Dino View : Consul Ronald 2.0

Legate Dralson, ex-Dino Army and Security Council

It will soon be the Consul election and Ronald will win. It doesn't matter who he is up against (and he is up against a bunch of fringe party freaks anyway) he will win. He could be caught in bed with a dozen live boys and dead girls and he would still win (not that he ever would of course!)

So lets consider what Ronald's second run as Consul of the Dino Republic will be like. The astro-political landscape has changed greatly since his first run. The Dinos have been in a very costly war, MBH has become mainstream and there is the new organisation you may have heard of called the DTA...

Of course as one of the key architects of the DTA Ronald is expected to have developing the trade association central to his consulship. I expect the "DTAization" of the Dino Army may accelerate as we modify our structures and integrate other DTA arms with own. I also think we may see other planets added to the DTA as Ronald seeks to strengthen it further.

The DTA is very dear to Ronald, he knows the end of his career is now closer than the start and, although he is likely to have decades yet at the top. he is now thinking about his legacy to the Dinos whom he has served for decades. Dino-Land as the centre of a vast, stable and very powerful galactic alliance is probably the best legacy he could possibly have.

Defacto : September Sunrise

Lieutenant Commander Ames Defacto is the Second Officer of SS Charm Quark, Quasar 15A bomber.

Greetings everyone. As you may know our ship SS Charm Quark (or CQ as we call her) is part of the September Sunrise exercise. Our ship is one of three Quasar bombers which took part in a simulated attack earlier. Although the three ships physically acted like they were on an attack run the released weapons and subsequent nuclear explosions were luckily only computer simulations. We performed our roles perfectly though and i'm proud of my team. I'm confident that if we were called upon to use our weapons for real we would be as successful.

Two Remedian ships acted as the "enemy" during our attack run. Its interesting to go up against these old Kalahati Tuuls as they are unlike anything else in the fleet these days. They arn't bad ships, they have a graceful yet slightly menacing air. Three years ago i was lucky enough to spent 2 months on an exchange programme on a Remedian ship. Those ships might be old and fairly obsolete in many ways but the Remedians work them hard and professionally. They certainly pull their weight!

Our exercise was delayed because we were on standby in case a DDS EW attack on the Bolitic ran into trouble. This involved us holding station near the border for around a week. Not the most interesting of times to be honest but i'm glad the attack went through ok and we were not needed.

One thing we did manage to do while we were waiting was apply the new large pennant numbers to the hull. Under the new scheme CQ is now S107 in the fleet and as per directives from GHQ the pennant numbers have been applied very visibly to the exterior of the hull!

Wayne King-Meiouf : The coming hyper war

Professor Wayne King-Meiouf of the University of Proxima

A few days ago the DDS Ruling Council (i.e. all the section heads and some senior captains and commanders) held an Away Day where future strategic predictions were discussed.

The DDS hold these get-togethers every few years, the idea is to assess the likelihood of war with the various rival powers and try and predict how the galactic astro-political landscape will develop. This can help drive DDS procurement and strategic planning. While the full minutes remain a secret some cleared news has come out of the Away Day and i was briefed by Captain Caratore earlier.

The big news is that the DDS confidently predict a full-scale "hyper war" with the Tarbot Empire, a war which could be the biggest the DDS has ever been involved in. However before you start digging your fallout shelter and develop a liking for drinking urine (i recommend sticking to your own) the DDS don't think such a war will happen within the next 15 years.

They have calculated this from the time it will take the Tarbotians to secure their recent new territory, precedent (the Tarbotians always take a long term view) and the time taken for them to develop or steal (the more likely) worm-drive and TPM technology.

The latter is thought necessary if the Tarbotians are to able to hope to defeat the DDS. It doesn't mean the next 15 years will be all hunky dory of course, the DDS predict a period of greater rivalry and skirmishing leading up to full scale war.

Other powers were assessed as to the "danger" they pose to the DDS in the near to medium term and the likelihood of war with them too. The Dinos/DTA are thought unlikely to ever be in a shooting war with the DDS though greater competition is expected with them. The Clones likewise are thought unlikely to go to war with the DDS.

The Utrek are thought to have been too weakened by the last war and their continuous conflict with the Mantae to be any danger for years at least. The Bolitic Confederacy are thought to be at least 5 years away from being ready to fight anyone again. The DDS couldn't really assess the risk from the 7 Sa Sao who seem to have little interest in the DDS (and in any event have a powerful new neighbour in the Tarbotians themselves now).

The greatest threat to DDS security is thus Tarbot, and not just through a direct attack but also from the greater instability the Tarbotian annexing and eradication of the ABBOs will cause. A smaller team will meet again later in the year and consider how the DDS can best prepare for the new era of rivalry with Tarbot and the possible hyper war to come.

Dinos announce W2C worm drive

The Dinos have announced a new version of their worm drive, the W2C which is the third version of the second generation w-drive to enter service. It includes a new recharging array and improved software management which allows for a cut in time between recharges (and thus worm jumps). The key new feature however will be the much greater mass rating which will allow it to be fitted to larger ships such as the Dinomark RS.

