Solomani Confederation (Military)

[Condottiere]

1. In my opinion, my assessment is correct.

2. Solomani Front did give us something innovative, naval tenders, logistic barges, and battle monitors.

3. I already conceived of barges, but as space stations with factor one manoeuvre and jump drives, but the new rules made that difficult to rationalize.

4. Naval tenders, even at jump factor three, revolutionized possible application of naval doctrine.

5. However, you still need jump factor four fleet units, in order to keep up with the Imperium Navy line of battle, otherwise, they could easily bypass you.

6. The Confederation Navy is very budget conscious, and at this stage of the game, will have optimized their starwarship designs.

7. It's not that the Confederation Navy has given up on cruiser construction, but rather that they'll keep the construction infrastructure, for the moment they have decided that war is inevitable, and surge in building new hulls, while in the meantime, slowing down the rate, in order to divert funds to the construction of infiltration cruisers and fast dreadnoughts.

 

[Sigtrygg]

1. It is correct for YTU, but is not canon for anywhere else.
5. Nope, you do not need to keep up. Read Solomani Front foe what the Solies intend...
7. And large numbers of 50kt "destroyers"

 

[Condottiere]

1. Distribution and organization of the Confederation Navy cruisers is my fan fiction, but the cruiser gap is canon.

5. Google says that Spinward Front is Forty Kay.

7. I'm all for relabelling them Star Destroyers, but assuming you mean the Daring class, those are five kilotonnes.

A. Should name one class the Darlings.

 

[Sigtrygg]

5 Doesn't make sense.
7 So it is, the comma is in the wrong place and I read it as 50,000 rather than 5,000 - did no one spot this for error correction before print? Forget my destroyer comments.

 

[Condottiere]

5. The title didn't sound like one I had, so I Googled it. and the answer was it happens in Warhammer 40K.

7. That's why if I want to use a printed spacecraft entry, I tend to recheck the calculations.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Cruiser Gap

Q. Outside of scaling costs, there's really no incentive to remain at six kilotonnes, specifically in regards to targetting.

R. You might as well go straight to ten kilotonnes.

S. And if you want to go above ten kilotonnes, then the next milestone is twenty five kilotonnes.

T. And a hop, skip and a jump to fifty kilotonnes.

U. All things being equal, consider just building line of battle ships above this, and just go straight to hundred kilotonnes.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Military: Armament, Ortillery, Spacecraft Weapon Systems, and Railway Guns

1. I'd say that Confederation Army field divisions are pretty much self contained (and reliant),
except for interstellar transport and ortillery support.

2. The problem with ortillery is, if you can see them, they can see you.

3. Ortillery could be divided into two aspects, providing bombardment support for troops on the ground, and interception of ordnance, whether aimed at Confederation ground units or aerospace assets.

4. Aerospace dimension is as far as possible left to aerospace assets of the Confederation Army, basically grav tanks, with the Confederation Navy ensuring command of the aerospace dimension, as well as surveillance.

5. Confederation Army artillery specialists probably have skills for Screens to protect their ground facilities, possibly Ortillery for Forward Aerospace Control, though Forward Observer may cover this.

6. Turret for spacecraft weapon systems adapted to vehicle chassis.

7. Capital probably remains a Navy sub specialization.

8. Meson guns, possibly meson communicators, becomes an interesting question as to operation and/or supervision, in accordance to The Imperial Navy book.

9. It's unlikely that the Confederation Army has meson sleds in general availability, or possibly any.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Military: Armament, Ortillery, Spacecraft Weapon Systems, and Railway Guns

A. Any spinal mount dirtside tends to be buried.

B. However, the Navy could have a gunboat, or ship, land, and use it's bay weapons, mesons or mass drivers usually, to support Army operations.

C. Their size and stated range means that they probably could hit any point on the planet.

D. Minus gravity, for the mass driver.

E. Handling the gunship and bay weapon would be done more easily by naval personnel.

F. This would be the equivalent of a railway gun.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Military: Armament, Ortillery, Spacecraft Weapon Systems, and Railway Guns

G. As recent experience shows, artillery plays a major factor on the battlefield.

H. Especially, if operations become stalemated, or a series of stalemates.

I. And if doctrine is built around command of the air, or at least, local air superiority, you better have the tools for that, or prevent the other side from having it.

