The Dinos have ordered 25 more Dinomark AM heavy cruisers which will be used to augment the Dino Army, replacing Dinomark XTs and giving a dramatic increase in capabilities to the 1st and 2nd Legions. The Dinos will also increase production of the Dinomark LM/2. The Dino Army aims to remove the XT from front line service by 2130.
The Dino Army has also begun the development of a new medium cruiser to replace the Dinomark PT. This is expected to enter service in the next decade.
UNDF has revealed some more details of it's upcoming Advanced Rome 46B patrol ship and light destroyer. The Advanced Rome will be 10m longer than the existing Rome and will have a larger docking bay. It will have a dorsal top mounted missile launcher in lieu of the RAM scoop on the Rome.
The RAM scoop was an attempt at increasing the range of Romes by allowing them to augment their fuel from cosmic gases, however in practice it has not proven to have much effect. The Advanced Rome will have an e-Core engine which will improve fuel efficiency. A future n-Core engine option will further increase this efficiency.
The Advanced Rome will not have the VLS array ahead of the RAM scoop on the existing Rome. This space will be used for extra crew accommodation, equipment and storage. The Advanced Rome is expected to have similar capabilities to the Corkscrew 51A while only being two thirds of the size. The Advanced Rome will have the same Z7t cannon of the Rome but with an upgraded power array for up to 35% more output. The Advanced Rome will also be able to fire MRMs.
The first Advanced Rome is expected to enter testing in early 2127 with an entry into service before the end of the year, slightly earlier than originally planned.
The Clones have recovered weapons after a failed attack by insurgents on Teriatri 7. The weapons were Clone built and records indicate that the weapons came from the military depot on Geulis which exploded a few weeks ago. The cause of the explosion is still unknown but the fact that weapons from the depot now appear to be in the hands of Teriatri insurgents indicates foul play.
Another strange incident, which is possibly linked, is the discovery of wreckage of a commercial freighter in an asteroid field by a Clone Space Navy patrol. The freighter had been in the Geulis system at the time of the depot explosion and later went to Teriatri. The crew of the freighter have not been found.
Teriatri 7 is a quiet planet in the Rim Worlds part of the Clone Star Empire... until now. Yesterday, six locations on the planet, including the main military communication hub were hit by mortar fire and in one case a car bomb. A dozen soldiers have been reported killed.
The attacks may have been made by Zones who have been settled on the planet. There have been reports that many Zones are unhappy at being dumped in ghettos across the CSE. If so, this is a very serious situation for the Clones.
The 6th Legion of the Dino Army is a special unit, only about 140 strong at the moment, it consists of many of the senior figures of the Dino Empire and acts as the Dino honour guard or even Ronald's "fascist vanguard" as some have dubbed it.
The head of the 6th Legion, Senator Zanus, has announced that there will be changes to the 6th Legion which will take in the three Dino special forces units and act as the administrative and supportive umbrella for Dino special forces.
SS-D is the largest of these three units. This is the main body of special forces in the Dino armed forces, administratively they have been listed as part of the SS but in reality are their own body. The Diplomatic Protection Regiment (DPR) and Emperor Special Body Guard (ESBG) are much smaller units, dedicated to protecting the elite of the Dino Empire.
All three units will transfer to the 6th Legion next year, after extra support and administrative staff have been set up. Zanus said there are no plans to rename the special forces units at this present time.
The Clone Defence Forces are investigating a mysterious explosion at an army depot on the Rim World planet of Geulis. Sixteen troops which were guarding and operating the depot are reported to have been killed after massive explosions tore the depot apart. The CDF are investigating if the explosions were caused by a malfunction in the munitions stored there. Foul play is not being ruled out though Geulis is not known for insurgent activity.
The depot is reported to have stored mostly small arms and mortars.
The Clone Defence Forces have begun a sustained heavy assault on ethnic Eritran areas on Miliaris in what is called Operation Chainsaw. Supported by two Cosmos CG ground attack cruisers in orbit, the Clones have hit over a dozen positions on the planet with an orbital attack, followed up by air attacks.
The success of the mission is not yet known. Independent sources are saying the Clones are indiscriminately striking civilian areas on the planet.
The capital of Austini 55 has been hit by FM type missiles, in an attack by insurgents aligned with Freedom Miliaris. The missiles struck a military depot in the south of the city, the warheads of two of the five missiles did not detonate. Damage to the depot has not been reported though there was a plume of smoke seen over the city after the attack.
An unconfirmed report says there were no fatalities though some personnel were injured, a fuel tank was set on fire but other damage was not significant.
For years the SS has craved an increase in funding so it could afford two full strength legions. The 2nd SS Legion serves as a reserve, being around half the strength of the 1st SS Legion. Under a new agreement the 2nd SS Legion will be increased in size to match the 1st, with a new SS Reserve formed for other units in the process of forming or re-organising.
An order for three hundred more T-55ZDM3 tanks has been placed for a new SS armoured regiment. More Dinomark LMs will also be built for the SS.
The Dino Army are said to be not pleased about this, though they have also received extra funding. The army will remain at seventeen legions strong though some of these legions will be strengthened with extra artillery and anti-aircraft units.
Insurgents, thought to be allied to Freedom Miliaris, have launched an attack on Woloron 12. This is several days after similar attacks on Austini 55. In the latest attacks, three FM type drones attacked a Clone Army communications base, damaging the main antenna and a support building. Two drones were also launched at a military depot though these were shot down.
A car bomb also detonated near to the entrance of an army base though no casualties were reported. The local commanders have raised the alert level on the planet and increased patrols.
The Clone Army has demonstrated a new version of it's tank the J55Z8 (sometimes also referred to as the T-55Z8). This is the first version for some time that is not based on a Dino development. The main change with the Z8 is something the Clones are referring to as Active Camouflage System (ACS).
This is a layer added on top of the tank's armour similar to e-ink technology. This is able to give a real time display matching the tank's surroundings. A 360 degree camera on top of the turret analyses the tank's surroundings every second and updates the ACS layer to hide the tank from all angles.
ACS is said to use up a good deal of power thus this has an effect on the tank's top speed, therefore it would not be used all the time.
The first Z8s are expected to reach regiments early next year.
Freedom Miliaris have said they are open to talks about a ceasefire, though the likelihood of the Clones offering one seems remote. The Clones have put ethnic Eritran areas of the planet under heavy and sustained attack which seems to have hindered FM operations largely due to the chaos and upheaval in Eritran areas.
Admiral Anderson says that FM will be crushed and order will be restored to the empire. He said the Clones are in no mood for a ceasefire.