Dinos pledge to not sell TPM technology

The Dinos have said they will not sell TPM technology to non-DTA customers and indeed will help the DDS in preventing the proliferation of the technology. Consul Zanus made the remarks at a trade fair, he said it was not in the DTA's or the DDS' interest to see TPM technology more widely available. "The argument that it will one day proliferate anyway is a false one, its like saying someone might steal your possessions one day anyway so why not leave them outside in the garden now." he told reporters.

He went on to say that the DDS liaison officer Lakes would be meeting Sea Urchin, the head of DDS Technology, next week and it was hoped a deal to co-operate on restricting TPM proliferation could be forged. Sea Urchin is in the "against" camp in the DDS and it is thought the tide is turning against TPM sales. DTA moves like this can only help the against's cause.

170/3

Left Alone
Windy joins a Starbotian patrol.

HCS re-organisation heads towards a "plan B"

The planned re-organisation of the HCS (which in essence would see the end of the traditional elements of the armed forces such as the army and air force to be re-organised along functional lines) looks like it is in danger of hitting the buffers. Following a couple of months of intense work by a working party a leaked memo indicates that the re-organisation would be "too costly", "throw the HCS into chaos for at least a decade" and most damningly "might not provide the improved flexibility and cost savings as originally envisaged".

A source close to the working party has told a UNP newspaper that the plan is "basically dead" and instead a plan B is being explored. This would retain the traditional arms of the armed forces but would see the creation of a new HCS Strategic Forces which would include ICBMs, CSM and special forces like Red Lizard. HCS Territorial Forces would see the hiving off of planetary garrisons and much of the army and air force. The Space Navy would also gain a dedicated Space Marines for amphibious operations, these troops coming from the army.

The HCS Army and HCS Air Force would become much smaller organisations based along rapid deployment and to provide a qualitative edge for key parts of the empire and for planetary conquest (the marines intended only to be strong enough for building a bridgehead). Although still ambitious the new plan is a lot more doable according to sources and is much more like the original HCS re-organisation plan. It is hoped to put the outline of a plan before Oojok by October and if he agrees then detailed plans will be worked on for next Summer.

DDS allies concerned about TPM plans

The Raegris and Remedians have responded angrily to reports the DDS will restrict the latest version of the TPM to themselves leaving Tier 1 allies with a lesser version. The Raegris said they have done nothing to jeapodise DDS security and indeed have enabled the DDS to provide a vibrant export industry. The Porquatians have also raised a query about the plans, especially as the latest version of the TPM is expected to be largely facilitated with Porquatian technology!

The DDS have been quick to point out the plans are unconfirmed and would not apply to existing Tier 1 allies. "We value our allies greatly." Hibiscus told reporters, "Together we will go forward in a vector driven roadmap."

• The Rim Worlds Squadron is expected to be disbanded next month with the Porquatians taking over patrolling this strategic part of space. It is expected a couple of DDS ships will also be on hand to reinforce if needs be.

Current deployments (27/08/11)

Rapid Reaction Force

D101 Panther (flag / wormdrive)
D102 Jaguar
C129 Charm Quark
F163 Sea Of Fertility

Rim Worlds Squadron

R151 Olympus Mons (flag)
D161 Solaris
F105 Jurassic
F177 Fury
A151 Gasoline

Remedian Border Protection Force

R109 Rifleman (flag)
F101 Cambrian
A148 Tristar
+Remedian Police Fleet

August Flourish

D105 Cheetah (flag)
F151 North Sea
F112 Holocene
F142 Arabian Sea
A164 Energy Of Starbot

Force Starbot

D161 Solaris (flag)
F171 Freedom
+ Starbotian fleet

Ships returning from deployment

A101 Provider
A142 Stratotanker

Sea Urchin against TPM sales

The DDS Head of Technology Sea Urchin has said he is against the DDS selling TPM technology, even if it just the mark 1 of the missile. "The argument seems to be 'the weapons will proliferate anyway so lets do it ourselves' but i don't buy that argument. If we look back to the 20th century for example the US didn't sell nuclear weapons to the likes of Argentina and Sweden because they thought other nations would get them anyway." he said at a DDS Technology media briefing.

Knobhead, the Head of Operations, however disagrees. "The proliferation of TPM-1 will make the strategic balance in the galaxy more even for everyone including the DTA. It could also bring stability to the galaxy." A decision will be made by the DDS Council in a few weeks, there is one theory however that this idea of selling TPMs could be a bluff to prevent the Dinos from doing so with their version of the technology.

