AP promises "bigger fleet" by 2120

DDS Commander AP has said the DDS needs a larger and more powerful fleet because of the greater territory it now has to guard and the growing danger from new alien threats. AP said that by 2120 the DDS would have more Heavy and Medium Combat Ships, confirming that work was already ongoing on a Type 35C HCS (increased MCS will be due to the Corkscrew 51A).

The following table has been published showing current and projected fleet totals by the major types in the combat and patrol fleets by 2115 and 2120.

Type	2112*	2115	2120
Bombers	8	16	20
Carriers	14	16	16
HCS	34**	39	50
MCS	43	47	53 (estimated)
Patrol / MCM	43	43	43

* - as of 28/05/2112
** - excluding Remedian Perimpaz 39A

A couple of things jump out from the table, the DDS do not envisage increasing the bomber or carrier fleets beyond the current fleets (and those on order). The Patrol fleet is also set to remain the same for the foreseeable future.

More details on the Type 35C are likely to be published later in the year when a firm order is made. An insider said however it is likely to be combat orientated like the Panther and not multi-role like the Indy.

DDS considering third generation Type 35?

DDS watchers have detected a reference to a "Type 35C" in a DDS Engineering report. New types are often first detected in these reports, a recent example being the Type 16, though not all new types that appear in these reports ever make it beyond the planning stage.

However it is thought the DDS are considering a third generation of the Type 35 to follow on from the Panther and Indy. A leaked report a few days ago states that the DDS need a bigger fleet by 2120 including 10-15 more Heavy Combat Ships than are currently in service or on order (38). The DDS refused to comment on the matter.

Operation June Fade 2112

The second instance of June Fade will be run early next month. Like the first running of this operation it will focus on cross-fleet minesweeping operations, this time however the DDS will work with the Eritrans, with Molabite ships taking part in the operation. Molab is currently in the process in setting up its own minesweeping flotilla (using DDS kit) and thus will take the opportunity to train crews in the technology and techniques.

The ships involved will be :

M163 Sea Of Serenity (flag)
M113 Precambrian (Pave Yellow)
P205K Pindar
P209K Pericles
P213XK Paris
A161 Alkane

At least 2 Molabite ships will also take part.

DDS25 (18) : The race for 1000c

The Historian casts his eyes back over the rich history of the DDS Universe.

Even in the worm-drive era the fact that the DDS were the first to send a ship through the 1000c barrier (using hyperspace drive) in known-space is still a great source of pride and a feat that few have yet emulated. The Dinos have more or less settled on around 900c (and even the latest PTs fall short of that). The Tarbotians are rumoured to have a ship that can reach 1000c but its not known how many they have in service. Other factions like the Clones still fall well short.

The first ship to break the 1000c barrier was the singleton research ship SS Neptune. It was basically built around a new engine (also called Neptune) which came from a DDS Research project in the early 2090s which basically started from scratch with engine design. As Dr Forbidden has told me the Neptune project was a true "clean sheet of paper" project. "We tried to reinvent the spaceship engine, everything was examined from the reaction chamber downwards, everything was stretched, redesigned, enhanced in order to create an engine with vastly more power than had ever been created before."

The original Neptune engine thus powered the Neptune 92X ship, Neptune the ship was rather crude in many ways. It was described by one crewmember as "an engine with a few other things bolted onto it" but this amazing ship managed to break the 1000c barrier in the late 2090s and also helped pave the way for the next generations of DDS warship.

A development of the Neptune engine itself was later used in the Quasar 15A cruiser (though this could not reach 1000c until its ILU). The Meson (which powers the Isometric family) and Gluon which powers the (Panther) are direct descendants of the Neptune. The Panther probably represents the maximum that can be wrung from hyperspace design with a sprint dash speed of 1100c.

The DDS do not plan to try and reach any higher speeds, DDS Research think that 1200c is probably reachable but the massive expense is simply not worth it anymore now that wormdrive can propel a ship at the equivalent of near 5000c!

Starsystems to serve into 2120s

The DDS has just completed a structural survey of its fleet of Starsystem 91X training ships. Although the ships had an end of service date officially of 2120 the DDS has to begin preparing for their replacement now. Following a survey DDS Engineering say at current usage patterns the fleet should be able to make 2123-4 without much problem. The DDS have thus pushed back their withdrawal date to 2122-4.

It is thought the DDS will replace the Starsystems with Isometric 41A MCS though as some have pointed out, the youngest Starsystem (SS Proxima Centauri) is only 14 months older than the oldest Isometric SS Cambrian. DDS Engineering point out however that the Isometrics were built for a much longer service life than the Starsystems and should have no problem reaching the early to mid 2130s.

DDS to raise 3 more Hood brigades

New DDS Deputy Commander Redjec has said that the DDS will raise 3 more Hood brigades over the next few months (sufficient trained recruits exist for one already). One brigade will be a military brigade to join the New DDS Army, the other 2 will supply Hood units to DDS ships and facilities.

Redjec said that from the late Summer all DDS facilities above local office size will have a Hood unit (consisting of 4-12 men) and permanently allocated to it, for security and "professional standard monitoring". Larger facilities like DDS Engineering HQ on Solaris will have a full Hood company.

All DDS combat ships will also have a Hood unit allocated to them by the end of the month, all ships already have a Hood observer though these will be supplemented by a couple more. All DDS ships will have a unit by the end of the Summer.

Redjec said the addition of these Hoods was not a cause for concern but should reassure DDS personnel that the DDS was going to tighten up security and become much more rigorous in maintaining professional standards.

• New Arit have bought a further 100 T-88++ tanks from the HCS Reserve for an undisclosed fee (though not thought to be much). About half of the tanks will join the Aritan army with the rest used for spares.
• DDS Research have confirmed that Open Architecture 3.0, the next big iteration in the core underlying technology that underpins much of how DDS spaceships operate, will make its debut before the end of the year. It is likely one of the Solaris 37Cs to be built later in the year will include it (though this has not be confirmed). A year long in-service trial of OA 3.0 will then be made. Corkscrew 51A is likely to be the first type to see OA 3.0 deployed en masse. OA 3.0 includes ultra low power usage protocols, self-repairing and optimisation and a brand new security model.