The new equivalent speed of W2C has yet to have been determined but it should help the Dinos beat the 5000c barrier (currently W2B drives are rated at producing an equivalent speed of 4950c).

Testing is due to begin with an unmanned ship next month with manned testing later in the year and an entry into service planned for next Spring.

• The first simulated attack by Quasar 15A bombers has been carried out during the September Sunrise exercise on "targets" on a Remedian asteroid. The exercise was delayed for over a week because the ships were placed on standby as backup for the ships involved in the electronic attack on the Bolitic. September Sunrise will now run into early October.

DDS launch info-attack on Bolitic

The DDS have just announced the successful conclusion to a top secret operation against a Bolitic Confederacy EW station on the planetoid RPW/892/E4107/2N on the border between Bolitic and Remedian space. The station has launched a number of cyber attacks on the Remedians over the last few months with Remedia Prime, Ailiari and Loeuss all coming under attack.

For the first time the DDS launched an info-attack on the Bolitic. Three Marconi 81A EW ships were used in the attack (one actually carried out the attack, another was used for self-defence and the other ship spare) A301E Marconi, A302E Morse and A304E Fleming plus a number of escorts. The Bolitic base was attacked by what has been described as a "full-spectrum EW attack of enormous power", it is thought the other 2 Marconis transferred extra power to the attacking ship using a previously unknown energy sharing protocol developed by DDS Research (this is said to have been developed during the recent war to help ships which lose main power in a battle).

Long range scans indicate the Bolitic base suffered extensive electronic damage after the attack. Its not known if the DDS also launched computer viruses at the Bolitic though the DDS have been developing some, though the "cyber TPM" as some have desired is still some way off.

Two Meltinan ships approached the DDS fleet but did not engage.

DDS and DTA sign agreement to restrict TPM technology

The DDS and DTA have signed an agreement that will restrict the proliferation of TPM technology either in missile or beam form for the next 25 years. The agreement has come about after the Dinos sold worm drive technology to the Clones. The DDS were worried the Dinos might sell TPM technology to the Clones too (although the Dinos are forbidden from officially). The DDS mooted selling the technology themselves which encouraged the Dinos to enter talks with the DDS on limiting the spread of the galaxy's most potent space combat weapon.

TPM technology cannot be sold or given to non-DDS or DTA members and access to the technology is to be maintained with robust security measures. DDS Technology head Sea Urchin said he was pleased with the agreement though DDS Operations head Knobhead is known to be keen to sell TPM to anyone with enough cash as he believes the technology will leak out anyway by the end of the decade at the latest.

Current deployments (24/09/11)

Rapid Reaction Force

H103 Cheetah (flag / wormdrive)
H102 Jaguar
M155 Sulu Sea

September Sunrise

S101 Quasar (flag)
S104 Positron
S107 Charm Quark
H112 Royal Tiger
M102 Silurian
M123 Foresight
A162 Ethylene

Rim Worlds Squadron

H161 Solaris (flag)
M126 Fury
A150 Gasoline

Remedian Border Protection Force 

S204 Grenadier
M107 Oligocene
A147 Tristar
+Remedian Police Fleet

Force Starbot 

H173 Velocity (flag)
M156 Arabian Sea
M121 Freedom
+ Starbotian fleet

Ships returning from deployment 

M103 Jurassic
S221 Olympus Mons
S207 Rifleman
M101 Cambrian

171/2

Video Clip
The hunt is on for Erinson's backers.

Type 41/43 Update 2111 A

The combined Isometric, Freedom and Terran Sea fleets of Medium Combat Ships are to receive an update over the next few weeks. The update is fairly modest and will only take around 2-3 days per ship and will be carried out during routine maintenance. The update includes:

• New EW suite with better incoming threat detection, active jamming and passive monitoring.
• Improved Front End Processor module for Tactical Computer (Type 43 only)
• Enhanced data security systems on main ship network.
• FIDO-VR equipment fitted to core parts of ship for holographic crewing.
• Various software and minor updates.

171/1

Macho Chef
A new captain heads to the border... SERVICE!

Tarbotians building 3 new bases along border

The Tarbotians are reported to have started construction of 3 massive new military bases along their new border in recently annexed ex-ABBO space. The bases include a new army base on Kantalda and new ship repair and refuelling facilities in the Sodasar and Greem systems. An intelligence source indicates the bases could be operational by 2113.

The DDS say the bases are not necessarily a cause for worry as it was hardly likely the Tarbotians would not want to defend their new border! However the new bases could facilitate a future invasion of the DDS, who will no doubt now be looking at their defences.

UV170 : Out Of Control

• Countdown To Doom - Trok drops a bombshell.
• How Much Fight? - Is it all over for Gibson?
• Left Alone - Windy joins a Starbotian patrol.
• Dead Grass - Could a new scandal bring down the Dino Republic.
• Wanted For Oppression - Crickson and co. are given a new mission.
• Bog Roll Bandits - The lots going off!
• Taking Off - Goodson's claims against Jimmy come under scrutiny.

