 5th and 6th Sharks have just joined the fleet. Unfortunately for the HCS Kalahati Tuuls are leaving service faster than Sharks can be built to replace them meaning the HCS is facing a capability gap.

DDS ship damaged by mine

D102 Jaguar, part of the Hard Thrust deployment, has received damage after being hit by a Utrek mine near the DMZ. Its is thought the Panther destroyer had gone alone ahead of the rest of the fleet up to the DMZ to conduct scans when it was struck by a cloaked Utrek mine. Two crewmen were killed due to a collapse of ceiling supports in the room they were in and three more injured.

The Panther was able to return to the rest of the fleet at reduced power and is now undertaking repairs. The ship should be ready for the intended start of combat operations. However that may be delayed for a few days as Windy has decided to halt the fleet's progress to allow the second detachment which includes a mine sweeping flotilla to catch up.

SS Isometric to become USV test-bed

SS Isometric is the research ship that heralded much of the G3 and beyond technologies, especially propulsion technology, that now dominate the DDS fleet though the ship itself was once a lowly Starsystem. Now much rebuilt and changed it is among the most capable ships in the fleet.



Recently there has been a question mark over Isometric's future. The ship requires a major overhaul early in the next decade to keep it operational until 2120 however there was a question as to whether this would take place because Isometric was no longer needed for propulsion development following the shelving of most "traditional" propulsion development in favour of w-drive.

Isometric's future has been assured as the ship will help develop unmanned space vehicle (USV) technology. The DDS already have the small USV Ferret-E but want to develop a family of larger interstella unmanned warships, which are likely to be the first DDS ships to have w-drive. Isometric will receive a major rebuild following current develop work (likely to be next year). The ship will still be capable of being manned but will also help test technologies vital for major USVs including automated repair and maintenance, automated refuelling and sensor fusion. This also means it is likely Isometric will be an early test bed for w-drives sometime (late) in the next decade.

A spokeswoman said that Isometric will probably be retained until well into the 2120s.

Von Kane takes command of new 4th Fleet

Von Kane has taken command of the newly created 4th Fleet based at Starbot. His fleet however currently only consists of his own Velocity class destroyer, one Isometric and a Provider. Von Kane told reporters the strength of his fleet was not a problem at the moment.

"Currently ve are just setting up der structures und der lines of der commikations Englander! OK zat ich so, for you der interview ich over!" It is expected once the Utrek emergency subsides then extra forces will be reassigned to the 4th. However the Starbotian fleet will operate alongside the 4th already and some joint training missions are planned for later in the month.

Clones boost forces at Oscar

The Clones have strengthened their fleet in the vicinity of Oscar, 6 Cosmos and 4 transport ships were reported joining the fleet already near Oscar (some 12 ships). The HCS say they are providing extra "advisers" to the Oscar Clones. The DDS report some 200 HCS soldiers have landed on the planet as well as a quantity of weapons including fairly new AR-100 assault rifles.

The most interesting "donation" however seems to be airpower. The HCS say they have given the Oscar Clones some "obsolete aircraft to support their self-protection". 14 elderly A-85s and 6 O-43s (de-armed ex-suicide planes) have been given to the Oscar Clones. HCSAF advisers are currently training volunteer pilots (Clones with existing flying experience that is) in the use of the aircraft. The A-85s are older models from HCSAF reserve stocks but are a rugged and capable COIN aircraft.

The DDS are not commenting on what they are doing with the Oscar Humans though it is likely some manpad SAMs will be delivered similarly to the type that "accidentally" fell into the hands of human rebels on Randalf 74 some time ago.