Triumvir Captain Clone has signed an agreement to form an Aquaworld fleet of the HCS Navy. From his HQ on Aquaworld, which is the capital planet of his portion of the Clone Empire, Captain Clone said that existing naval assets (2 Triona OPVs) would be transferred from the HCS Riverine Force to the HCSN Aquaworld Fleet with immediate effect. He also announced the entry into service of new AS-21 anti-shipping missiles (though there was an interesting incident at an airbase where a missile prematurely fired whilst on an aircraft in a hangar awaiting inspection. Luckily no one was seriously hurt.)
Two squadrons of F-45As will be assigned to the anti-shipping role, at present they are seconded from the HCSAF but will be replaced by F-45Ks at some stage (interestingly this pretty much confirms the Navy will buy the F-45K though they have made no announcement yet). Captain Clone has also placed an order for 30 of the maritime version of the TR-72M Mustang. A multi-billion zark investment in new ships will be announced following consultation he said.
Aquaworld, despite it's name and the popular image, is not just a water world though 82% of the surface area is water. Much of the land mass is in the form of small islands and archipelagos and there is a growing piracy threat.
30.10.07
Fleet news (30/10/07)
Rome corvettes K110 Nero and K111 Ovid have joined the fleet following a ceremony at Proxima 7. They are the first of the Rome B type with enhanced capabilities. The DDS are now looking at retrofitting some Rome B technologies into the previous build examples.
The Mars class frigate, the third generation of the Isometric platform has been renamed the Battle class (which was actually the original name of the first Isometric-3 design). No reason for the name change was given by the DDS which apparently came directly from Windscorpion. The order for the class has been increased to 20.
The Fly class, the design consultation for a superluminal version of the SROPS/Heron has been concluded. The type was decided too small to be worth proceeding with. However the DDS are now looking at an enlarged design called Fly-100.
A601 Fulcrum, the first of the new "special purpose" transports (i.e. special forces) has joined the fleet though it's first mission will be the certify operations and carry out proving trials when used in conjunction with R101 Missileer. The DDS do not expect to use the type in anger until next year.
A116 Forwarder, a Provider transport, has also joined the fleet. Interestingly it's first mission will be a "sales trip". The planet of Orratai will evaluate the type as they have shown interest in purchasing the forthcoming export version of the transport.
The Mars class frigate, the third generation of the Isometric platform has been renamed the Battle class (which was actually the original name of the first Isometric-3 design). No reason for the name change was given by the DDS which apparently came directly from Windscorpion. The order for the class has been increased to 20.
The Fly class, the design consultation for a superluminal version of the SROPS/Heron has been concluded. The type was decided too small to be worth proceeding with. However the DDS are now looking at an enlarged design called Fly-100.
A601 Fulcrum, the first of the new "special purpose" transports (i.e. special forces) has joined the fleet though it's first mission will be the certify operations and carry out proving trials when used in conjunction with R101 Missileer. The DDS do not expect to use the type in anger until next year.
A116 Forwarder, a Provider transport, has also joined the fleet. Interestingly it's first mission will be a "sales trip". The planet of Orratai will evaluate the type as they have shown interest in purchasing the forthcoming export version of the transport.
28.10.07
UV120 : Anal Anarchy
In Rectal Rules El Diablo investigates what exactly M-B-H is up to on Colom. Fun Dee Times shows Von Kane drawn into a Utrek trap and he has to use his uber skills to escape. In Nuclear Combat Toe To Toe With The Ruskies El Diablo confronts M-B-H meanwhile Jimmy sends his men to investigate M-B-H's political campaign.Finally in The Truth the mysterious shooting down of a TR-72 on Austini 55 is investigated by a special HCSAF team. Stay tuned for more mayhem in UV121 Uber Sausage in 2 weeks!
26.10.07
HCS to get big budget increase
A story not reported too much by UNP media lately is how successful the Clone Empire economy has been doing lately. Economic growth is predicted to top 7% overall in 2107, up from 5% in 2106 and 2108 could reach double figures. What does that mean? Well the HCS budget is increasing faster than it has since the height of the Clone Wars. Overall the HCS will see a 10% increase in real terms of money this year and the next few years could be the same. Flush with cash the HCS are going shopping.
Top of the HCS' list is to improve the army which has lagged behind somewhat lately. An extra Panzer division will be formed, equipped with new build T-89s. T-89 production will indeed be stepped up with the HCS aiming to withdraw remaining T-88+ and early to mid model T-88++ by the end of the decade. The T-88++ itself will then be run down during the next decade.
The Navy will also benefit, with the HCS outsourcing for the first time because of a lack of capacity. It is expected an order for 6 submarines will be placed with a Terran manufacturer next month. These submarines will be conventionally powered and help fill the gap until the HCSN can get it's own submarine yard in the next decade. Extra money means it is now virtually certain the HCSN will order F-45Ks.
No extra orders are expected for the Space Navy but money will likely be found to have 2 lines for the Shark frigate construction. Following DDS pattern these lines will likely each be producing 3 Sharks at a time meaning that the Space Navy could get a fleet of Sharks up quickly. The 20 oldest Type A transports are now reaching the end of their lives and will be remanufactured to current A6 standard. This is considered faster than replacing them with new build (though they are being built anyway).
Top of the HCS' list is to improve the army which has lagged behind somewhat lately. An extra Panzer division will be formed, equipped with new build T-89s. T-89 production will indeed be stepped up with the HCS aiming to withdraw remaining T-88+ and early to mid model T-88++ by the end of the decade. The T-88++ itself will then be run down during the next decade.