• The DTA have announced that the 14 Shark SKH minesweepers which will be received from the Clones over the next few years will be operated by the Sirikwanese but will form a pan-DTA minesweeping force. Sirikwan has been chosen as they have much more experience of operating larger warships and some HCS warships indeed than the Dinos.
• The F-45C Milestone 2A prototype has begun flight testing, it includes an early build of the new engines to be fielded by the next generation fighter for the HCSAF. 

DDS considering TPM sales

In the light of the pact between the Dinos and HCS and the transfer of worm drive technology the DDS are now thought to be considering selling their TPM-1 weapon technology to "selected customers". Up until now the DDS have not sold their most important weapon except to key allies and the one-off technology exchange with the Dinos during the war. At one stage they did consider sales to Molab but later decided to keep the technology closely guarded to avoid proliferation.

However two events may have changed the DDS' minds. The first was the defection of the Aritans from the DDS to the DTA. Although a DDS team dismantled Aritan TPM production facilities and all extant Aritan TPMs were returned to the DDS it is thought some technical details were secreted away by less scrupulous Aritans who have since tried to sell the technology on the black market. It is thought the Dinos managed to prevent such a sale to the Bolitic a few months ago though it is suspected that TPM technology is now in the hands of third parties. (It is thought the Bolitic were unable to get any TPM data through their info-warfare campaign during the war despite strenuous attempts!)

The second event is the transfer of TPM-1 technology to the Dinos as mentioned above. Although the Dinos have an agreement not to sell TPMs to non-DTA members the DDS privately acknowledge there isn't much they can do if the Dinos did decide to sell a "Dino TPM" to non-DTA customers. There is also the chance of illegal sales by Dino criminals too.

Therefore the DDS are starting to come to the view that TPM technology will proliferate anyway over the next few years so the DDS might as well make some money out of it! Molab is likely to be an early customer along with Putri 500. A final decision whether to allow TPM sales is expected to be made by the DDS Council in the new few weeks.

As a compromise to elements in the DDS who do not want to sell TPMs the DDS might tighten restrictions on the latest version of the technology. At the moment Tier 1 allies like the Raegris get the same version as the DDS but this might change with a "cascade lag" built in with allies only getting a version of TPM when the DDS themselves have moved onto the next.

Wayne King-Meiouf : The DDS' worst nightmare realised?

Professor Wayne King-Meiouf of the University of Proxima

The most notable item that shoots out of the Dino-HCS Defence Pact as revealed earlier is the proliferation of Dino worm drive technology to the Clones. Is this the DDS' worst nightmare realised? A proliferation of this key technology to their biggest rivals?

On the fact of it this does seem like very bad news, although it will take years for the Clones to get worm drive equipped ships in any serious numbers (and indeed its likely to be 2113 before they get anything operational) the combination of the large HCS fleet plus worm drives (and lets face it TPMs before very long) will be a grave strategic risk for the DDS.

Or is it? I wonder if the DDS are that bothered after all. They probably knew the Clones would get worm drive before very long, any technological advance is generally fairly short-lived. The DDS likely factored this into their short to medium term strategic projections. Instead of worrying about it the DDS just need to get on with series production of the W1A, come up with targets to get the combat fleet equipped within the decade and also work on their own second and third generation drives that can go faster.

If anything the worm drive might reduce the HCS threat, they will be able to get away with a smaller fleet to maintain their empire after all.

Dinos and HCS announce military pact

MBH is currently on Cloneworld where he has signed a military pact between the Dinos (and by extension the DTA) and the Clone Star Empire. Although relations between the Dinos and Clones have been fairly good for some time especially in terms of joint-AFV development this is the first instance of an expected greater cooperation ever since Oojok's return as Emperor of the CSE (which is widely known, though not officially acknowledged of course, to have been orchestrated by MBH and SS-CINT).

Under the terms of the pact the Dinos and HCS will "cooperate across a number of spheres" with a deal of technology transfer including worm drives to the HCS (though the Dinos are not allowed to transfer TPM technology it is suspected this could happen too). Suffice to say the DDS will be watching this with interest. Some of the key points of the pact, which needs to be ratified by both sides, are:

• Sale of 12 W1A worm drives to HCS plus help in establishing production facilities.
• Sale of 14 Shark SKH minesweepers to Dinos which will form DTA minesweeping squadron.
• Mutual basing rights across both DTA and CSE for refuelling and repair.
• Direct communication link between Dino Army and HCS GHQ.
• Dinos to establish military base on CSE-W planet, HCS likewise likely to have a base on a planet in the Dino Republic.
• Joint exercises to be planned.