J. And then you have to scale it, from squad to army tiers.

K. Which is likely where a self propelled five hundred tonne bayed weapon system comes in.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Cruiser Gap

V. Since we're stuck with finding twenty fourish light cruisers per sector in any event, despite me having some quite innovative ideas for them, we might have to go with the lowest common denominator, to save costs.

W. Which sort of leaves us with the ten kilotonne technological level fourteen Madrid class, at the expense of the super destroyers.

X. I was considering turning the Normandys Elemental, or throughdecking the light cruisers, but the Texas class did indicate that the Confederation Navy would consider giving their light cruisers an above normal smallcraft contingent.

Y. Two three hundred fifteen tonne manoeuvre drive modules would give us sixty three thousand thrust tonnes.

Z. Four three hundred fifteen tonne jump drive modules would give us ninety nine hundred twenty at five parsecs, twelve thousand four hundred at four parsecs, and a tad over sixteen and a half kilotonnes at three parsecs.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Military: Armament, Ortillery, Spacecraft Weapon Systems, and Railway Guns

L. Not a secret that I discarded medium bays for the Confederation Navy, so you're looking at fifty tonne meson and mass driver weapon systems that could be stuffed into a hundred tonne hull.

M. You can hide the meson gun in a maze of tunnels, or submarine it, at the other side of the planet, which we could assume is the advanced version of the boomer.

N. Or strategic deterrence might be better expressed with a five hundred tonne meson gun.

O. Range for the mass driver, large, customized from medium to long, inside a gravity well, so likely somewhat less than twenty five thousand klix.

P. Hmm ...

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Armaments and Weapon Systems


Model: Tonnage - Input - Technological Level - range - damage - default cost/megastarbux


mass drivers


4250-250-C - a/15 o/b - s - 4 - 1'800 mass driver spinal mount/one 4000-24000
48000-3000-D - a/15 o/b - s - 48 - 23'400 mass driver spinal mount/twelve 48000-288000
* 50-0-A - a/15 o/b - / - / - 0.5 mass driver spinal mount slugs


7-0-C - / - * - 0.5 mass driver 1-6 Artillery
* 0.0-0-C - b/10 - 40 - 1 - 0.00075


50-19.5-8 - e/130 o/b - s - 3 - 30 small mass driver 30-180 magazine/6
50-15-A - l/r o/b - m - 3 - 50 small mass driver 30-180 magazine/6
500-35-A - l/r o/b - l - 6 - 100 large mass driver 600-3600 magazine/6


50-45.5-A - e/130 o/s - s - 7 - 18.75 small orbital strike mass driver 70-420 magazine/6
50-35-C - o/s - m - 7 - 31.25 small orbital strike mass driver 70-420 magazine/6
500-75-C - l/r o/s - m - 12 - 62.5 large orbital strike mass driver 1200-7200 magazine/6


* 2-0-8 - o/b.s - / - 0.02 mass driver small slugs
* 20-0-8 - o/b.s - / - 0.2 mass driver large slugs


traits: a/-.+ [accuracy/minus.plus#], amm [anti missile missile], a/# [armour piercing/factor], e/% [energy/percentage], b/# [blast/number], e/r.# [easy/repair.number], h [hardened], i [ion], i/f [intense/focus], l/r [longer/ranged], m/# [missile/number], o/b.s [orbital/bombardment.strike], p/d-.+# [point/defense/minus.plus#], r [radiation], r/# [resilient/number], s [smart], t/# [torpedo/number], t/% [tonnage/percentage], u/# [automatic/number], y/h.v [yield/high.very]

Confederation Navy: Armaments and Weapon Systems


Model: Tonnage - Input - Technological Level - range - damage - default cost/megastarbux


mass drivers


4250-250-C - a/15 o/b - s - 4 - 1'800 mass driver spinal mount/one 4000-24000
48000-3000-D - a/15 o/b - s - 48 - 23'400 mass driver spinal mount/twelve 48000-288000
* 50-0-A - a/15 o/b - / - / - 0.5 mass driver spinal mount slugs


500-35-A - l/r o/b - l - 6 - 100 large mass driver 600-3600 magazine/6


50-45.5-A - e/130 o/s - s - 7 - 18.75 small orbital strike mass driver 70-420 magazine/6
50-35-C - o/s - m - 7 - 31.25 small orbital strike mass driver 70-420 magazine/6
500-75-C - l/r o/s - m - 12 - 62.5 large orbital strike mass driver 1200-7200 magazine/6