Review by The Connected

UV170 yeah, taking its cue title wise from the recent riots, thats well connected. We start off yeah with 2 stories about Gibson and his favourite butt plug Trok yeah? The Trok storyline comes to a bit of a head yeah? Most of the rest of the book is taken up with an interesting delve into Dino conspiracy theories and politics including everyone's favourite ex-Big Brother housemate Crickson yeah? This book is the start of a more serial approach to longer storylines yeah? Instead of breaking up stories they are now going to run more or less continuously to an end which will help build momentum yeah? I like this more connected approach yeah, its totally bum.

HCS announce 2 new USVs

The HCS Space Navy have announced 2 new unmanned space vehicles and have given October 1st as the entry into service date of Sprite-NG, their Ferret equivalent. The first new vehicle is called Horizon HZ and is said to be an unmanned medium sized transport. This ship will be used for standard transport missions between planets and bases deep in the CSE. No entry into service has yet been given.

The other USV is the Vokoran VK, the HCS are being much less open about what the Vokoran actually is. It is rumoured it could be an upgrade to the Nybble NL that can conduct counter-space missions though other sources indicate it is science drone.

Current deployments (18/09/11) Updated for DDS 2111 Scheme

Rapid Reaction Force

H101 Panther (flag / wormdrive)
H102 Jaguar
M155 Sulu Sea

September Sunrise

S101 Quasar (flag)
S104 Positron
S107 Charm Quark
H112 Royal Tiger
M102 Silurian
M123 Foresight
A162 Ethylene

Rim Worlds Squadron

H161 Solaris (flag)
M126 Fury
A150 Gasoline

Remedian Border Protection Force

S207 Rifleman (flag)
M101 Cambrian
A147 Tristar
(S204 Grenadier)
(M107 Oligocene)
+Remedian Police Fleet

Force Starbot

M156 Arabian Sea (flag)
M121 Freedom
(H173 Velocity)
+ Starbotian fleet

Ships returning from deployment

M162 North Sea
M108 Holocene
M103 Jurassic
S221 Olympus Mons

DDS renumber combat fleet

The DDS have renumbered their combat fleet under the new DDS 2111 Scheme with strike bombers and carriers carrying pennant numbers prefixed with a S, Heavy Combat Ships a H, Medium Combat Ships a M and Patrol and Light Combat ships a P. Secondary mission roles are also now signified by a suffix after the number, for example the training ship SS Proxima Centauri has been renumbered X104T with X referring to the Departmental Fleet and the T its training role.

Ships have also been renumbered where necessary to remove gaps in the sequences that have arisen after war and accident losses.

The new numbers will be given a higher profile, a couple of ships have already received numbers painted on their hulls in a number of different arrangements. The DDS will decide on a final arrangement later in the year and paint the whole fleet accordingly. Support ships have also been renumbered (their prefix code of A remains unchanged) to remove sequence gaps.

• As part of the changes to DDS numbering UCVs have also now gained a Type Code sequence. 100-120 has been allocated to unmanned space vehicles though as yet there is only the Ferret in service which has been given the 101 type number. Older Ferret-Es are now known as Ferret 101A, though there will soon be none left as they will be converted to Ferret-G which is now known as Ferret 101B.

Wayne King-Meiouf : Interview with The Shiner

Professor Wayne King-Meiouf of the University of Proxima

The Shiner is a DDS legend, the Commander for 9 years (a lot longer than anyone else) and today the DDS Deputy Commander and Finance Officer. I met him after an exhibition at GHQ and he was kind enough to grant me the following interview:

King-Meiouf : The Shiner, since the reign of AP began a few months ago the DDS financial situation has been totally turned around, how have you managed to do it?

The Shiner : Wayne, the DDS' finances were on the verge of collapse after the war. Spending was up over 30% and the UNP, with a financial downturn across many planets at present, were unable to keep up with our financial demands. Indeed UNP funding has had to fall 7% this year. At the end of the war we therefore had to cut spending above and beyond the expected cuts after the end of hostilities. I tasked every single department in the DDS to reduce spending by 20% and this has helped us save billions.

KM : Indeed, I understand its been more successful than you could have hoped?

SH : Yes we were able to give back some money to some departments. One thing that has helped is that some large development programmes have reached maturity, for example the Panther programme. Otherwise it probably would have been very bleak.

KM : Is the reduction in UNP funding a worry, do you think it can be restored?

SH : Hopefully we can claw back some but in reality the UNP economy is in a bit of a mess and we have to be prepared for that. I've factored in zero-growth in UNP funding for the next 4 years into the DDS financial plan, although i think we will get more growth than that i think it is prudent to prepare for the worse and hope for the better. AP has tasked me with fostering a sustainable and disciplined financial path for the DDS.

KM : Non-UNP funding is now contributing 12% of total DDS income, is this an area you would like to further develop?

SH : Yes we need to, we have to be creative in the way we fight, the weapons we develop and the ways we get our money! DDS Exports have been a great success but we need to develop other avenues of revenue too. You can expect to see some of these in the coming months.

KM : Now the key question, is the development of the DDS being driven by money or is the money available driving the development of the DDS? Is the smaller army, for example, because of changing military policy or a result of the smaller budget?

