Haylei has ordered two more Pentekonter Protector 351HAs to augment it's existing fleet of eight. The two new ships will be of an upgraded specification with e-Core engines and improved tactical systems and sensors.
The eight older ships will also be upgraded with e-Core engines and the other tactical improvements.
Haylei are also interested in the Depender multi-role ship though as yet have not placed an order for it.
UNDF have agreed the sale of spaceships and other military equipment to the isolationist planet Julantek J4. Julantek lack much of a space fleet but their proximity to 7 Sa Sao Xeon space and the growing Tarbot threat has helped them decide to invest in their military.
Julantek have ordered three Pentekonter Protect 293J patrol ships, two Depender 777J multi-role ships and five Coril shuttles, two being VIP configured. Julantek have also ordered an undisclosed number of DAR-L1 laser rifles and are looking into SMA built ground vehicles (though none ordered as yet).
The value of the order has not been disclosed but will include UNDF help in upgrading Julantek's orbital facilities, training systems and interstellar communications.
The first two Dinomark KX, which are Pentekonter-MD minesweepers, have entered service with the Dino Army. The Dinos will eventually operate fifteen of them as part of the CIN Mine Warfare Command. Ships will also be operated by Sirikwan. A total of 25 Pentekonter-MDs will be built.
The Pentekonter-MD is known to the UNDF as Pentekonter Protector 284M with an e-Core engine.
Accompanied by a Rome escort ship and a Friendship transport carrying spare parts (and to bring the crews back), the first five Sting 58A patrol ships has left DF with skeleton crews for the transit to Triple Megan. All ten Stings have been sold to Triple Megan.
Sensitive equipment such as the fractal encryption layer in the communications stack have been removed though the ships are largely unchanged. The final five ships will be sent out in a few weeks.
The Deputy leader of Molab and the head of the Molab military have signed a huge deal with UNDF which is said to be worth 12.7 billion zarks! DF are saying this is the biggest export order in history.
The core part of the order will be 16 Advanced Rome medium combat ships for delivery from 2128. As part of the order, DF will loan Molab 6 Romes which are expected to enter service later this year following some localisation work.
Other parts of the order include an upgrade programme for Molab's four Isometrics including e-Core engines, tactical updates and sensor updates. Molab will also receive updated tactical systems for their Pentekonter Protectors, thirty more MRMs and more Ferret UCVs.
UNDF has agreed an 750 million zark deal to sell it's surplus fleet of Sting 58A light patrol ships to Triple Megan. DF were already in the process of withdrawing the Stings but had no plans for the ships and so put the fleet of ten ships up for sale. Triple Megan will accept the ships and will carry out their own localisation and system integration.
The transfer of the ships will begin in the next few weeks. The final patrol duties of two ships will be completed this week. A Triple Megan team will arrive and assess how to take the ships to their planet. DF crews may ferry the ships to Triple Megan.
A technical team from the Molab military has arrived on Solaris to receive information on the Advanced Rome. They have received in depth information on the new ship including simulation data from the Advanced Rome bench testbed at UNDF Engineering as well as telemetry data from the n-Core test bed. They were also presented with details of the localisation options available for the Rome 46A ships which will be loaned to Molab to tide them over until Advanced Rome arrives.
Molab are after sixteen Advanced Rome with a delivery from 2128, with six Romes arriving from late this year to help ease the pressure on the crumbling Kalahati Tuul fleet. The value of the contract is said to be 9 billion zarks which would make it the biggest export order for DF for quite some time.
The main sticking point is said to be Molab's insistence on getting n-Core engines as soon as they are available in the early 2130s. DF originally wanted to keep n-Core to themselves for at least five years though may make an exception for Molab due to the importance of the order.
In a major shock, Molab has declined the chance to buy the Dino Swordfish and instead say they think the Advanced Rome is the ship they need to replace their eighteen Kalahati Tuuls which are in desperate need of replacement. The problem is, no Advanced Rome yet exists, building the prototype has only just begun. Even if things go smoothly Molab might not receive any ships until late 2128 or even 2129.
The Kalahati Tuuls will simply not last long enough, some are said to be already virtually end of life, with the remainder being rotated to prolong the ships so some can reach 2130, though none will live much beyond that. Molab said the Swordfish is an excellent ship but is too small and under-equipped to replace the Kalahati Tuuls being more a Dino equivalent to the Pentekonter Protector.
DF has said they can transfer up to six Rome 46As to Molab on loan, and after localisation could be ready to begin service by the end of the year. These ships can help tide Molab over until Advanced Rome can take over in the late 2120s and early 2130s. Molab could buy up to fifteen Advanced Romes.
UNDF has made some dramatic changes to it's spaceship export portfolio in an attempt to kickstart a new wave of orders. The Olympus-E, Provider-E and Extender-E have all been cancelled, the latter two due to DF closing it's SUP derived ship line.
