A UNP freighter, which had been turned back from Lem 619 by Clone warships, has finally arrived at the planet after being escorted by a UNDF warship. Clone ships shadowed them throughout though there were no incidents or attempts at contact made.
The UNP freighter is reported to have been carrying machine parts and general supplies. It will be loaded with ore from Lem 619 mines for it's return journey next week. The UNDF warship will remain with it until then.
A civilian freighter operated under a UNP registry has been intercepted and stopped by a Clone warship as it approached the Lem 619 system. The captain of the freighter was told that they would not be allowed to continue on their journey, the freighter was forced to turn around and head for Aldebra.
The UNP has complained to the Clones about this violation of interstellar space law. The freighter has been told to hold station and will rendezvous with a UNDF warship. It is not known if an attempt may be made to head to Lem 619.
The Clones have placed an exclusion zone around the Lem 619 system. They said that no ships, civilian or military, will be allowed into the Lem system and none can leave. Lem 619 is an unaligned planet, thus the Clones have no jurisdiction in that region of space. Lem 619 has called for assistance.
A UNDF ship is reported to have been sent from Aldebra to monitor the situation. A Molab freighter en route to Lem is thought to have been ordered to hold position, some three light years from Lem.
Both the UNDF and CIN have called on the Clones to raise their exclusion zone.
The UNDF are said to be considering it's options for supporting Lem 619, the unaligned planet which is facing a possible invasion by the Clone Star Empire. UNDF Commander Torus is said to want to send Lem orbital defence weapons and air defence systems though the UNP are more cautious and could wait to see what happens.
Molab is already reported to have sent drone technology to Lem, a second ship is rumoured to be on the way though increased Clone patrols in the area may hinder attempts to reach Lem.
The Lem 619 government has reported that two Clone Space Navy warships have been spotted in their system. The ships were not approached by any Lem ships, though Lem only has a couple of unarmed shuttles and a transport in any case.
A Clone source at first denied the ships were there but later said that two ships were on a training mission.
The Clones have said that a Molab registered freighter, on charter to the Molab government, has travelled to Lem 619. The planet is rumoured to be the planned target of a Clone military incursion though this has been denied by the Clones. Why they mentioned Molab sending a ship to Lem is therefore unknown.
It is rumoured the freighter contained parts for several thousand aerial drones as well as Molab armed forces advisers. Molab have not commented on the ship.
Six Intruder amphibious assault ships plus two Tiamon aerial assault carriers are reported to have arrived at Targargi as a military build-up continued. Several thousand troops are understood to be also en route to the planet. Six Cosmos ground attack cruisers are also reported to be at Geulis.
It is rumoured the Clones are planning to attack a minor planet, to add it to the empire. Lem 619 being the most likely target. However, this has been denied by the Clones. A UNDF source has admitted that the Clones could just be planning a major exercise.
Molab have unveiled a mass producible space drone for orbital defence or swarm attacks. The drone is designed to be buildable from the sort of common "space junk" available anywhere in the galaxy including spent oxygen tanks. The displayed prototype was literally based on a bin!
The drone has a solid rocket motor, which can be fuelled by a variety of different chemicals. As with the air drone, it has a very flexible design. Molab have placed their designs into the public domain.
The Dinos have said that the Clones are planning to invade the independent mining colony of Lem 619 in unaligned space. The planet was settled by humans some years ago and is said to have a population of around 7 million, including half a million Clones. Lem 619 has rich mineral deposits though these have yet to be fully exploited.
Lem 619 has little in the way of a military. Janes' Fighting Spaceships list two Coril type shuttles and a civilian transport owned by the government, none of them armed. A land defence force of around 6,000 men are maintained, though have little in the way of heavy weapons. They have been investigating Molab type drones however.
UNDF think the military build-up and reconstruction work taking place in the Taragargi sector of the Clone Star Empire is due to plans for a Clone attack, however they do not think the UNDF will be attacked. The alert status is being kept at it's current elevated level and UNDF will continue to deploy extra assets to UNDF South as a precaution.
Four Molentic Tuul cruisers are reported to have arrived at Taragargi. Six transports are also en route to the planet from Cloneworld, it is rumoured they are carrying men and equipment from the 4th Armoured Division of the Clone Army.
The Clone Defence Forces have finally revealed details of it's long delayed Z26 Halogen replacement, the Future Universal Helicopter (FUHX). The Z26 is a Clone War icon which has been built in the thousands, but it's replacement will be quite different.
The Z35 Courier is intended to replace the Halogen in the transport, multi-mission and reconnaissance roles. The attack role is already being taken by the Z50 Dragonfly. The Z35 is a simpler aircraft compared to the Z26, it does not have turbofans to augment performance (which has proven to be only useful in the attack role). The Z35 will have twin contra-rotating rotors instead of the ducted fan used in most Clone helicopter designs. Compared to the Z26, the Z35 will have 30% greater cargo capacity and a longer range.