The two arms sales are likely to be a "swap" i.e. no money will exchange hands. Once the pact is ratified then it is expected the first fruits of the pact may start to appear before the end of the year.

HCS View : Integrating West and East

General Garendin, former commander of the HCS 140th Infantry Brigade and current adviser to the HCS Future Strategy Committee

A few years ago, for reasons i won't go into now, the Clone Star Empire was split into west and east. Most of the empire is centred around Cloneworld (the CSE-W) but there is also the eastern empire centred around Austini 55 (CSE-E) under the control of Benito. It actually works well with how the empire has spread out over time.

The HCS is also split into HCS-West and HCS-East (West and East are of course fairly meaningless in reality in interstellar terms though are a handy psychological and pragmatic way to describe the two halves of the empire) and many alien observers wonder quite how this works. To be honest for some time it hasn't really worked at all but we are starting to get the hang of it!

The HCS is split along roughly 70-30% lines into HCS-W and HCS-E, this ratio calculated from the interstellar spread of the two territories and their strategic needs. (Actually the eastern "half" of the empire only consists of about 24% of the total empire but for prestige reasons Benito gets a slightly bigger slice of the pie.)

The Office of Empire Coordination based on Petric (a planet closest to the centre of the empire) allocates HCS units to HCS-W or -E and units can and have be switched between the two. Some units are permanently allocated to HCS-E (for example the 2nd Legion which is Benito's old command) though many others can be moved. This tends not to happen too often due to cost reasons except in the case of space ships.

The OEC also handles weapon development, taking in specifications and wish lists from both sides of the empire and attempting to come up with a unified specification (or at least one that can be easily modified). Until now most weapon systems have been common to both sides though there are a few differences starting to come in such as the KT-S which will be a CSE-E only ship and differences in radio protocols on HCS units in the West (though this is handled using a software switch). The OEC will continue to try and standardise equipment.

One question will be how this system will hold up in the case of a war. CSE-E has already requested a bigger share of the space fleet following the loss of a KT-S recently near Molab. Can the OEC and the "One Empire Two Systems" model cope with war time stress? A question that hopefully we will not have to answer for some time...

Windy reaches Starbot

Windy has reached Starbot aboard SS Snow Leopard and will stop off for a few days before continuing onwards to Molab in the Eritran Free States. Windy will hold talks with S101 as well as addressing DDS personnel assembled for the August Flourish exercise being held jointly with Starbotian forces. He will give them some encouragement.

Windy has signed a deal on behalf of the DDS for Starbotian Type 35 ships (they have 2 Panthers and will also have 2 Indys under a joint-ownership scheme with the DDS) to be fitted with W1A worm-drive starting from later in the year. Calibration will also be done on the Starbotian flagship I-1A Iona ready for it being fitted with worm drive at a later date, maybe 2113 when it is due for an overhaul.

• New Bolitic Emperor Melson has solidified his regime with a modest amount of reprisals but his rule on Castarian seems pretty secure. The Bolitic barons away from the capital planet however have proved more lukewarm in their loyalty with some barons not yet acknowledging the new Emperor.

AP lauds the House System

The DDS House System is set to resume on September 1st with all DDS staff split into 4 houses and competing for points. AP has lauded the re-launched system and says it is key to his agenda of improving DDS esprit de corps and morale. "The old DDS was run by fear, either by WM or earlier regimes. The DDS of AP will be run by a partnership of re-focussed career journey vectors and a raft of enterprise synergisation." Hibiscus told reporters.

The head of Red House Sea Urchin said he was looking forward to leading his team to victory. "We are the most professional yeah?"

170/2

How Much Fight?
Is it all over for Gibson?

170/1

Countdown To Doom
Trok drops a bombshell.

UV169 : Betrayal

• Its Always Better - SFX has to come to terms with the aftermath of his abuse.
• Team Het! - TTG 07/11A
• Can't Tell Much - Joshi continues his cold war against Melson.
• Fragile! - The DDS encounter a new enemy.
• I Predict A Riot! - Crickson is menaced by a dark new character.
• Forward! - The Bolitic war of succession reaches its end game.