The Oceania (which has not yet secured any orders) and Depender multi-role support ships have received a specification bump with improved sensors and tactical system options.
The best-selling Pentekonter Protector has also been upgraded to the x90 specification. The 390 and 290 models have improved sensors, defensive systems and tactical computers. The upgrade is fairly modest though.
DF are also looking into the possibility of an export version of the Advanced Rome to compete with the Dino Swordfish design.
Malgar 419 has ordered two new Pentekonter Protector 257Ms to join the three they currently have, and which are receiving an upgrade. The two new ships, which are expected to be delivered in 2127 will also have e-Core engines and tactical updates like the three upgraded ships. The ships will be known as the Pentekonter Protector 257Me.
This is the first export order UNDF have received for some time and is very welcome news. DF are considering some changes to their product line up in an effort to generate new sales. An export version of the Advanced Rome is being considered.
Porquat 640 have received the first of five Pentekonter-ME minesweepers it has on order. Two ships, officially known as Pentekonter 633M in Porquat 640 service are now being localised and will begin working up before an expected entry into service late next year.
DF are keen to get their export orders flowing again after the chaos of the MBO regime, delays have put some customers off. The first ships from the huge order of 25 Pentekonter minesweepers for the CIN are also under final build and could be delivered by the end of the year.
Last year the Dino Army ordered 250 T-62YMA tanks from SMA, the UNDF owned weapons manufacturer. The Dinos bought the tanks to help diversify their fleet of tanks which otherwise will soon consist only of Clone and licence built T-55ZDA tanks once older types are withdrawn. The first ten tanks have been delivered and localised by Krok Industries.
The tanks will now been working up with the Dino Army Systems & Integration Directive before an entry into service expected in 2127.
Malgar 419 have signed a contract with UNDF Engineering to upgrade their trio of Pentekonter Protector 257Ms. The three ships will be re-engined with an e-Core engine (Proton RM-01). The ships will also receive a tactical upgrade with an improved cannon and enhanced sensors. The ships will also receive a full overhaul.
Malgar are also looking into increasing the size of their fleet. This will be very welcome to UNDF who no longer have a backlog of orders for the Protector.
DF are developing a variant of it's successful Depender multi-role combat support ship dedicated for fleet refuelling and resupply, known as the Depender Oiler. This will be aimed at smaller fleets for whom a full scale oiler like the Extender-E is overkill (plus the Extender is no longer available).
The Depender Oiler will be powered by a Proton RM-01C e-Core engine. This engine upgrade will also be available for other Depender orders.
Molab have ordered three more Pentekonter 259M patrol ships to join their existing fleet of 15. Although it is expected that Molab will buy Dino ships to replace their Kalahati Tuul fleet, Molab will continue to invest in their UNDF built fleet.
Molab have also ordered upgrades for their 3 Isometric-EMM frigates, thought to be to the tactical systems including Zip cannons.
Molab have ordered forty Medium Range Missiles from NS for immediate delivery. Molab's four Isometrics (3 EMMs and 1 ME) are all receiving an upgrade to deploy the MRM. This includes two external pylons and tactical software updates.
Molab is expected to be operational with MRM by the end of the year, this will be a great strategic asset for Molab giving them a powerful stand-off attack capability.
In a surprise move, the Dinos have turned to the NS in-house land weapon manufacturer SMA for tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. The Dinos have ordered 250 T-62Y tanks, which will be built in a localised YMD version for the Dinos from 2126. These tanks will supplement the thousands of T-55Zs in service. A Dino source said they do not want to be reliant on a single type.
The big order though is for infantry fighting vehicles and comes after the Dino Army was ordered to speed up it's full mechanization plan, and become fully mechanised by the end of the decade. One thousand Vector AFVs have been ordered. This is a new type which SMA has designed for NS Terrestrial Forces though has not been ordered yet. Vector-D will be localised for Dino needs, deliveries will begin next year.
Most of the armoured fighting vehicles the Dinos need will come from the Clones, it is expected that 500 new Tapir-HDs and over 5000 ex-Clone Army Tapirs will be ordered soon.
NS plans to withdraw it's Clone built Pangaea and Triumph amphibious warfare ships later this year, negotiations with the Clones have begun about selling the ships back to them. However, Molab has said NS should not be supplying the Clones with more weapons.
Molab is understood to be trying to raise funds to buy the ships themselves for a combined Free Eritran States amphibious fleet. The other FES members are said to be not that interested unfortunately, not seeing the need for the ships and having already just spent big on new ships and weapons.
NS is looking at adapting the Emerald 116A unmanned transport into an unmanned long-endurance patrol and surveillance drone aimed at the export market. The project is known as the Sentinel USV, though this is just a design study project name and so can change. The Sentinel would be intended to support Pentekonter Protector patrol ships and similar and offer an affordable force multiplier and patrol ship for smaller space navies.
An NS source said that some potential customers have been approached with the Sentinel USV concept and their feedback would be fed into any potential future product offering.