The Clones say they plan to fly the prototype by 2130 with an entry into service by 2133.
The Dino interstellar strategic missile, the Dino Space Missile or DSM, has been declared operational. Six mobile launchers are now active, as part of the 1st SS Strategic Attack Regiment, part of SS Strategic Weapons. MBH placing Dino strategic weapons under SS control is still controversial, the Dino Army has managed to gain access to the weapons following a review.
When the regiment is fully operational it will consist of twenty four mobile launchers and six more in reserve. DSM will not be nuclear armed by default, however nuclear warheads are being built and will be stored at a secure location. They can be fitted to DSMs fairly quickly if needed.
The Clone Army has unveiled the latest version of it's T-55Z tank, which is likely to become the sole tank in service after the army downsizes following the withdrawal from CSE-E. The T-55Z8 is the first new version for some time that is not based on a Dino funded upgrade, the last version being the T-55Z7 which was based on the Dino ZDM.
The T-55Z8 has improved sensors and a reduced infrared heat signature. It also has a laser point defence system for combatting drones. Other changes include an LED searchlight, better encrypted datalinking and compatibility with a new missile (identity currently secret).
The first T-55Z8s are expected to enter service early next year.
Major systems on Cloneworld, including the central bank's mainframe, have been hit by a powerful cyberattack. The attack has caused chaos across the planet which has saw Admiral Anderson call a heightened status of alert for local Clone Defence Forces on the planet.
Later, Anderson accused Molab as being behind the attack though did not provide any evidence. Molab have not commented. A UNDF source said it was unlikely, internal dissidents are thought to be more likely.
UNDF has increased it's alert status to AMBER which means that, while no imminent attack is thought likely, UNDF will increase it's readiness and surveilance.
It has not been stated why the alert status was increased, a decision by UNDF Commander Torus, but it is likely due to the mysterious military build-up by the Clones in their Taragargi sector.
UNDF are looking into reports that the Clone Defence Forces have begun build-ups in the Taragargi sector of the Clone Star Empire. Orbital facilities at Taragargi and Geulis are being upgraded with more ships allocated to both planets. A military hospital on Geulis has also been reactivated. There are unconfirmed reports that work has begun on several new military bases on Taragargi, Geulis and Teriatri 7.
Several military ordinance factories on Colom are also reported to have been ordered to increase production. Several ships in the fleet have also had their major overhauls delayed.
UNDF are concerned that the Clones may be planning a new military adventure. Forces based at Taragargi would be well placed to launch an attack on UNDF South.
The K85 will remain part of the Clone Defence Forces for a long time yet though their end has now begun. The Clone Air Force has said it will cancel most of it's outstanding order for the fourth generation K85QA1 COIN aircraft. Production will end later this year. This will still leave over K85 3,000 in CAF service (and others operated by the Clone Naval Air Service) and there are plans to keep the type in service until 2150.
However, the fleet will begin to age and is expected to be greatly cut in numbers as the CAF withdraws from CSE-E.
The K58 Raptor will become the front-line counter-insurgency aircraft in CAF service. CAF are expected to place a huge order for an updated version which could replace hundreds of the oldest K85s.
The K47 Freedom light fighter was designed as a cheap, easy to maintain fighter for secondary planets in the Clone Star Empire and reserve units. Although it fulfilled the briefs from the Clone Air Force, the K47 was considered a bit of a disappointment and production has ceased after 360 were built (the original plan was for over a thousand!) The K59 Flashlight has now replaced it in production as a secondary light fighter.
The CAF are intending to keep the K47 in service into the 2140s though the oldest are now over ten years old and CAF is preparing to an upgrade. The K47MEC (Modernised Enhanced Capabilities) will be a rolling programme of upgrades and refurbishments to the fleet. As well as a full overhaul, MEC will include an upgraded tactical computer, improved communications, a higher bandwidth datalink and an infrared seeker. The upgrade will maintain compatibility with the latest and next generation of CAF air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.
The first MEC is expected to be completed early next year.
51-213 Wilnecote, the latest Repulse 51B Medium Combat Ship, has entered service with the UNDF Space Fleet following the successful completion of it's trials. The ship will now join the UNDF patrol pool.
This is the 13th Repulse to be completed, seven more are due to be built by the end of next year. No more after that are expected to be built. The next Medium Combat Ship to enter service will be the Advanced Rome.
The Utrek are accusing the Dinos of violating Utrek space near to the border with the Remedian Belt. The Dinos are not denying that one of their ships did enter Utrek space, which they said was due to a navigational error and the Dino ship quickly left Utrek space.
However, the Utrek are also saying that the Dinos attacked a Utrek warship causing damage to it, which resulted in a number of serious injuries. The Dinos are denying they attacked the Utrek. They said that they detected some old mines of unknown origin in the area and have suggested that the Utrek hit them.