Clone Navy accepts final Olana into service, discusses future fleet shape

After a lengthy delay due to budgetary issues the eight and final Olana class destroyer has joined the Clone Navy. The powerful warships are the core surface combatants of the fleet, their main mission these days protecting the carrier fleet.

The CDF Head Admiral Anderson has said that the Clone Navy (Cloneworld Fleet) will be based around the structure of three carrier battle groups (one active, one working up and one in refit). Each battle group will be based around one of the Cloneworld class carriers and West Clone Republic class helicopter carriers.

Anderson said that it was likely now that a larger carrier to follow-on from the Cloneworld class would not be built until the 2140s at least. Instead a fourth Cloneworld and West Clone Republic will be built in the mid-2120s to form a fourth carrier battle group. He said that orders for these two carriers had been made, extra escorts would be also ordered in time. So there may be more Olanas built after all!

UV273 : Under the Cosh

• 
  The Beast - Redjec is hunted. Quarz is tormented.
• Spawn of Satan - Egonneck and Neverak battle Redjec's hired thugs.
• Hit U Over The Head - Terin (White Fox) is contacted by the Mutre Bee Organisation.
• Excluded - S101 and B-B encounter the Mantae, and have a shock.
• Great Deal of Money - Tiger is set a mission into the Rim Worlds as his final command assessment.
• Pull Over Son - Tiger has to tangle with the Telvins.

Disco Duck (2742)

Who is Redjec's agent at GHQ?

Goat (2741)

The Crusader and Quarz are given a new mission.

Terrorist attacks on Lornaca Melnig kill dozens

Lornaca Melnig is one of the most recent additions to the Clone Star Empire and has always been an awkward possession for the Clones. The Clones have maintained stronger Clone Defence Forces on the planet than might be expected, and it is one of the few planets in the empire without it's own territorial army (yet - though one is planned).

A new group who call themselves Free Lornaca have begun a new bombing campaign, targeting CDF premises. A car bomb in the capital outside a CDF recruitment office killed six, two more bombs in the capital injured dozens. The worst attack came two days later when a suicide bomber smashed through the gates of an army camp. The attack was followed up by a mortar attack. Over twenty Clone soldiers were killed.

Lornaca Melnig has been put on the highest alert. Clone Air Force attack aircraft attacked three positions in the countryside outside of the capital though it is not known how successful.

Dino Army cancels Dinomark LM production and development

It was supposed to be the future of the Dino space forces and be the mainstay of the DTA for the next fifty years but after just thirty five being built the Dino Army has cancelled it's remaining LMs on order. Three LMs are near completion and will be accepted but after that the production line will be closed. The Dino Army has also withdrawn funding for the next version of the LM which was expected in the mid-2120s.

The LM's many problems including serviceability soured the new ship to the Dino Army but the worst problem is the awkwardness of the ship compared to the XT which it was supposed to replace. A Dino source said the LM had many design flaws which should have been detected during development. Instead the Dinos went ahead with series production during the prototype's early testing.

The thirty eight (as the fleet will eventually be) LMs will remain in service for an expected forty years and will receive upgrades. They are fine for deep space missions though are poor in atmospheric environments. The Dino Army say the LM fleet will become a specialised deep space fleet.

It is not known what the Dino Army will do next though a return to the XT is possible.