SH : Its not a cop-out answer honestly but the answer is a bit of both. The development of the DDS is being driven primarily by strategic policy, taking the New DDS Army for example as you mentioned it. After the war it was felt that the original plans for a much larger army were in hindsight a mistake so a smaller force geared for raiding has been envisaged instead. However money is a factor in the policy, it has to be as we have to be pragmatic. I'm sure we would all love to have a fleet of 50 Panthers for example but its out of the question financially.

KM : Deputy Commander, thank you.

170/7

Taking Off
Goodson's claims against Jimmy come under scrutiny.

Current deployments (18/09/11)

Rapid Reaction Force

D101 Panther (flag / wormdrive)
D102 Jaguar
F141 Sulu Sea

September Sunrise

C121 Quasar (flag)
C125 Positron
C129 Charm Quark
D118 Royal Tiger
F102 Silurian
F174 Foresight
A163 Ethylene

Rim Worlds Squadron

D161 Solaris (flag)
F177 Fury
A151 Gasoline

Remedian Border Protection Force

R109 Rifleman (flag)
F101 Cambrian
A148 Tristar
(R105 Grenadier)
(F109 Oligocene)
+Remedian Police Fleet

Force Starbot

D161 Solaris (flag)
F142 Arabian Sea
F171 Freedom
(D176 Velocity)
+ Starbotian fleet

Ships returning from deployment

F151 North Sea
F112 Holocene
F105 Jurassic
R151 Olympus Mons

DDS to renumber ships

Following on from the decision to end the use of nautical terms to classify its ships the DDS are to also renumber many of its ships under the DDS 2111 Scheme which was revealed last night by the DDS. Under the new scheme Bombers and Carriers will carry numbers prefixed with an S (for Strategic) so a Type 16A might be S101 (though no numbers have yet been decided), Heavy Combat Ship numbers will be prefixed with an H, Medium Combat Ships with an M, Light Combat & Patrol (including minesweepers) with a P.

Amphibious Warfare (L), Support (A), and Departmental (X) numbers would remain the same though training ships would be renumbered as part of the Departmental fleet. New numbers will be announced soon the DDS said, the opportunity being taken to remove the gaps and anomalies caused in fleet number ranges by modifications and battle losses.

HCS to upgrade tanks

The HCS has stopped producing T-89s but is keen to keep its large fleet up to date. It has just announced a programme to upgrade 450 T-89As and Bs to T-89LTU (Legacy Tank Upgrade). The upgrade will include, as well as a full refurbishment, a new engine (the same from the final new version of the tank the FSU), updated fire control, improved optics and a new ECM system.

The HCS are also to upgrade 200 old T-55Z1s to T-55ZU1. The tanks will be extensively refurbished and fitted with the new turret from the current build T-55ZDM2 as well as some equipment updates.

Its not all good news for the tank corps though, the HCS is to disband an armoured brigade as well as 2 reserve battalions in order to withdraw 1000 T-88++s. Once these tanks are withdrawn by the end of next year there will be just over 1800 of the tank, which once numbered the 10s of 1000s in service, left.

DDS to build research ship

The DDS are to build a research ship to help develop the next generation of technologies that will drive warship design in the 2120s and beyond. The ship, which is likely to be called the Wayfarer 97X, will be built in 2113 and will be equipped with a worm drive, Zip cannon and other new technologies. It will be a small ship that will rely heavily on automation and distributed crewing to back up the small crew (no more than 6) which will be physically carried.

Dr Forbidden said the ship would be the heir to SS Neptune which was a research ship built at the end of the 2090s that helped develop the ultra high speed technologies now commonplace. He said however that it would also be the successor to SS Isometric in many ways too as future ship designs would likely be derived from Wayfarer.

• The DDS have announced their SUP production jig, which has produced dozens of SUP derived ships like the Provider 71A and Extender 73A over the years will shut down next year. The line that produces the backbone of the SUP has already closed with the final supply being used to complete the outstanding Extender 73A order. The DDS said that if they needed any SUP derived ships after next year then they would use Raegris built ships. The SUP jig will be reused for the Type 16A bomber.

Fleet News (15/09/11)

• F180 Fierce is the latest Freedom 41B to join the fleet.
• A123 Freighter is the latest Provider 71A transport and probably the final one to be built by the DDS though this one will be operated by the Starbotians. If the DDS need any further Providers they will simply buy the Raegris built version instead. The DDS are aiming to close the SUP production jig by the end of next year after the final few Extender oilers are completed. It is thought the jig will be reused for the Type 16A new bomber.

Dr Forbidden : My vision of the future of warships

Dr Forbidden, head of DDS Research

There are a lot of technology projects currently in development or in early implementation such as worm drives, EA-X, Zip and FIDO-VR which may seem unrelated but in fact i believe they are the jigsaw pieces of the future of space warfare in the late 2120s and beyond.

I firmly believe that the likes of Corkscrew and Coral, great as they are, do not signify the future of space warfare but the Dinomark XA does. If you are not familiar it then the XA is a very small ship that can be crewed by 1-3 crewmen but is a fully capable superluminal warship with offensive firepower, sensors and equipment to do many tasks that currently a larger ship with a crew of over 30 crewmen might be needed to do.

