Solomani Confederation (Military)

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

A. The first thing you'll notice is that Zhodani have a four hundred kilotonne command dreadnought.

B. Or, multiples of them.

C. Supposedly, they're the reserve, to reinforce success, or retrieve a critical failure.

D. Using massive salvoes of missiles and torpedoes.

E. And my first thought was, this is very Soviet.

F. The second, they're rich.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

G. Apparently, they do have light cruisers in the twenty kilotonneish region.

H. Supposedly, they act more as destroyer leaders.

I. If I had to make an informed guess, I'd say one skinny cruiser for three fat destroyers.

J. Probably factor/one particle accelerator spinal mount.

K. Doctrine being the same as with that of the battleships.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

L. One thing I notice is that Zhodani cruisers and battleships have the capacity to carry very large contingents of troops.

M. Though may only routinely fill a quarter to a third of these bunks.

N. Seems similar to my concept of the Terran Express.

O. Though I look at it as expediting reinforcements to the front.

P. And I think for the Zhodani it's having the capability to immediately have boots on the ground.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

Q. The Zhodani seem to have a preference for ultralight fighters.

R. Though that could be just due to legacy.

S. Anything below ten tonnes should be harder to hit.

T. By now, everyone should be aware that a one tonne fuel tank wasn't necessary.

U. And, apparently, excess tonnage is leveraged towards better sensors.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

V. If there had any advantage to having a sub ten tonne fighter, I'd design a nine and a halfer.

W. Whereas I'm not in favour of a ground based fighter command and control, it would be necessary with onboard low grade sensors.

X. Which would be the case with TRI Fighters.

Y. There still is fighter direction, from a vessel with the requisite sensors and communications sets.

Z. I would guess a command bridge, once you go over a certain number.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

1. The older operational doctrine appears to be a four and one configuration.

2. You have five quarter megatonne battleships configured as one flagship and two divisions.

3. The concept seems the same, in that a single target is ganged up upon, while the flagship executes the coup de grace.

4. Or pulls the chestnuts out of the fire(fight).

5. I'd say the new squadrons are designed to be more expeditionary.

6. As opposed to more line of battle for the older ones.

7. It sort of represents a greater flexibility in operations by the Zhodani.

8. Whereas the four plus one might have turned to be too rigid for the Zhodani commanders.

9. I kinda suspect there's going to be a shift into grey zone warfare by the Zhodani, after a ceasefire.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

A. And how does that compare to Fleet Squadrons, as I visualize them?

B. It turns out, that it's both similar and different.

C. Similar, in that a Fleet Division of two fast dreadnoughts are supposed to target one opposing line of battle ship.

D. Different, in that the battleships aren't usually kept in reserve, but committed to the frontline.

E. One way I've evolved the concept of the Fleet Squadron.

F. Is that the Fleet Squadron flagship is an organic naval tender.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

G. Originally, I divided the six line of battle ship Fleet Squadron into three divisions of two each, with an attached logistics ship, escorts and fleet couriers.

H. With another logistics ship acting as the squadron flagship, with another bunch of escorts and couriers.

I. Each division has it's own flag officer (Contra Admiral), and the Fleet Squadron commanded by a Rear Admiral.

J. We'll leave each Fleet Division with it's own fast oiler, but the Zhodani configuration convinced me to make the Fleet Squadron flagship a modern naval tender.

K. What makes a modern naval tender: factor/four jump drive.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

L. The Zhodani Chikflik class is at four hundred kilotonnes pretty close to a Tigress.

M. I had thought of making the Fleet Squadron logistics ship a command ship (as opposed to a cruiser), fleet carrier, assault carrier combination.

N. And separate Carrier Squadrons to allocate the naval tenders to.

O. Instead, give each Fleet Squadron a naval tender for their logistics, troop and carrier needs.

P. And, design a mini naval tender for each Fleet Division.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

Q. One thing that a naval tender can do, is dump it's logistical tail, grab an immobilized dreadnought, and haul ass.

R. They could also substitute flight and logistic pods for battle riders and/or monitors, battle or otherwise.

S. They would also act as honey traps, since a lot of enemy commanders would be prioritizing their destruction.

T. In the mistaken believe that would accomplish two aims, the disruption of command and control, and stranding non jump capable assets.

U. That's why Fleet Divisions have their own flag officer.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

V. I allowed the size of a Fleet Division to vary from two to three, with a Fleet Squadron having two to three Fleet Divisions.