Current deployments (20/08/11)

Rapid Reaction Force

D101 Panther (flag / wormdrive)
D102 Jaguar
C129 Charm Quark
F163 Sea Of Fertility

Rim Worlds Squadron

R151 Olympus Mons (flag)
D161 Solaris
F105 Jurassic
F177 Fury
A151 Gasoline

Remedian Border Protection Force

R109 Rifleman (flag)
F101 Cambrian
A148 Tristar
+Remedian Police Fleet

August Flourish

D105 Cheetah (flag)
F151 North Sea
F112 Holocene
F142 Arabian Sea
A164 Energy Of Starbot

Force Starbot

D161 Solaris (flag)
F171 Freedom
+ Starbotian fleet

Ships returning from deployment

L111 Pangaea
L115 Columbia
L153 South East Asia
L131 Tethys Ocean
A101 Provider
A142 Stratotanker
D166 Vega

Operation August Flourish

The next in the series of monthly "mini-exercises" has begun and will involve the DDS training with Starbotian ships in a series of mock-combats and joint-exercises over the next few weeks in space around Starbot. The operation will culminate in a mock-attack on Saeou by Starbotian ships with the DDS defending. The DDS ships to be involved are:

D105 Cheetah (flag)
F151 North Sea
F112 Holocene
F142 Arabian Sea
A164 Energy Of Starbot

• Panther 35A D110 Topcat has been fitted with a worm drive.
• The Dinos have bought a licence to produce their own Extender-E oilers and will produce a localised version of the ship as they currently do with the Provider. The Extender-EDA will become the standard DTA oiler. The DDS will get a royalty fee for every ship the Dinos produce, the Dinos will only be able to build them for DTA members. Sirikwan and New Arit are already Extender-E users. The Dinos have said they will begin production for themselves, Sirikwan, New Arit, Voth and Yeng from next year though numbers have not been announced.

Putri 500 order Olympus-E and Ferrets

Putri 500 have placed another big order for DDS equipment. In a 1.75 billion zark deal just over a month since their last 1.36 billion zark deal they have ordered 2 Olympus-E carriers and 175 MQ-5BP5 Ferret-G UCVs plus 500 QPM-U rounds for use by the Ferrets. The deal also includes help in setting up drone operations and a maintenance facility on Putri.

Putri had been evaluating 2 Ferret-Gs which were loaned by the DDS, these have now been returned and they are being returned to the DDS by the accompanying Starsystem. No delivery dates have yet been set, these are the first orders for the Olympus-E though the DDS are hoping it will become their best seller.

• In another DDS export success Molab has signed a contract for a 350 million zark upgrade of its fleet of  9 Pentekonter-E patrol boats. The upgrade includes upgrades to the missile launcher to support QPM, passive sensors and a new version of the tactical system plus some other system updates.

Wayne King-Meiouf : Melson is bad news

Professor Wayne King-Meiouf of the University of Proxima

The Bolitic Confederacy war of succession was very welcome to the DDS and DTA, a chance to recover from the war and rearm while the Bolitic are busy further weakening themselves. Unfortunately this war has been a very short one (some wars of succession have gone on for over 5 years) and Melson is probably the worst possible winner from the point of view of the DDS and DTA.

Over the last few months i have been researching the Bolitic political landscape in the wake of the war and the fall of Aliowaki and then Borca. Borca merely continued his former master's policy so we can expect a change with Melson.

At first glance it looks like that change will be good for us, Melson is less extreme than a lot of Bolitic leaders, he has tended to have a more measured and considered approach to his warfare, the way he waited for the last moment in the war of succession demonstrates this. But it also means the potential risk for the DDS and DTA is greater. Unlike some potential Emperors he will not attack within months to gain glory and prestige. Melson will be content to wait until the Bolitic fleet has been restored and is a much greater threat.

Of course Melson will also have to balance the blood thirsty demands of his barons though many would have been sated for at least the next few years, even the Bolitic need time to lick their wounds sometimes. Melson will however be more interested in real strategy instead of meaningless grabs for glory. He will be more interested in conquering the Raegris for example than a glorious (but ultimately pointless) raid on the Remedians for example (these are just examples of course there is no evidence the Bolitic plan to attack anyone in the short term at least!)

Melson will also be keen to develop new alliances. The Utrek have gone cold on the Bolitic now but Melson may be interested in approaching the Tarbotians. One thing is for sure, with Melson in charge it is unlikely we need fear a Bolitic attack soon but we really should seriously consider one in the medium term and that war could make the last one look like a picnic.

Melson seizes Bolitic crown

There are reports coming from the Bolitic Confederacy that Melson, after his surprise late entry into the war of succession, has either killed or captured his main rivals and has made a claim for the Emperorship. Six Barons have already "removed their helmets in his presence", the traditional sign they support his claim (though as this is the modern world of course 5 of the Barons did it via e-mail). It is likely, according to Bolitic commentators, that Melson will receive no serious rivals to his claim as most of the potential rivals are now dead.

