Solomani Confederation (Military)

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Meson Weapon Systems

L. Of course, the first model would be the budget variant.

M. The choice was between inflation, inefficiency, or inaccuracy.

N. Changing volume, in either direction, would tend to complicate modularization, so might not want to mess with that.

O. Inaccuracy tends to matter if it's a question of who hits first.

P. So, inefficiency, it is.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Meson Weapon Systems

Q. Modularity, because you might want to switch the weapon system to something else.

R. And the one thing that would put the kibosh on that is if they didn't fit the slot.

S. So, screwing around with the volume must provide some significant advantage.

T. I'd say the only reason you'd choose deflation, would be if the weapon platform itself had some form of size constraint.

U. And at twenty percent inflation, you'd have to customize the bay itself larger.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Meson Weapon Systems

V. Exact dimensions tend be somewhat nebulous.

W. But we'll assume that bay and turret weapon systems are specifically arranged to fit a standardized turret or bay.

X. It's also a reason that Vehicles seemed off, when installing spacecraft weapon systems.

Y. For anything smaller than four hundred spaces, you could only install one monoturret.

Z. Or, at two hundred eighty spaces, a barbette.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Meson Weapon Systems

1. For the Confederation Army, bayed weapon systems would likely be defined as siege artillery.

2. They'll certainly want meson weapons for fire support.

3. Atmospheric interference would restrict the range of other weapon systems.

4. Restricted access to meson weapon systems, and their relatively large size, would likely need a cooperative Navy.

5. I tend to think that the Confederation Navy isn't keen to tie down their major units to a single planet.

6. Post bellum, I'll say that they outsource this to the CAVALRY, and their Horse Artillery squadrons.

7. They can station monitors, satellites, space stations, and/or coastal battleships, to support the ground forces, and man them with short term troopers.

8. These troopers could be recruited from retired naval personnel, or others with spacefaring experience.

9. It would prevent Confederation Navy units from being pinned.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Meson Weapon Systems

A. One and three quarter, times a quarter, times one eighth, hectometres.

B. Forty eight kilotonnes, translates to 3'428.571428571429 tonnes.

C. Submarine weapon platform.

D. In this case, Typhoon class dimensions.

E. Looks like you could fit a large bay weapon, inside.

F. You'll need the fuel tanks for ballast tanks.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Meson Weapon Systems

G. Actually, since mesons can ghost through solid walls, you could leave them deep inside the hull.

H. Like a concealed manoeuvre drive.

I. Which would make them more protected against surface damage.

J. It would act as a surprise, if you can't detect obvious signs of a weapon system powering up.

K. One issue being that you could use that bay for a non meson weapon system.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Meson Weapon Systems

L. Internal bays resolves a concept I was theorizing.

M. I wanted to place cope cages around a starwarship.

N. You'd have to penetrate that first layer of hull armour, before reaching the primary hull.

O. One problem would be that the cope cage would block the starwarship's armaments.

P. But, if you can ghost particles through them, that would no longer apply.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Meson Weapon Systems

Q. You could have a docking clamp installed on the nose of the starwarship.

R. Then attach a large piece of hull armour to it.

S. Point towards a suitable target, and drift towards it.

T. Fire the meson guns at the target, through the attached hull armour.

U. The attached hull armour acts as a shield against non meson return fire.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Meson Weapon Systems

V. Doesn't necessarily just have to be just a solid piece of metal.

W. Though, ramming now does seem a viable, survivable, manoeuvre.

X. You can set up sensors and point defence weapon systems in front, to deal with oncoming missiles and torpedoes.

Y. Something heavier, for smallcraft.

Z. And, missile and torpedo launchers.

 

[Condottiere]

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Meson Weapon Systems

1. One issue might be, the other side has the same idea.

2. They, too, dock a hull shield in front of their starwarship.

3. In terms of line of sight, you can't see what's behind it.

4. Aiming most other energy weapon systems at it, will hit the shield first.

5. However, I would suppose you would need a pretty good idea where a target is, for one that teleports that damage potential.

6. Especially, a rapidly moving target.

7. If it wasn't indirect fire before, it is now.

8. You could, of course, have forward probes that flanked the enemy, and use their sensors for targetting.

9. Which is where prediction programmes come in, since latency will have to account for change in location, in how far your target moves in metres per (micro)second.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Meson Weapon Systems

A. I don't know if you could describe the hull shield as a pod.

B. I tend to think that for High Guard, a pod would be somewhat integrated with the primary hull.

C. A docking clamp makes that twice removed from the primary hull.

D. Unless special electronic linkages are made, the shield hull is pretty much autonomous.

E. The upside is, once it's been widely perforated, you can drop it.

F. Downside, it's volume lowers performance.

 

[Condottiere]

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Meson Weapon Systems

G. The spinal mount has so much damage potential, it's meant to just smash it's way in.

H. Optionally, you could go for the broadside gambit.

I. Much like in times of yore, your starwarships parallel the manoeuvres of the enemy's starwarships of the line, and fire the secondaries.