So lets look at this future DDS ship, lets call it Warship 2130, perhaps the Isometric replacement. I think it will be slightly bigger than XA, maybe Coril shuttle sized with a crew of up of 7 though able to be piloted by a sole crewmen (or remotely). The small crew will be augmented by FIDO-VR meaning that personnel located elsewhere can work on the ship virtually. This means that specialised skills can be bought in when and where needed, for example you won't need to carry your own exo-geologist around if you come up to some interesting rocks... you can just get one added to your crew virtually! FIDO-VR means of course that "real" and virtual crew can interact seamlessly, remote crew will use VR immersion to make it feel they are on the Warship 2130, real crew will see a holographic representation of their virtual crewman.

Warship 2130 will be very capable, the Zip cannon will hopefully alleviate the need to carry dozens of TPMs around and coupled with EA-X 2.0 with energy recycling the Zip cannon could be a very powerful weapon indeed. Obviously smaller ships have smaller powerplants though we are working on a new generation of powerplants that can deliver the power of a larger ship now but in a much smaller package. Warship 2130 will also use UCVs, whether its own or from other ships to extend it's abilities and reach.

There will still be a role for larger ships in future but for more specialised roles such as bombing (at least until MRMs and the like can be replaced by beam weapons... or maybe built on the fly), general purpose ships in the fleet will be smaller. We will also make much greater use of static sensor posts and unmanned superluminal assets to perform everyday patrols (something i will touch on again in a future blog post). Wormdrive will make the galaxy "smaller" and thus we will not need to maintain ships everywhere but will be able to scramble them to where they are needed much faster. This again is a reason why larger ships for general purpose tasks will no longer be necessary.

So as you can see Warship 2130 will bring together a number of ongoing projects to create a new class of much smaller yet much more capable spacecraft. I do say 2130 but we will see something a little sooner... i can exclusively reveal DDS Research has received initial gate funding for its equivalent of the Dinomark XA, a small ship which will be equipped with worm drive, Zip and other goodies to help us develop the next generation of DDS warships. Stay tuned.

Jimmy accused of massacre

Consul Jimmy has been accused of commanding a massacre by SS troops of a native tribe 47 years ago in suppressed documents unearthed by a conspiracy theories magazine. It has been claimed that the natives were rounded up by Dino Army troops under Jimmy's command and then executed en masse by SS troops from the Black Dragon Martyrs Brigade which was attached to Jimmy's command for this operation.

Jimmy has strenuously denied the allegations saying that Dino Army records clearly show he was not in command of any operation though the conspiracy magazine claim the operation was kept secret. Ronald, speaking from Xi, says he also thinks these allegations are false though says he was not on Dino-Land at the time.

• The DDS have ruled out building any more Missileer carriers but instead may build more Olympus carriers beyond the 8 already ordered.
• The Remedian Perimpaz 39A fleet of Heavy Combat Ships is to receive its final major update ahead of its replacement by Corkscrew 51As from 2114. The update will involve bringing the 2 oldest ships up to the later KT2N standard of the other 4 by upgrading the engines to Heldris Hemtar B-IIs (which will be bought off the Clones) as well as recoring and refurbishing the engines on the other ships. The two older ships will also be strengthened to they can reach 600c. All ships will receive upgrades to their phase cannons, IWC to combat info-weapon attacks, FIDO-VR support, Combat Wear 2.0 support and new computer systems. The upgrades are due to begin next month.

Dino View : I believe in Jimmy and i'll tell you why

Legate Dralson, ex-Dino Army and Security Council

Over the last few days there have been accusations by some fringe elements in the media that Consul Jimmy commanded troops that massacred a native tribe several decades ago.

My first reaction to this was total incredulity, Jimmy is an honourable man who does not deserve this slur on his record. Of course we are talking of a long time ago and things can happen in our past we would rather forget...

But in this case Jimmy is totally innocent and i can prove it. Last night i went back through my military record. Forty seven years ago, when the massacre is supposed to have taken place, i was serving in the 12th Infantry Brigade which was under the command of... Jimmy! So i must have taken part in this massacre yeah? All i can remember from that time is garrison duty near Baeou though, thousands of kilometres away from the massacre site. My military record confirms my memory which isn't that faulty despite my age!

Just to confirm it i called a few of my old comrades from those days including Legate Frinawaki who is now the commander of the 10th Legion, they checked their records and memories and its confirmed. Maybe we are all in on the conspiracy? Or maybe its all a load of rubbish and no massacre took place?

I believe in Jimmy's innocence and his integrity and so should you.

Defacto : Introduction to CQ

Lieutenant Commander Ames Defacto is the Second Officer of SS Charm Quark, Quasar 15A bomber.

The DDS have decided it would be useful to have a regular column written by a serving officer with the DDS, view from the coal face at it were. A number of DDS officers volunteered to provide this column and i am happy to have been chosen to bring a taste of life aboard one of the most powerful warships in the galaxy, and also to gain myself 100 points for Yellow House!