To make sure Melson has begun a series of reprisals with several hundred potential men from rival houses rounded up and executed but it is thought his succession will be a lot less bloody than they usually are.

Melson has made a speech to the Bolitic where he said the "slide into irrelevance" would cease and the Bolitic would immediately begin to rebuild to make their enemies tremble once again. He ordered the shipyards to have 10 new Snarls ready by the end of the year, saying they would be rewarded if they succeeded. He did not say what would happen if they failed though it is thought to be rather unpleasant.

Fleet News (16/08/11)

• D123 Invincible has become the latest Indy 35B to join the fleet and of course another worm drive equipped ship.
• L154 Arctic is the latest Oceania 63A and joins the Amphibious Warfare Squadron.
• The remaining Kalahati Tuuls were withdrawn on Sunday following a ceremonial flypast of Solaris Dock by 2 of the Kingfisher 39Bs. X152 X-Ray, D201 Kingfisher, D202 Kangaroo and D203 Kingcup have now been withdrawn pending sale to the Aritans.

169/6

Forward!
The Bolitic war of succession reaches its end game.

Bolitic war of succession enters final phase?

The Bolitic war of succession has entered what might be its final stage with Baron Melson making an unexpected late entry into the contest. Melson has been taking the role of Empire Caretaker, traditionally this has been a Baron not interested in the crown who has stayed out of the fray to look after the day to day running of the empire while the other top barons fight it out for the crown. Its unusual for the Caretaker to join the fight but Melson's spokesman said that the war had reached an impasse and the empire was in danger of serious decline if the issue of who replaced Borca was not settled soon.

It is not with precedent for the Caretaker to intervene if a war enters a stalemate though usually the stalemate has to last for several years such as in the case of Baron Yilindowaki who intervened after 6 years of stalemate back in the late 1900s. However Melson's spokesman said that the galaxy had changed and the Bolitic Confederacy now operated in a wider galactic geopolitical landscape. "We need the empire stable and start to rearm after the war losses. Otherwise our enemies will gain too much of a lead as they started rearming as soon as the war ended." the spokesman said on Bolitic TV.

Melson's house is not that strong though he has assembled a coalition of lesser houses to bolster his forces and the troops of the former House of Borca have thrown their weight behind him. Fighting is continuing on Castarian at a number of locations.

Current deployments (14/08/11)

Rapid Reaction Force

D101 Panther (flag / wormdrive)
D102 Jaguar
C129 Charm Quark
F163 Sea Of Fertility

Rim Worlds Squadron

R151 Olympus Mons (flag)
D166 Vega
(D161 Solaris)
F105 Jurassic
F177 Fury
A151 Gasoline

Remedian Border Protection Force

R109 Rifleman (flag)
F101 Cambrian
A142 Stratotanker
(A148 Tristar)
+Remedian Police Fleet

Force Starbot

D161 Solaris (flag)
F151 North Sea
F171 Freedom
+ Starbotian fleet

Ships returning from deployment

A153 Butane
F108 Eocene
P131 Fighting Falcon
P139 Osprey
L111 Pangaea
L115 Columbia
L153 South East Asia
L131 Tethys Ocean
A101 Provider

169/5

I Predict A Riot!
Crickson is menaced by a dark new character.

July Wave ends, August Flourish announced

The July Wave deployment has ended following some mock-combat exercises involving DDS and Remedian RCPP ships. Director of Operations Knobhead has said that the new policy of smaller monthly training exercises is working well and shall continue for the rest of the year.

The next exercise is due to begin next week and is called Operation August Flourish. It will involve DDS and Starbotian warships engaged in mock-combat. The ships to be involved will be announced next week.

Wayne King-Meiouf : A better Ferret

Professor Wayne King-Meiouf of the University of Proxima

Recently i attended a DDS public briefing on the HCS' forthcoming Sprite-NG drone. It is their answer to the DDS' Ferret though shouldn't be seen as a copy by any means (if anything Ferret borrows heavily from the original Sprite UCV which is no longer in service).

Truthfully Sprite-NG shares very little with Sprite, the HCS started with a clean sheet of paper aiming to design "the ultimate spacefighter". Whereas Ferret is a bit like a manned space fighter they modified into a drone the Sprite-NG takes advantage from the fact there is no soft organic component to it and thus do not have to worry about changes in inertia or G-forces. It has ultra agility able to change its travelling angle by up to 270 degrees within a second (and smaller changes of direction in fractions of a second).