* 2-0-8 - o/b.s - / - 0.02 mass driver small slugs
* 20-0-8 - o/b.s - / - 0.2 mass driver large slugs


traits: a/-.+ [accuracy/minus.plus#], amm [anti missile missile], a/# [armour piercing/factor], e/% [energy/percentage], b/# [blast/number], e/r.# [easy/repair.number], h [hardened], i [ion], i/f [intense/focus], l/r [longer/ranged], m/# [missile/number], o/b.s [orbital/bombardment.strike], p/d-.+# [point/defense/minus.plus#], r [radiation], r/# [resilient/number], s [smart], t/# [torpedo/number], t/% [tonnage/percentage], u/# [automatic/number], y/h.v [yield/high.very]


1. Field grade mass driver is too large, and too complex to bother with.

2. Originally, the technological level eight small mass driver was kept around as an option, but torpedo and missile bays are teched lower and are cheaper, so it might be easier for gunners recruited from lotech worlds.

3. Ortillery missiles and torpedoes are a lot more expensive, but they have stand off range, and flexibility allows them to be fired from other launchers, or even other type of missiles.

4. Small orbital strike mass drivers are cheaper and more precise, though higher teched.

5. I was thinking that in a starwarship, you twin the default/orbital strike mass drivers with each other, and feed the large slugs to the most suitable one, as to the target acquired.

6. The 50-45.5-A - e/130 o/s - s - 7 - 18.75 small orbital strike mass driver 70-420 magazine/6 seems ideal for a battlefield weapon, with a theatre range of upto twelve and a half hundred klix, that can shoot and scoot, minus gravity.

7. In theory, at twenty five kiloklix, you could reach any point on Terra.

8. Should also be able to shoot at a spacecraft in orbit.

9. Elevation would be by having different manoeuvre drive modules at either end, where you could raise the barrel.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Madrid Class Light Cruiser

1. We have to go with a number of assumptions.

2. The most important is that podularization follows modularization, that means seventy five percent of the hull can be podularized.

3. A quarter of the hull is primary, that forms the framework where the rest of the pods are attached to.

4. The hull is wedge shaped, and presumably streamlined.

5. Here we would have the first rather major diversion from the default image.

6. Equilateral triangle configuration, with three identical pods attached at one hundred twenty degrees.

7. Having three three hundred fifteen tonne jump drive modules is most convenient, each in one of the pods.

8. At jump factor four, that would shrink tonnage to ninety three hundred tonnes.

9. Divided by four, twenty three and a quarter hundred tonnes.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Madrid Class Light Cruiser

A. Each quarter would then be seventy five modularized, as far as is feasible, since the exceptions are hull features, engineering, spinal mounts, and bridges.

B. I also assume that you can't podularize spinal mounts.

C. At the moment, each pod would have a large enough power plant, one three hundred fifteen tonne jump drive module, and two one hundred five tonne manoeuvre drive modules, each.

D. We'll give a five hundred tonne bay, modularized, to make it cheaper to switch out, since they don't necessarily need to be armed with large meson guns all the time.

E. I'd rather split it into six pods, but I think you'd start losing that wedge shape.

F. Or maybe you can, but have the two types of pods, one for the rear of the spine, and the other forward.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Madrid Class Light Cruiser

G. Or, if we need an intact five kilotonne plus one hull, than the pods would have divide between themselves forty three hundred tonnes.

H. Fifty one, plus three times fourteen hundred.

I. The fourteen hundred tonne pods could have a large bay, one one hundred five tonne power plant, two one hundred five tonne manoeuvre drive modules, and one three hundred fifteen tonne jump drive module, nominally eleven hundred thirty tonnes.