I am the Second Officer of SS Charm Quark, this means i am third in command and i am in command of Beta Shift. I am also lead officer in the Strategic Attack System which is at the core of the Quasar bomber's raison d'être. Charm Quark or CQ as we refer to her is one of the bombers in the DDS fleet and in a war would be tasked mainly with penetrating enemy defences and attacking enemy planets and orbital facilities with MRMs and other attack missiles.

That isn't CQ's only mission though, as a very powerful warship we are also ready to perform other fleet duties. Indeed we have just served some time in the Rapid Reaction Force which is a small number of ships kept on the highest alert ready to be despatched to trouble spots at very short notice. In fact we had to spend much of the time on R2H status, Ready 2 Hours. We had to be ready to depart orbital dock within 2 hours in other words. Being at such a heightened alert status for an extended period of time is very stressful let me tell you!

CQ has left the RRF though to take part in the September Sunrise exercise along with 2 of our sister ships. The Quasar fleet are, at present, the only bombers available to the DDS (although other ships can fill in with a more limited capability set) and thus we are worked hard. Three Quasars are always assigned to the 1st Attack Squadron which is the ready strike force ready to be sent out if needed at any time. CQ is likely to be assigned to the attack squadron later in the year but until then we have other duties including this exercise.

CQ is currently at Solaris Dock taking on final stores before it heads off to join the rest of the deployment on Wednesday. Over the coming weeks and months i will be giving an insight into CQ's missions, and life aboard this great warship. I hope you will appreciate it.

Operation September Sunrise

The latest exercise under the new monthly schedule is September Sunrise which will begin on Wednesday and run for much of the rest of the month. The exercise will involve a simulated attack run by Quasar 15A bombers along with other simulated combat exercises. The ships involved are:

C121 Quasar (flag)
C125 Positron
C129 Charm Quark
D118 Royal Tiger
F102 Silurian
F174 Foresight
A163 Ethylene

170/6

Bog Roll Bandits
The lots going off!

Current deployments (10/09/11)

Rapid Reaction Force

D101 Panther (flag / wormdrive)
D102 Jaguar
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

Force Starbot

D161 Solaris (flag)
F142 Arabian Sea
F171 Freedom
+ Starbotian fleet

Ships returning from deployment

A101 Provider
D105 Cheetah
F151 North Sea
F112 Holocene

HCS View : The HCS' top 5 projects

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

In this article i will be looking at the top 5 new weapon projects currently occupying the HCS. These are known as the "Golden 5" by the HCS internally and are 5 large multi-year (and multi-multi-billion zark!) projects that could help define the future of the HCS in the 2120s. I'll cover them in reverse order of money spent and allocated to date.

5) A-85QA Quiet Attack

The A-85 is the standard COIN aircraft of the HCSAF and the busiest combat aircraft we have. As such the HCS has worked hard over 4 generations to refine it as the perfect counter insurgency bomber. Following on from the current NT the HCSAF are working on the 5th generation which is expected to enter service at the end of this decade or slightly before (2118 has been mentioned).

The QA will be optimised for sonic stealth. It will be a fully electric aircraft powered by an electric motor fuelled by fuel cells. This plus a new propeller is expected to reduce noise emissions by over 85%, as you can imagine this would be a great asset in counter insurgency. The QA will also have extensive sensor fusion and communication facilities allowing it to extend itself by controlling unmanned assets.

4) 2120 Fire Support

The HCS Army is currently investing massively in the next generation of its artillery. This project is for a whole suite of weapons and systems not just the one. It includes new versions of the ATC-107 self-propelled gun, MLRS, new smart warheads, new communication and sensor fusion and integration with UAS.

The HCS has traditionally relied on sheer weight of firepower but the artillery like much of the army is now being downsized and becoming a smaller but more directed and potent arm. 2120 Fire Support will produce the biggest change in HCS artillery since the Clone Wars.

3) SeaGale and Walrus SSBN

A key component of the future role of the HCS Navy is to be able to strike back against an invader via cruise missiles launched by carrier airpower and by 2120 SeaGale SLBMs. These are navalised versions of the Gale-III ICBMs already in service with the HCS. They will be launched by a new class of nuclear powered submarine called the Walrus which is expected in service by around 2118 with full operational patrols with SeaGale a little while later.

An important part of Walrus (though financially part of #2) will be the deployment of CSM aboard these submarines.

2) Clone Space Missile

The HCS is leading the galaxy with this interstellar missile system. It became operational late last year though this is an interim model. CSM is launched by a modified Gale-III booster and then can strike targets on another planet! It is intended to be the cornerstone of future HCS defence, and a deterrent to aggression.

We are currently working on a definitive first generation of CSM for 2114 which will have multi-programmable targeting, improved space mode and enhanced air mode stealth. By 2120 we also aim to have a sea-launched version to supplement the existing CSM silos and a land-mobile version is also being planned.

