DDS acquires Sanger Munipical Arms as in-house land weapons provider

The DDS now has an in-house designer and producer of land weapons following a complicated deal to purchase Sanger Munipical Arms (SMA). In a 270 million zark deal (which the UNP provided 60% of, the DDS 30% and the Sangan government 10%) SMA has been purchased by (or for depending on your point of view) the DDS. The DDS have also placed a 190 million zark order for 250 T-62-20 tanks, this money will also fund development of a new standard Infantry Fighting Vehicle for the DDS. The DDS said that other UNP armies will be encouraged to buy their AFVs from SMA too.

The new tank for the DDS will be a customised version of the T-62-20 to be known as the T-62Y in DDS service. It will initially supplement the mix of ex-HCS T-55Zs and T-88++s currently in service though by the early 2120s the DDS want these older tanks replaced by a standardised fleet of T-62Ys.

Few details as yet exist on the standard IFV though it may be an updated version of the APC-1, which the DDS built and used early in the Clone Wars. The DDS will offer an export version of both the tank and the IFV which is expected to enter service by 2114 with the tank by later this year.

• The HCSAF's fleet of EC-440 Sparktruck EW/ECM aircraft are to receive a mid-life/system upgrade. Older aircraft will be refurbished and re-engined to match later examples. All of the fleet will receive computer and ECM self-defence updates as well as a number of software improvements. This upgrade was funded before the HCS defence cuts.
• The training suites on the Starsystem 91X fleet of training ships are to be upgraded this Summer as part of a 75 million zark upgrade of the fleet. New VR training suites using FIDO-VR technology and holographic crewman projection will be installed. The ships will also receive a full overhaul and some system updates including improved IWC info-warfare capabilities (for training and self-defence) and improved datalinking with a "new" databus installed (infact refurbished examples of the databus used on the Isometric before its ILU, which is still a decent system). The ships will be fitted with Canister TPM to augment its existing TPM launcher (though the missiles will be used mainly in training scenarios).