The DDS have been considering how they counter this new weapon, not so much fearing war against the Clones but because like the DDS the Clones are active exporters of military technology so sooner or later they might come against an enemy with Sprite-NGs. Dr Underwear from DDS Research says that Sprite-NG may be too agile for current generations of TPM-2s and even laser cannons to fight.  He said the DDS would have to look again at improving tactical systems and response times. He also said it was likely the Sprite-NG would have the Ferret for "breakfast".

Thus the DDS are now looking at how they improve the Ferret, the third generation is already in development but that will still be inferior to Sprite-NG. We can probably expect radical changes for the 4th generation, likely to incorporate "inspiration" from the Sprite-NG design. It is likely a 4G Ferret will move the engine and include a 270 degree (or even greater) vector thrust system. The DDS still lead in datalinking and AI but these will have to be greatly improved to keep this lead.

Ferret and the concept of small UCVs came of age in the ABBO War but the galaxy does not stand still. The DDS will have to keep thinking on new ways to improve the breed and to improve the integration of Ferret into their overall portfolio of technology.

Starsystems to be used for trials/research

With the Experiment 96X class of trials/research ship about to be withdrawn, the 2 Pentekonters returned to work as minesweepers (though they are still available when possible) and the prototype ship SS Isometric due for an extended modification of internal systems the DDS are short of ships for trials of new technology and research. The DDS' Departmental Fleet has thus decided to add this functionality to its fleet of 7 Starsystem 91X training ships.

The ships will take on this secondary role as their training rotas allow and are likely to receive improved databus multiplexes and communications node for datalinking back to DDS Research. This new role will also likely preclude the DDS reducing the fleet as it was thinking of to 6 ships.

• Work will begin on the Missileer Unification Programme next week when the first of the four Type 21As begins its upgrade to the later 21B standard (the first ship to be upgraded has not been revealed yet). The upgrade includes a new engine, structural strengthening and tactical updates.
• In a briefing to the media The Shiner laid out the DDS' financial status during 2111 Q2 saying that cuts made in Q1 and Q2 had stabilised the DDS on a financial basis after the war. The DDS would maintain its levels of expenditure and tight financial rules until 2112 Q2 at least.
• The HCS have begun a development project to look into the feasibility of using the Intruder/Loader hull form to create a UCV carrier similar to the DDS Missileer. The HCS are aiming to bring their new small drone, the Sprite-NG, into service next year though as yet have not said what will carry it apart from small detachments aboard warships though the Tiamon TM can also carry it along with conventional aircraft.

169/4

Fragile!
The DDS encounter a new enemy.

DDS buy second Helwin

The DDS have got their hands on a second Helwin warship from an undisclosed third party and will rebuild it to be the second Alpha Centauri 93X training/trials/special operations ship. The as-yet unnamed ship will be rebuilt alongside the Sirikwanese Helwins and is expected to be ready to enter service by the end of the year.

The existing ship T131 Alpha Centauri is to have upgrades to its training suite as well as some sensor and communications updates. One unconfirmed report states that the docking bay will also be upgraded and there will be improved medical facilities. It is thought the ship is used by special forces on occasion though the DDS refuse to comment on this.

• DTA member Yeng has outlined details of its planned Space Defence Force. It has 8 Dinomark XTs on order but will also plans to buy 2 Extender-E oilers from the DDS (though as yet have not entered negotiations) and will operate 100 Ferret UCVs at a later date.
• Following a landing of Remedian troops on Bintang at the weekend the July Wave exercise will conduct a second landing tomorrow this time with Prowler units also taking part and Remedian warships and troops on the ground acting as an "opposing" force.
• Former DDS Pulsar 12A ship SS Europa has made the journey from Solaris to Proxima 7 under its own power where it will become an exhibit at the Proximan Space Museum. The ship's reactor will be decommissioned beforehand.

Ronald promises greater security

Ronald made a major speech in Dino-Town last night as part of his election campaign for the Consulship (not that the result is in doubt in any way). Nearly a year since the Zone attack that killed Ronald's wife Holisai and his daughter Crystal among others Ronald said that the pain has not lessened. "Everyday i wake up and feel the loss and i feel the hate. Hate at the Zones but also myself for allowing the Dino Republic to become weak enough for such an outrage to be a possibility."

Ronald promised a root and branch review of security on Dino-Land and a beefed up self-defence system. "Never again will Dino-Land become the front line, never again will civilians need to feel fear!"