J. For meson bays, the intent is not to smash in the sidewalls, but explode inside the enemy vessel.

K. While machinery is going to be destroyed, the real effect would be spread out evenly throughout the ship, especially the radiation side effect.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Organization

Combined Fleet

1. Allied and member naval elements, centered around a Confederation Navy task force.

2. Ideally, task force would consist of one Fleet Squadron composed of six fast dreadnoughts, and attached six heavy battle riders.

3. The heavy battle riders, or any, plus qualified monitors, form the vanguard of the line of battle.

4. The main body is divided into three squadrons, based around a fast dreadnought as squadron flagship, with qualified starwarships capable of standing in the line of battle, drawn from allied and member navies.

5. Rearguard consists of secondary capital starwarships, with a fast dreadnought as flagship, whose task would, in theory, be to finish off enemy survivors.

6. The sixth fast dreadnought is the Combined Fleet flagship, coordinating operations, and usually based (and guarding) with the battle tenders and fleet carriers, in the rear.

7. If there was a safer place for the fleet train, they would be there.

8. Pickets, screens, and scouting elements extend forwards and sideways, composed of lesser starwarships and smallcraft.

9. Whether these conditions are actually met, especially after some extensive attritional warfare, would be speculative.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Organization

Combined Fleet

A. This works for fleet exercises, and the early phases of a conflict.

B. Where the Admiralty really wants naval forces outside of direct control coordinated.

C. And they have fast dreadnoughts to spare.

D. However, by the later stages, fast dreadnoughts are likely to be more carefully husbanded, and replaced by major starwarships, to act as flagships.

E. Also, member world navies, while probably mass producing minor starwarships, seem unlikely to replace their losses of capital starwarships on their own.

F. Chances are, components would be salvaged from crippled capital starwarships, and installed in monitors.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Organization

Combined Fleet

G. There would be one Combined Fleet per quadrant, formed by native naval elements from that quadrant.

H. One Fleet Squadron would be assigned to have it's fast dreadnoughts serve as the Combined Fleet and it's component squadron flagships.

I. While the Combined Fleet commander would be from the Confederation Navy, the component squadron commanders could also be from the local member navies.

J. Generally speaking, the vanguard squadron commander would be picked from the Confederation Navy.

K. Leading by example.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Organization

Battle Fleet

1. Usually composed from units from the Sector Fleet.

2. Ideally, five Fleet Squadrons.

3. The vanguard would be mostly, if not entirely, heavy battle riders.

4. The primary objective would be to bring the capital starwarships of the enemy to a decisive battle.

5. Usually, there would be only one battle fleet in being in each sector.

6. Though, there are two in the Solomani Rim, since there is a full Sector Fleet present, in a rather slim slice of space.

7. Organized in the preferred Confederation line of battle.

8. Vanguard of scouting forces and heavy combat support.

9. Primary line of battle in the main body, and secondary battle ships in the rear guard.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Organization

Strike Force

1. Difference between Fleets, Combined, Battle, and/or Grand, and a Strike Fore, would that that Fleet would be expected to remain in control of the field of battle.

2. A Strike Force tends to be composed from one or more Strike Squadrons.

3. Usually, an ad hoc formation, meant to sortie into hostile territory.

4. As an example, let's take Pearl Harbour order of battle.

5. One Strike Squadron has three tenders in three separate Strike Divisions, with two flight pods each, representing three carrier divisions, of, let's say, the First Aerospace Flotilla; one destroyer.

6. One Strike Squadron with two battlecruisers in two separate Strike Divisions; two heavy cruisers in two separate Strike Divisions.

7. One Strike Squadron with one light cruiser in a separate Strike Division; ten destroyers in three separate Strike Divisions.

8. One Strike Squadron with twenty one [patrol/scout/attack/stealthed] minor starwarships in three Strike Divisions; five attack small/star/craft in one Strike Division; two large scout/attack/stealthed starwarships in one Strike Division.

9. Logistics Squadron, with eight tankers, in two Logistics Divisions.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Organization

Strike Force

A. If we had to cover the attack craft, as well, the numbers would be, comparatively, below that one can expect from a major raid in Traveller.

B. Seventy nine fighters, one hundred thirty one dive bombers, and one hundred forty three torpedo/level bombers.

C. Out of a normal complement of four times twenty one and two times eighteen, total one hundred twenty fighters.

D. Four times twenty seven and two times eighteen, one hundred forty four torpedo/level bombers.

E. Three times twenty seven and three times eighteen, one hundred thirty five dive bombers.

F. Twelve float planes from the heavy cruisers, used as scouting assets.