The Navy will also benefit, with the HCS outsourcing for the first time because of a lack of capacity. It is expected an order for 6 submarines will be placed with a Terran manufacturer next month. These submarines will be conventionally powered and help fill the gap until the HCSN can get it's own submarine yard in the next decade. Extra money means it is now virtually certain the HCSN will order F-45Ks.
No extra orders are expected for the Space Navy but money will likely be found to have 2 lines for the Shark frigate construction. Following DDS pattern these lines will likely each be producing 3 Sharks at a time meaning that the Space Navy could get a fleet of Sharks up quickly. The 20 oldest Type A transports are now reaching the end of their lives and will be remanufactured to current A6 standard. This is considered faster than replacing them with new build (though they are being built anyway).
24.10.07
F-10S passes test
The DDS' next generation jet fighter the F-10S Shark 2100 has passed a series of intensive tests and has been cleared to begin production in the new year after just a couple of minor modifications. The F-10S is a major redesign of the F-10A Shark and really shares little with the earlier fighter which was a veteran of the Clone Wars.
The F-10S is faster, more agile, longer ranged, stealthier and has much better avionics. The DDS consider it a good opponent for the HCS' F-45 Falcon. The first batch of F-10S will be used for air defence including space littoral defense using the air launched version of the TPM. The greater speed and ceiling of the F-10S will allow the air launched TPM (now officially known as TPM-A) to reach further into low orbit.
When the F-10S takes over the air defence duties at GHQ then the F-10A(S) squadron there will relocate to Solaris.
The F-10S is faster, more agile, longer ranged, stealthier and has much better avionics. The DDS consider it a good opponent for the HCS' F-45 Falcon. The first batch of F-10S will be used for air defence including space littoral defense using the air launched version of the TPM. The greater speed and ceiling of the F-10S will allow the air launched TPM (now officially known as TPM-A) to reach further into low orbit.
When the F-10S takes over the air defence duties at GHQ then the F-10A(S) squadron there will relocate to Solaris.
23.10.07
HCS Round-up (23/10/07)
The HCSAF's fleet of F-42 Forthright interceptors has been grounded following a crash at Ailier Central AFB that killed the pilot. The fighter crashed on landing when the undercarriage buckled. Checks on the rest of the 118 strong fleet has revealed cracks in the undercarriage main load carrier bars. The entire fleet has been grounded, the latest in a series of setbacks for the much troubled F-42. This could be the final straw though as the HCSAF are considering withdrawing it now, several years early.
"Fixing the undercarriage problem will cost a lot and take some time." A senior HCSAF source said, "As the aircraft are due to be replaced in 2110 to 2111 anyway we have to consider if it is worth it." The F-42 is due to be replaced by the F-45C which is due to enter service in late 2109. Existing F-45As and late-model F-40s will take over interceptor duties for now though lack the range and BVR capabilities of the F-42. The HCSAF are likely to consider it a risk worth taking.
Continuing with the F-45C the HCS Navy are likely to choose it as their next naval fighter. The Navy's F-40Ns are ageing and a replacement is needed for the mid-2110s. CAC (Clone Aircraft Corporation) have offered the navy a navalised version of the F-45C, the F-45K. A CAC spokeswoman said that if the Navy give the go-ahead now the first F-45Ks will be delivered in 2112. That would still mean that the new aircraft carrier CNS Cloneworld will spent it's first 1-2 years in service with F-40Ns however.
Staying with naval aviation the Navy has placed an order for 12 TR-72M2 maritime reconnaissance aircraft and 6 ER-72M EW/Elint aircraft. These are the latest versions of the highly successful Mustang tactical reconnaissance platform, the ER-72M is a new version of the EW Mustang optimised for over water operations. The Navy's existing TR-72Ms will also be bought up to M2 standard.
Finally moving into space the HCS Space Fleet has announced a 450 million zark upgrade of it's fleet of 25 Soulaki cruisers. The upgrades will include systems from the Soulaki-B varient including enhanced sensors and shields as well as some refurbishment of older ships.
"Fixing the undercarriage problem will cost a lot and take some time." A senior HCSAF source said, "As the aircraft are due to be replaced in 2110 to 2111 anyway we have to consider if it is worth it." The F-42 is due to be replaced by the F-45C which is due to enter service in late 2109. Existing F-45As and late-model F-40s will take over interceptor duties for now though lack the range and BVR capabilities of the F-42. The HCSAF are likely to consider it a risk worth taking.
Continuing with the F-45C the HCS Navy are likely to choose it as their next naval fighter. The Navy's F-40Ns are ageing and a replacement is needed for the mid-2110s. CAC (Clone Aircraft Corporation) have offered the navy a navalised version of the F-45C, the F-45K. A CAC spokeswoman said that if the Navy give the go-ahead now the first F-45Ks will be delivered in 2112. That would still mean that the new aircraft carrier CNS Cloneworld will spent it's first 1-2 years in service with F-40Ns however.
Staying with naval aviation the Navy has placed an order for 12 TR-72M2 maritime reconnaissance aircraft and 6 ER-72M EW/Elint aircraft. These are the latest versions of the highly successful Mustang tactical reconnaissance platform, the ER-72M is a new version of the EW Mustang optimised for over water operations. The Navy's existing TR-72Ms will also be bought up to M2 standard.
Finally moving into space the HCS Space Fleet has announced a 450 million zark upgrade of it's fleet of 25 Soulaki cruisers. The upgrades will include systems from the Soulaki-B varient including enhanced sensors and shields as well as some refurbishment of older ships.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)