The security of NS GHQ is to be upgraded on the orders of Viceroy Caratore. The TPM-G umbrella is to be supplemented by six Zip-G ground based cannons. The air defence radars will also be upgraded and fractal encryption built into the base's datalinks.
Around the island GHQ is on there will be increased maritime patrols by unmanned vehicles both sea and air based. These upgrades will be completed by the end of next year.
NS Research and NS Engineering have developed many technologies over the years but not all have been the success that was hoped for. In this article we will examine three technologies which failed to be a success and have largely faded out of use.
H-Scoop
The H-Scoop gathers in "free" hydrogen as a ship travels through space, this can then be recycled in the engine to reduce the need for nuclear fuel. The H-Scoop was fitted to a number of ships including the Freedom 41B, Rome 46A and Pentekonter families. When developed it was hoped the H-Scoop could reduce nuclear fuel burn by up to 5%, unfortunately in practice the reduced burn was around 0.4%! One ship has reported 2% when it travelled through an area of space rich in fuel though this was a one off.
With the small reduction in fuel burn plus the extra costs of maintaining the scoop and filters the H-Scoop has not been rolled out to any other types NS operate or sell. The e-Core family of engines has proven much more effective in reducing costs, though the scoop can help with this. NS say they will maintain the scoops on current ships but will not develop the technology any more or add it to any other types.
FIDO-VR
FIDO-VR or Fully Immersive Distributed Operations - Virtual Reality was considered the hottest new technology breakthrough in the early 2100s, Dr Forbidden even called it the future of the DDS! FIDO-VR was a way to operate ships remotely, even using holo-projection to make it look like the remote crew were aboard the ship.
Unfortunately despite the great promise, FIDO-VR did not work so well in practice, especially in combat situations due to communication and computing bottlenecks. FIDO-VR has been quietly shelved but some parts of the technology such as remote monitoring and virtual assistance have been successfully rolled out to the entire fleet. The VR aspects have also been used for crew training.
Anti-matter weapons
After tangling with the Vosun-Voth Star Empire, NS found it had a weakness to their anti-matter spray cannons which could disrupt NS shields. NS added a similar weapon to it's later Type 35 cruisers. However, the weapon is hardly used due to advances in other weapons such as the Zip cannon. The anti-matter spray is very expensive to run.
NS are not going to add it to any other ships and it may be withdrawn from existing ships when they receive upgrades.
Along with the upgrade to the NS fleet of Coril shuttles to Type 86C standard, NS has also upgraded the specification for export Corils it sells in two configurations: personnel transport and VIP. The export ships will also have the new e-Core family engine which has now been revealed to be the Mini Proton RM-53 e-Core. This has similar thrust output to the existing powerplant but a purported 43% reduction in fuel burn along with a 73% reduction in IR emissions.
The export Corils will have the same cockpit upgrades and accommodation improvements. Improved communication and self-defence systems will be an upgrade option. The new export Corils will be known as Coril SX and VX.
NS also said that it's fleets of Coril derived patrol ships (Okra and Navelwort) will also be upgraded later this decade.
The MBO Honour Guard, a force of cloned stormtroopers, will be greatly increased in size with the aim to reach 10,000 strong by 2126 (it is currently just under 2,000 strong). Ten new barracks will be built across the UNP. The MBO Honour Guard will be used to support MBO-NS security and back-up Terrestrial Forces.
The MBO Honour Guard owes it's loyalty purely to the Mutre Bee, General Honey and Caratore by genetic design.
NS' Coril 86B shuttle fleet is to be upgraded and refurbished to keep them in service into the 2140s. Twenty three Corils are in service and the upgrade programme is due to last 3 years. The Coril 86C, as upgraded ships will be called, will be fully rebuilt and refurbished. The engines will be replaced by a new e-Core family powerplant (as yet not identified). The cockpit will be modernised with upgraded displays. Communications will be upgraded to fractal encryption standard.
As the Corils are personnel shuttles and VIP ships they will also have improved accommodation. Finally the ships will be fitted with a TPM-3 mini-array which is likely to have three missile loads and some tactical sensor upgrades. Though these weapons are purely defensive. The upgrade programme is due to begin in a few months.
Censor Ronald has confirmed that the so-called Real DDS rebel faction led by Windscorpion can have safe harbour in DTA space, though as yet Real DDS have not taken advantage of this. Ronald said the Dinos have no beef with Real DDS and will not take sides.
Viceroy Caratore is said to be furious.
Viceroy Caratore says that he considers the so-called Real DDS led by Windscorpion an irrelevance. He is not interested in the outlaws and says that he has no desire to fight them. He said that if Windscorpion pledges to cease his "low-level and pretty toothless" terrorist actions against the MBO-New Sparta then in turn the hunt for Real DDS will end.
Caratore even said that it was possible the Real DDS could work with the MBO-NS in future. "Their skills could be useful, employed in our interests. It is unlikely that egomaniac Windscorpion will ever agree of course."
The SS have partially withdrawn from Pulsin after a lessening of tension with the Mosk minority and the ending of terrorist attacks against Dino military positions. At the height of the troubles the SS greatly reinforced it's presence on the planet, the second most important in the Dino Empire.
However, the SS forces were criticised after a series of brutal reprisals and this even caused tension between the Dinos and their DTA allies. Legate Bite was transferred by the Senate, a direct order by Censor Ronald, to take over the anti-terrorism operation from the SS. Bite has made the operation intelligence led and a number of key arrests have broken the back of the terrorists. Bite will also return to Dino-Land soon to begin his new role as head of the 6th Legion.
Enough MBO troops to form six regiments of infantry have been transferred to NS Terrestrial Forces (L26 to L31). The regiments will be allocated to the three full readiness combat brigades. The regiments are expected to be fully operational by the end of the year.
The MBO regiments will be under full NS-TF control though there will be MBO Political Officers allocated to the brigade HQ staffs for "liaison" purposes.
Two more ex-MBO Nectars have joined the NS fleet following localisation. The ships are 52-110 Netherlands and 52-111 Notorious. They are still at baseline Nectar 52A standard though it is thought the next ships will be the first Nectar Es and will be new build with various upgrades.
Three Deterrence 53A patrol ships have been withdrawn due to becoming life expired. It is thought NS want to complete the withdrawal of the type by the end of the year, an earlier plan to keep a small number until 2126 following a refurbishment has been abandoned. The withdrawn ships are 53-111 Rice Lane, 53-120 Hamilton Square and 53-124 Spital.
The Dino Empire, on behalf of the Dino Trade Association, has signed a huge deal with the Clones for land weapons as part of a homogenisation of the largest land armies in the DTA with the Dino Army. All existing tanks of the Sirikwanese, Aritan and Voth armies will be replaced by T-55ZDM3s of the same specification as the current main Dino Army tank (with relevant localisations).
The deal is for no less than 6000 tanks, as well as self-propelled artillery, training materials and spares. The DTA also want a standard infantry fighting vehicle though this future deal is still under discussion. The tank and artillery deal is said to be worth over 5 billion zarks. Tanks will be delivered from 2124 until early in the next decade.