Ronald did not go into specifics however but as SS Commander he has already begun a brutal crackdown of non-Dino rights. The Clone government has protested at the treatment of two of its citizens who are understood to have been beaten and raped by an SS unit who mistook them for Zones.

• The Kalahati Tuul run down continues. X152 X-Ray is continuing trials of a passive sensor array though is likely to return to Solaris by Wednesday. D201 Kingfisher is now returning to Proxima 7 following a patrol circuit near the Dino border. D202 Kangaroo has been scheduled on the Solaris-Proxima patrol circuit for the next week. D203 Kingcup is still at Saeou with the UNP EPA.

UNP Starmap 3.0 goes live

The UNP have released version 3.0 of their star map, with a 100% increase in the area covered and newer technologies for ease of navigation. It also has a more refined 2D rendering of 3D space (so there may be some slight changes of location from earlier maps). As a rough guide each segment of the map covers about 50 light years.

• The Dinos have announced a breakthrough in ultra-long range teleportation. Until now most instances of teleportation are limited to a few hundred kilometres (and are typically used for ship-to-ship or ship-ground transport) but a new technology called Deep Subspace Burrowing increases the distance that can be travelled greatly. In a test a teleport was made between Dino-Land and one of its moons and the hope is the technology could one day allow for teleports between planets. However Chief Scientist Dougson said this will likely be some way off.
• The HCSAF have outlined plans for an overhaul of its helicopter fleet. The mainstay H-26 Halogen fleet could be slashed by hundreds to 7100 with extra CH-36 heavy lift helicopters and AH-50 attack helicopters. The aim would be to raise the overall standard of the Halogen fleet as hundreds of them are now obsolete. Funding would also begin for the next generation H-26Y model. Any decisions will have to wait to see what happens with the HCS reorganisation however.

Kalahati Tuuls enter final 2 weeks in DDS service

The DDS have set August 14th as the final date of Kingfisher 39B and Experiment 96X operation in the DDS though the 4 ships in question, all Kalahati Tuuls of course, will continue to work up until that date. All are perfectly operational with maintenance maintained because the ships will be sold to the Aritans.

X152 X-Ray is continuing field trials of a new version of the passive sensor array fitted to Isometric family ships which will likely take it up to its end of service. D201 Kingfisher is allocated to Patrol Group Border and is currently completing a patrol circuit on the Dino border. D202 Kangaroo has completed its last patrol circuit and is now acting as the "ready ship" at Solaris - on call for any emergency duty. D203 Kingcup is at Saeou with the UNP Environmental Protection Agency taking radiological contamination samples of the planet's atmosphere.

• The Terran Sea ILU major upgrade programme planned for the 3 versions of the Type 43 MCS is planned for 2113 and will "unify" the class to a single standard. Following the upgrade, details of which will be given next year, the ships will be known as the Terran Sea 43G (the DDS did not say what G stood for).
• The DDS are looking into the possibility of building more River 75B transports. Nine are currently in service though the DDS say they could do with 12-15. It is unlikely anymore will be built until the completion of the Olympus 23A carriers however as they share the same production jig.
• The Nightingale 88A hospital ship A902 Doctor Alban is to be stood down from service for 6 months as a cost saving measure. It is likely the DDS' 2 hospital ships will alternate service readiness during peace times as the DDS do not need both in peace time. 

HCS Fleet News (04/08/11)

• The first Cosmos CG has entered service following extended new type trials. This is similar to the first-line CS model of the Cosmos but has a powerful ground attack capability including modifications to its weapons and sensors. It is thought they will mainly act as escorts and support for the Kelsan KS fleet.
• A Nybble NL drone and 2 Shark SKH frigates have also entered service.
• The final 2 Intruder IN landing ships have entered service too though the HCS may place a new order to keep this strategic production line alive.
• A Freighter TYA has been withdrawn.

169/3

Can't Tell Much
Joshi continues his cold war against Melson.

DDS unveil next generation MCM equipment

The DDS have unveiled their next generation mine warfare control system Pave Orange which will replace Pave Yellow over the next year. Pave Orange directs mine sweeping operations and helps coordinate the efforts of a MCM flotilla, the new system has great data security built into it and improved sensor filtering and data mining facilities. Most importantly Pave Orange will be deployed as a combat module for the Rome 46A thus relieving the pressure on the small number of Pave Yellow equipped Isometric 41As.

Once a sufficient number of Pave Orange modules are built the Pave Yellow Isometrics will revert to being normal patrol assets instead of their current status of having to be ready to drop other duties and take on mine warfare operations command though it is thought Pave Yellow will be retained until 2115 at least as a back-up. As Romes have inferior C3 facilities to Isometrics Pave Orange also include a 512-bit key datalink and communications multiplex.