1) F-45C/K

And of course the biggest project in the HCS is the F-45C/K, this next generation fighter will be the cornerstone of HCSAF and Naval air power from 2114 until the 2130s at least. Although officially a new version of the F-45A in reality this is a totally new aircraft which just happens to look like the existing plane! The C/K will have a totally new avionics suite, new engines, a mission adaptive wing, augmented reality canopy, seamless integration with unmanned assets and other advanced technologies.

So here are the top 5 HCS projects currently ongoing. There are other projects too of course like the next generation HCSN carriers and Future Tapir IFV which will in the next few years start to get increased funding but at the moment these 5 projects are getting the lion's share!

Melson warns Vosun rebels of "consequences"

Emperor Melson has warned the Vosun rebel troops who have launched a coup on Vosun that there will be "consequences" unless they immediately stand down and allow themselves to be arrested by troops loyal to the (puppet) government of the Vosun Star Empire.

Bolitic forces in the VSE are currently small as so many Bolitic were away with the war of succession so at the moment all Melson can do is make a threat. It is also thought he would rather not have to send forces to the Bolitic as he would rather retain his core loyalist troops at Castarian in case there is are any challenges to his new regime.

• The explosion aboard HCS Navy submarine CNSS Warhammer was caused by a manufacturing flaw in an oxygen tank according to an early accident assessment. The navy have ordered all submarine operations halted until all similar tanks aboard the navy's submarine fleet can be checked for similar flaws.
• After a period of inactivity (thanks to brutal crackdowns after the murder of Captain Clone) Lornaca Melnig insurgents have launched a series of attacks across the CSE planet. Three HCS soldiers are reported killed and a number injured, a number of civilian workers have also been killed and injured.

Military coup on Vosun

Elements of the Vosun military opposed to the "alliance" of the Vosun Star Empire with the Bolitic Confederacy (which in reality is Vosun being a virtual slave state) have launched a military coup against the Bolitic imposed leadership. The 2nd Space Division attacked the capital from space and landed troops which have occupied parts of the city but failed to capture the parliament building.

The rebels want to pull the Vosun Star Empire out of the Bolitic orbit. A spokesman said "The Vosun are slaves to the Bolitic. While the Bolitic are busy with their own political fighting we should break free and re-establish ourselves as an independent power!" An independent Vosun politician has however refused to join the rebels, "Their sense of timing is rotton." he told state media, "The Bolitic civil war is over. We simply do not have the forces to stand against the Bolitic." The neighbouring Raegris have raised their alert status.

170/5

Wanted For Oppression
Crickson and co. are given a new mission.

2nd DDS armoured brigade operational

The 2nd Armoured Brigade (Terra) has been declared operational by the New DDS Army. It will soon transfer to the DDS 1st Division allowing the 1st Brigade to stand down and do some much needed rebuilding and reorganisation. The 15th Light Brigade (Terra) has also been made operational meaning that only the 2nd to 4th Fire Support Battalions are outstanding and this is due mainly to delays in securing equipment.

The DDS will maintain its current force level of 2 armoured brigades, a heavy brigade, 19 light brigades and 4 fire support battalions for the foreseeable future. The army is organised into 3 divisions, the 1st being the rapid deployment division standing ready for deployment within days (with some units on 24 hour notice), a 2nd division ready to deploy within a few weeks and a 3rd division acting as the reserve.

• The DDSAF have ordered a further 20 ex-HCSAF H-26 Halogen helicopters on top of their existing order for 120 (which is almost complete anyway), these extra helicopters will be navalised SH-26s and will be used for over water operations thanks to a UNP contract to help defend a number of coastal facilities. Like the other Halogens they will receive a refurbishment and localisation by the DDS before entering service.

Wayne King-Meiouf : The growing importance of special forces

Professor Wayne King-Meiouf of the University of Proxima

Recently both the DDS and HCS have announced measures to improve their special forces, and my sources tell me a pan-DTA elite unit based around the SS-D is also being planned over there too. A key trend in the galaxy is the growing importance of special forces but why is that?

Well they have always been vital of course but as the galaxy becomes increasingly militarised then their role has increased. Basically wars between major powers are now too big to fight. Unless you throw in a wild card like the ABBOs (machine logic), Bolitic (insanity) or a mega-power like the Utrek then large galactic wars tend to be avoided. The DDS, for example, will not launch a war against the Clones, Dinos or even a medium or second-division power like Telvin 802 unless it is absolutely unavoidable. The costs are simply too great. The only time the DDS will go to war now is to defend itself and that is true of the other great powers unless it is against a minor power who can be crushed easily.

So does that everyone is now best mates? No of course not, the great powers will always be rivals for resources and new allies but apart from the odd skirmish these encounters will not come to blows. Instead special forces will play a role, reconnaissance, sabotage and other acts. Special forces will slip in between the cracks in a great powers' defences in order to carry out their mission.

Special forces will also have a developing role in integrating with other weapon systems, it is suspected for example that the HCS Red Lizard could have a role in helping direct CSM onto target (presumably non-nuclear warheads). The DDS already have done some of this with their Prowler units and stand-off weapons.

As space weapons and armadas become ever more formidable mass space combat is becoming less of an option, instead a more irregular form of warfare could play an ever greater role.

