Solomani Confederation (Military)

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Battlecruiser

V. I favour the meson spinal mount for the Confederation Navy starwarships.

W. More as a political statement, since the Solomani, supposedly, developed and deployed them before the Vilani.

X. However, pragmatism indicates that particle accelerator spinal mounts might actually be more suitable for intermediate and major combatants.

Y. Especially, in terms of range.

Z. The ratio of fast dreadnoughts would more than compensate, and be more powerful.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Battlecruiser

1. Very advanced particle accelerator spinal mount factor/one.

2. Technological level thirteen

3. Twenty nine and three quarters hundred tonnes.

4. One thousand power points.

5. One and one fifth gigastarbux.

6. Eight kilodice and radiation.

7. Yamamoto and Minsk classes

8. Follow on Beijing and Normandy classes.

9. Which pretty much would standardize (heavy) cruiser armament.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Battlecruiser

A. Doctrine would be for cruisers to engage at a distance.

B. Though at fifty kilotonnes, can get closer at advantage with the spinal mount primary armament.

C. Primary purpose in a fleet engagement would to discourage the other side's major and intermediate combatants from getting too close.

D. Can't use the particle accelerator for planetary bombardment through an atmosphere.

E. Which actually Confederation member planets find attractive.

F. In theory, heavy cruisers tend to escort Fleet Squadrons, while strike cruisers probed the other side's defences.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Battlecruiser

G. In theory, you could have a range of spinal mounts available for your major and intermediate combatants.

H. In practice, for the Confederation Navy, for intermediate and major combatants, only heavyish cruisers have spinal mounts.

I. What would be considered a balanced armament, in relation to performance and tonnage?

J. It would depend on the intended role for the combatant.

K. And in relation to the other existing combatants.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Battlecruiser

L. It's also possible that there is an unsaid non proliferation agreement between the Imperium and the Confederation.

M. Which very likely includes meson weapon systems.

N. Keeping the meson spinal mounts as very large capital ship calibres would allow the Confederation to control that aspect.

O. No idea how that works with the Aslan, Zhodani, K'kree, nor Hivers.

P. You could compare the particle accelerator spinal mount factor/one as eight inchers.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Battlecruiser

Q. The Fleet Squadron fast dreadnoughts form the line of battle.

R. And since the range of meson spinal mounts is long, the fleet commander has to manoeuvre the line of battle to that range and maintain it.

S. Having all of the line of battle in that range band, and isolating part of the enemy line of battle, is the equivalent of crossing the tee.

T. The cruisers with very long rang particle accelerator spinal mounts, can cover the flanks, one range band back.

U. That would be out of the range of meson spinal mounts.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Battlecruiser

V. Greater acceleration allows dictating the range.

W. If there is parallelization of course, basically both sides maintaining their respective lines.

X. One side catching up to the other, having the weather gauge.

Y. The one doing so would probably want a vanguard made up of their toughest starwarships, since the one in front could always try to cross the tee.

Z. If the chaser already has his line of battle stretched out in front, the chasee could veer off in one direction and try to isolate one flank.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Battlecruiser

1. In a space chase, this is where physics favour the chasee.

2. The chasee could throw anything at the chasseur, and he'd have to fly through it.

3. Including the kitchen sink.

4. The chasseur keeps closing the distance after the chasee launches ordnance.

5. That means that at the time of launch, to the time of impact, range and time of impact would decrease.

6. Since the launch is to the rear, velocity of the ordnance would not benefit from the forward velocity of the launching spacecraft.

7. It does benefit from the forward velocity (and acceleration) of the chasseur.

8. It's quite possible that the favour can't be returned.

9. That the chasee can outlast the ten and twenty respective turns that a missile or torpedo has fuelled.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Battlecruiser

A. Mass drivers already are penalized when aiming at a moving target, so can be ignored.

B. Which leaves us with railguns.

C. Using electromagnetic force, railguns accelerate slug ammunition to fractions of the speed of light, delivering a heavy kinetic-energy blow.

D. So time delay doesn't factor in.

E. Possibly, neither does the damage potential attributed to velocity.

F. Though, I do wonder what's the definition of light speed fractions.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Battlecruiser

G. While Nelsonian doctrine would be a battle of annihilation, the Confederation Navy would settle for a mission kill.

H. This is somewhat dependent on risk reward.

I. And how much the Confederation Navy has invested in the outcome.

J. If a battle fleet is engaged, let alone the Grand Fleet, the expectation is the destruction of the enemy fleet.

K. Which is one rational for maintaining large numbers of fast dreadnoughts, organized into Fleet Squadrons.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Battlecruiser

L. Trying to figure out engagement time is fun.

M. Doctrine would be three hours full contact with the line of battle.

N. At before or around the three hour mark, the ship's captain, or the fleet commander, has to determine whether to continue, or break off the engagement, if it isn't obvious that the opposition has clearly lost.

O. Obviously, the armament would be optimized to throw everything at the enemy within those thirty rounds.

P. And be able to absorb most damage during the same time period.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Battlecruiser

Q. Intermediate and major combatants would be optimized for a two hour full contact combat.

R. Full contact means continuously receiving fire, and returning the favour.

S. While frontline commanders are encouraged to be aggressive, sometimes to the point of suicide, needlessly endangering the starwarship or it's crew under their command mitigates this.

T. Also, since the Confederation Navy suffers from a cruiser gap, by being top heavy, intermediate and major combatants are far less in number than expected distribution

U. And usually are less combat orientated, but rather have specific mission goals to accomplish.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Battlecruiser

V. Minor combatants are optimized for one hour long engagements.

W. It's one reason that frigates and destroyers start off at five kilotonnes, to overwhelm their likely opposite number as quick as possible.

X. Or, for torpedo runs, when going up against larger opponents.

Y. Corvettes and sloops are subkilotonne, and they're more for patrolling and escort duties.

Z. Lone commerce raiders aren't expected to hang around.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Battlecruiser

1. Around, you can start accounting for dogfighting time.

2. If two opposing battleships came within ten klix of each, in theory, potential firepower increases by a factor of sixty.

3. Three hours of ordnance launches compresses into thirty seconds.

4. Energy based weapon systems have to draw on the current power pool.

5. Most are budgetted to fire one salvo every six minutes.

6. You don't have to increase it by sixty times.

7. You could try a pass by that maintains a ten klix range for thirty seconds.

8. That's unlikely, if both sides are accelerating.

9. But if they're confident enough to match acceleration, along the same parallel direction.