W. In contrast to to the Zhodani doctrine, I thought that three to one is probably too much of a good thing.

X. Plus, the Great Patriotic War experience showed that infantry divisions with three brigades of two battalions each showed greater tactical flexibility.

Y. Trying to command three ship divisions creates a rigidity, that probably could only be justified by the division being made up of older and/or less powerful line of battle ships.

Z. Or that of member navies and allies, where you do want to exercise more control.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

1. Quarter of a million tonnes is, under the current rule set, about as big as you want to make a line of battle ship.

2. Coincidentally, the size stated in Fighting Ships for the Prometheus class.

3. And, around the upper limits of the engineering configuration I've been playing around with.

4. Six technological level fourteen fast dreadnoughts should be able to, at a minimum, defeat four technological level fifteen two hundred kilotonne battleships.

5. If I had to make a comparison, the two hundred kilotonne battleships are third rate seventy four gunners.

6. That would make the four and five hundred kilotonners first raters.

7. That would make them fleet flagships.

8. Then we have second raters.

9. Which probably is anywhere between two hundred fifty one hundred kilotonnes, to probably somewhere short of four hundred kilotonnes.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

A. One difference between the Consulate and the Confederation is, that while we're not quite sure what in the Consulate, the Confederation has no strategic depth.

B. That means, the Confederation Navy has a hard crust strategy in deploying it's heavy forces.

C. Or, at least, give the impression of doing so.

D. Whereas the Zhodani seem to have the initiative in the Spinward Marches.

E. Which allows them a more flexible approach there.

F. Including, apparently, this three plus one configuration.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

G. So, the question is now, does the Confederation Navy still maintain Carrier Squadrons.

H. I've distributed the naval tenders directly to the Fleet Squadrons.

I. The answer is yes, but it has to be massively reconfigured.

J. Since there isn't enough tonnage to transport troop transports, logistical barges, battle monitors, and/or flight pods.

K. And you're going to need some way to keep that organized across a sector.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

L. I'd be tempted to just lump the naval tenders into the Logistic Squadrons.

M. The problem, as I see it, is that in (fighter) carrier, and assault carrier configuration, they're front line starwarships.

N. Otherwise, transportation and delivery, if the packages are rather large.

O. ConEx.

P. That would be a fund corporation to set up, if it wasn't for the fact there is only one Confederation wide megacorporation, which is also mostly involved in transportation.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

Q. On the other hand, we could form a Strike Squadron around fighter and assault carriers.

R. Difference would be, the first Strike Division would be the carrier, plus close escorts.

S. The second Division, the presumably cruiser sized escort(s).

T. The third Division, miscellaneous.

U. Which, I suppose, bypasses the need to establish the more ostentatious Carrier Squadron.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

V. It's not that the Zhodani can't, or won't, build battleships.

W. They have, and apparently, a lot of them.

X. I think they've come to the conclusion that the Imperium is not a military threat to them.

Y. At least, not an immediate one.

Z. It sort of reminds me of the Parthian campaigns against the Romans.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

1. The current sweet spot for cruisers, in, let's say, the Great Patriotic War sense, is fifty kilotonnes.

2. Some may consider that insufficient volume for all the capability they wish that a cruiser of the first class supposedly has.

3. Probably why designers are willing to push tonnage from sixty to eighty kilotonnes.

4. It could also be the ideal size for battle riders.

5. The fleet cruiser has a factor/two meson spinal mount.

6. Which is a hefty armament, and pretty close to those usually installed on battleships.

7. Hundred kilotonnes is an optimal tonnage for both personnel, and structural strength.

8. In theory, these could be considered fourth raters.

9. The ambiguity of an overpowered cruiser, or a light battleship.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

A. Factor/one particle accelerator spinal mount would seem to be the minimum qualification for a major combatant.

B. So, not that much a surprise that the Zhodani light cruiser is armed with one.

C. I would guess that makes that particular calibre the equivalent of a six inch battery.

D. Eight inch plus would have to be stuff with two deadly damage dice.

E. Which would be at default seven kilotonne plus spinal mounts.

F. Which would have made the Ghalalk class armored cruisers second class.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Zhodani Meet and Greet

G. The aesthetic of Zhodani starwarships appears to be Japanese.

H. Sixties and seventies Japanese science fiction spaceships.

I. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised if, at some point, space going mechs turn up.

J. Maybe, even psychic powered.

K. Sort of surprised they haven't tried that with astrogation.