170/4

Dead Grass
Could a new scandal bring down the Dino Republic.

HCS Fleet News (05/09/11)

• The first 3 Soulaki SL upgrades have been completed, 3 ships have been upgraded from SL to SLBK standard which includes new engines, strengthening to boost performance up to 730c and improved sensors and firepower. 3 more SLs will begin their upgrade soon.
• 4 more Intruder IN landing ships have been placed on order though no delivery dates have yet been set.
• A Freighter TYA and a Megalift TYZ have joined the transport fleet.

House System up and running

The relaunched DDS House System is up and running again following a media event at DDS GHQ. Red House leader Sea Urchin was confident his house would be a regular winner. "With top notch professionals like Caratore and... yes top notch professionals in our house i am confident we have the tools to dominate the new house system."

In early activity Knobhead's Yellow House won 50 points for a successful minesweeping operation near Porquat 640 and Hibiscus' Green House won 25 points for a leveraging media strategy.

• The HCSAF have secured funding to revitalise their AEW fleet. They currently have 42 E-1 Watchtower AEW aircraft backed by 24 EC-440 Sparktruck EW aircraft. Under the plans the Watchtowers will receive upgrades to their radars and datalinks. A further 8 Sparktrucks will also be built.

HCS to reorganise special forces

The famous Red Lizard special forces are to be reorganised ahead of an expected transfer of their personnel from the army and to a new HCS Strategic Forces arm. Under the plans all Red Lizard units will be collected into a number of Action Area Groups (AAGs). One AAG will be Cloneworld with others spread throughout the empire.

The special purpose units such as the Space Red Lizard and the elite of the elite Emperor Bodyguard will be collected into a central AAG based at HCS GHQ. Its thought the HCS Navy will also be setting up Marine Red Lizard (there is already a navalised Red Lizard unit but its mostly aimed at riverine operations) units which will, in due course, also join HCS Strategic Forces.

• Operation August Flourish has ended after a final exercise with Starbotian forces. Most ships in the deployment are now returning to Solaris. The next exercise will be September Sunrise though no details have as yet been released.

Current deployments (04/09/11)

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
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 
F177 Fury

Accident aboard HCS submarine

There are reports coming in of a fatal accident aboard CNSS Warhammer, the singleton test submarine that will help develop the HCS Navy's ballistic missile system SeaGale. An explosion aboard the submarine killed 2 crewmen and blew a hole in the hull. Luckily though for the submarine it was surfaced at the time and close to port. The hole blown in the hull being above the waterline. Warhammer was taken back to port by a tug.

The accident, which has not being confirmed by the HCSN, is now being investigated. The explosion was not related to any SeaGale development work however as this is not set to begin until next year. It is thought an oxygen cylinder exploded, because this design is used on all existing HCSN submarines all submarines currently on patrol have been ordered to surface and hold station until a preliminary investigation can decide if this was a one-off incident or a design flaw in this particular type of equipment.

Other Fleet Review (02/09/11)

• The Dinos have added 2 Dinomark PTs and 3 Dinomark XTs to their fleet (though one of these was a badly damaged XT which had been written off in the war and has now been rebuilt). A Dinomark MX has also been built.
• The Bolitic Confederacy are reported to have completed a Snarl and a Meltinan though these reports are unconfirmed.
• The Raegris have received 2 DF-1 frigates.
• Molab have received 3 more refurbished Kalahati Tuuls. They have withdrawn their last Vormis frigate.
• Sirikwan have received a Pentekonter-E.
• Putri 500 have received their first Provider-E and their last Coril-E.

New EA-X production facility is operational

Up until now only some new combat ships built since earlier in the year have had EA-X, the new energy absorbent layer, applied to their hulls because supplies of EA-X were very limited. Only a DDS Research development lab was able to produce the exotic material.

Application is now expected to greatly increase though now as a large dedicated EA-X factory has opened on Solaris. All new ships including transports will receive EA-X from now on and ships will begin to have EA-X added to them (which is applied in the form of a thick liquid "paint" which is then hardened under a laser beam to a 2mm thick layer) when they go through heavy maintenance from next year.

• The HCSAF have secured funding for converting another 80 older A-85 COIN aircraft to the O-47 liaison and general duties craft. In other air force news the order for the RQ-3 Black Dragon has been dramatically reduced by 100 following a review of UAS in the HCSAF.

HCS outline plans for worm drive deployment

The HCS Space Navy have outlined their plans for initial worm drive deployment. They will receive a quantity of W1As from the Dinos though it is not expected that there will be any serious deployment of the propulsion technology until the Clones can start building their own after around 2114.

The first ships to receive the worm drives will be the Soulaki SLB/Ks, the most powerful ships in the HCS Space Navy. When fitted with the worm drive the ships will become known as Soulaki SLBQ or SLBKQ respectively (Q derives from the Clonese word for "worm" which is "qintava"). Dino supplied drives will be sufficient to supply most of these ships (though not the rebuilt older Soulakis when they are bought up to SLBK standard). Once the drives can be made by the Clones then the HCS say work will begin on the Molentic Tuul MTQ and Cosmos CSQ.