The other new piece of kit is DMS-2 which is an improvement on the first generation DDS Minesweeping Suite fitted to some of the later Pentekonter 44Ms. This includes a 512-bit datalink, an improved front end processor and sensor fusion updates. DMS-2 will begin to replace the HCS developed SPECNES in the minesweeping fleet from next year.

• Unatel Gamma 540 have become the latest DDS customer. The Eritran ethnic planet is separate from the Eritran Free States though has formed a defence cooperation pact with the EFS. They have placed an order for 2 Extender-E transport/oilers and are also considering combat ships at a later stage.

HCS Space Navy Marines formed

The HCS Space Navy Marines have been formed by transferring the 4 Red Lizard Space Warfare battalions from the army to the Space Navy. Three of the 4 battalions have formed the 1st Space Marine Brigade with the 4th being kept as a reserve/training unit. The Space Marines will form on-board protection on HCS warships and boarding parties for offensive action. The HCS Space Navy is to greatly increase its ability to insert troops onto enemy ships with major warships have beefed up teleporter arrays.

The Zones, who have very successfully used this tactic for years in their piracy activities, are understood to be assisting the Clones with the formation of these new tactics.

• The first landing in the July Wave "mini-exercise" is due to take place this weekend on the Remedian border planet of Bintang. The DDS detachment will be joined by 2 ships from the RCPP tomorrow as well as a transport carrying 2 companies of Remedian troops from the 4th Light Brigade who will take part in the landings.

Dino View : An interview with Legate Osikwaki, DTA Fleet Development Officer

Legate Dralson, ex-Dino Army and Security Council

Who is Legate Osikwaki you ask? Well he has recently been appointed the DTA Fleet Development Officer. It is his job to co-ordinate the development of the DTA's various fleets. He was kind enough to grant me the following interview:

Dralson : Legate Osikwaki, briefly could you explain what you new job entails?

Osikwaki : Sure. As you know the various members of the DTA have their own separate fleets. That is fine and not a situation we wish to change but it would be a good idea if we could coordinate the development of these different fleets so they compliment each other.

DR : Can you be more specific?

OS : Sure. Lets take for example a DTA member (i will keep it abstract) who wish to buy a couple of heavy lifter transports. It may better if another DTA member with an existing fleet of heavy transports simply give the other member access instead of them buying their own so they can concentrate on developing other roles.

DR : But they would still be allowed to go ahead with the purchase if they wanted?

OS : Oh yes, my job is to advise and help member nations make the best use of their resources. The DTA is of course a voluntary organisation. I am also drawing up an interoperability framework and a set of protocols for shared operations.

DR : Of course the 800 pound gorilladino, if i may use a Hewmon expression, is the Dino Army. How do you see other DTA fleets complimenting the Dino one?

OS : The Dino fleet is big though is lacking in some areas, for example medium sized warships like the Helwin and Pentekonter which other DTA members possess. This is an area where DTA integration and coordination can help produce a stronger overall DTA force.

DR : In what areas do you see the other DTA members helping the Dinos out?

OS : Our fleet is rather imbalanced for historical and political reasons as i am sure you know Dralson from our time together on the Security Council. There are some combat roles where we are very lacking, minesweeping for example even though we are of course very strong in core strength. Maybe the other DTA members can step in and fill those gaps while we continue to maintain the bulk of DTA strength. It will be something i plan to explore over the next few years.

DR : Legate Osikwaki thank you and good luck in your new job.

Other Fleet News (01/08/11)

• The Dinos built 3 Dinomark PTs and 3 Dinomark XTs last month though one old XT has returned to the civilian reserve. All 6 new ships have worm drive.
• The Porquatians have added a Quagan 665 to their fleet.
• The Bolitic Confederacy have managed to complete a Meltinan-K though it is understood 2 Redhulls have been withdrawn due to age.
• The Sirikwanese have accepted 2 Nerval ex-HCS transports into service.

New bomber/cruiser to be called Dragonfly 16A?

AP has admitted that he would like the Type 16A bomber (though confusingly he called it the new cruiser even though these nautical terms are supposed to have been phased out) known as the Dragonfly class. The Type 16A is currently known as the Carbon project though this codename will not be used when the type enters service in 2114.

No name has officially been allocated though obviously as AP is the DDS Commander his wishes will have some weight. The Shiner has been looking into commercial sponsorship for naming rights to the ship though AP is not thought to be keen to go down this route.