J. The primary hull would be mostly a gas tank with turrets.

K. If we externalize components with docking clamps, that would slip performance to jump factor three, upto thirty one hundred tonnes, which would nominally match whatever is considered nova canonical.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Armaments and Weapon Systems


Model: Tonnage - Input - Technological Level - range - damage - default cost/megastarbux


mass drivers


* 2-0-8 - o/b.s - / - 0.02 mass driver small slugs
* 20-0-8 - o/b.s - / - 0.2 mass driver large slugs
Default Missiles


* 0.083-F-E - s - 5 - 0.029167 advanced
* 0.083-F-E - a/-1 s - 5 - 0.021875 advanced
Default Torpedoes


* 0.333333-F-E - s - 7 - 0.15 advanced
* 0.333333-F-E - a/-1 s - 7 - 0.11375 advanced


traits: a/-.+ [accuracy/minus.plus#], amm [anti missile missile], a/# [armour piercing/factor], e/% [energy/percentage], b/# [blast/number], e/r.# [easy/repair.number], h [hardened], i [ion], i/f [intense/focus], l/r [longer/ranged], m/# [missile/number], o/b.s [orbital/bombardment.strike], p/d-.+# [point/defense/minus.plus#], r [radiation], r/# [resilient/number], s [smart], t/# [torpedo/number], t/% [tonnage/percentage], u/# [automatic/number], y/h.v [yield/high.very]



1. Opportunity cost - one twenty tonne, ten two tonne small slug, sixty torpedoes, two hundred forty missiles.

2. Slugs are cheaper per unit.

3. Default cost twenty tonnes spacecraft volume, one megastarbux.

4. Therefore, large slug actual cost closer to one and one fifth megastarbux.

5. Missile storage cost, forty one and two thirds hundred starbux per missile.

6. Missile * 0.083-F-E - a/-1 s - 5 - 0.021875 advanced actual cost 0.026042.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Madrid Class Light Cruiser

L. Three one kilotonne mission pods, plus a hundred or so tonne. possibly scoutship.

M. The mission modules could be configured to any role, including weapons pod, or spacecraft carrier.

N. You could also upgrade the wing pods for more performance.

O. Problem with separating it into kilotonne modules is that it's difficult to place a reasonably sized launch tube.

P. It would be easier to have a three kilotonne module, with launch tube and recovery deck, plus hangar(s).

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Heinliner

1. One hundred twenty five kilotonne interstellar barge.

2. Planetoid.

3. Jump factor three, three thirty one and a half hundred tonne modules, energy inefficient.

4. Two and a half gees acceleration, thirty one and a half hundred tonne manoeuvre drive module, energy inefficient.

5. Thirty one and a half hundred tonne highly technologized early fusion power plant.

6. Wastage and jump factor three fuel tanks equals sixty two and a half kilotonnes.

7. Basically, half the volume with a natural armour class of two.

8. I thought about keeping it at a hundred kilotonnes, but being self propelled meant it doesn't need a tender, naval or otherwise.

9. Uses components from the Victory class battlecruiser.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and Power plants


Model: Tonnage - Output - Technological Level - features - default cost/megastarbux


fusion reactor


3150-25200-8 - t/125 - 1'181.25
3150-31500-8 - t/100 - 1'575
3150-35000-9 - t/90 - 1'732.5
3150-39375-A - t/80 - 1'968.75
3150-45000-B - t/70 - 2'362.5 Victory
3150-47250-C - t/100 - 3'150
3150-52500-D - t/90 - 3'465 Zeus, Midway, Minsk, Yamamoto, Zhukov
3150-59062.5-E - t/80 - 3'780 Prometheus, Normandy, Beijing
3150-67500-F - t/70 - 4'725 Mercury


features: e/% [energy/percentage], h [hardened], p/e [prototype/early], r/l.o [range/limited.orbital], t/% [tonnage/percentage]

manning: three eight hour shifts - shift supervisor/ensign, ten engineers/ratings; module supervisor/lieutenant, three shift supervisors/ensigns, thirty engineers/ratings, one administrator, three apprentices, one cadet

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Engineering and Power plants


Model: Tonnage - Output - Technological Level - features - default cost/megastarbux


fusion reactor


1-8-8 - t/125 - 0.375
1-10-8 - t/100 - 0.5
1-11.11-9 - t/90 - 0.55
1-12.5-A - t/80 - 0.625
1-14.28-B - t/70 - 0.75
1-15-C - t/100 - 1
1-16.66-D - t/90 - 1.1
1-18.75-E - t/80 - 1.25
1-21.42-F - t/70 - 1.5


features: e/% [energy/percentage], h [hardened], p/e [prototype/early], r/l.o [range/limited.orbital], t/% [tonnage/percentage]