DDS release FASP to make "every ship a carrier"

At a DDS Research presentation earlier today Dr Forbidden announced Ferret Auxiliary Support Platform or FASP. It is a set of software upgrades and a support module that can be fitted to any DDS ship with a docking bay (which is virtually the whole fleet apart from shuttles) to allow the ship to perform as a UCV carrier. The software and support module allow for refuelling and reprogramming of Ferret-G UCVs so ships can help support the normal carriers.

Dr Forbidden gave the example of a small task force headed by an Olympus 23A with 40 Ferrets, a Panther 35A also in the force could carry up to 8 Ferrets too to help augment the carrier's load. Dr Forbidden said this would add to flexibility and redundancy. It is also thought this could be a real boost to DDS exports of Ferrets as smaller nations could buy FASP for their Pentekonter-Es for example and also operate Ferrets even if normally they could not afford the expense of a carrier.

Dr Forbidden said a few ships like the Alpha Centauri trials ship were not compatible with FASP (because in that case it is a Bolitic design) but nearly everything else was fine. FASP will begun to be rolled out as a normal upgrade to the fleet over the next few months.

• The DDS have also announced an upgrade to the Ferret-G. The MQ-5B2 Ferret-GE will be produced from next year once the current G production ends. The DDS expect to buy 250 of them. The GE will have enhanced vector thrust for improved agility, better datalinks, refined control systems and the ability to replace the small laser gun with a third TPM-2.