Solomani Confederation (Military)

[Condottiere]

Confederation Authorized Volunteer Armed Long Range Yeomanry: Organization

Looks like you can now place mortar shells on improvised bomb racks on a largish drone.

And I remember that the Japanese had borrowed battleship shells, to convert them into dive bombs.

So one troop that specializes in drone operations, for both reconnaissance and fire support, or an improvised one.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Authorized Volunteer Armed Long Range Yeomanry: Organization

The Confederation has about three borders and a frontier.

I think in terms of actual fighting, the stakes are too high coreward, the Hivers wouldn't be too enthused, and the frontier is likely mostly keeping the either colonists in line or bug hunting.

That leaves the Aslan.

Anyone who wants to experience a series of continuous smallwars with some shooting heads out there, with the CAVALRY being the ones who either intercept colonist ships, or have to dig out their freeholds.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Confederation Authorized Volunteer Armed Long Range Yeomanry: Organization

The Confederation has about three borders and a frontier.

I think in terms of actual fighting, the stakes are too high coreward, the Hivers wouldn't be too enthused, and the frontier is likely mostly keeping the either colonists in line or bug hunting.

That leaves the Aslan.

Anyone who wants to experience a series of continuous smallwars with some shooting heads out there, with the CAVALRY being the ones who either intercept colonist ships, or have to dig out their freeholds.

I believe that digging out Ihetai or other species from Frontier and Border areas would be unofficially termed "Safari Duty". I just really can't get into the Solomani.

 

[Condottiere]

As they were originally presented, the Solomani were slightly lower on the antagonist scale than the Zhodani, and were obviously Space Nasties.

Currently, the political system resembles that of the People's Republic of China, and may have been retconnelly been influenced by the Honorverse.

 

[MasterGwydion]

In MTU, the Solomani and the Aslan go to war in 916 Imperial. Here is My design for the entire Solomani Navy before the "Solomani Rim War".

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/xr27ddtl2p31gkb5qvck9/Solomami-Federation-Navy-cerca-716-Imperial-The-start-of-the-Solomani-Border-War-with-the-Aslan.xlsx?dl=0&rlkey=hu3cs2mcr5ssgn5c2gihh03b0

It doesn't include smaller ship types such as Patrol Corvettes or SBDs as these are more properly considered part of the Federation Home Guard and not part of the larger Federation Navy formations, except in wartime as auxiliaries.

 

[Condottiere]

Solomani Navy At the start of the Solomani Border War with the Aslan
2 Fleet
32 16 Heavy Carrier Battle Group +5 full HVBGs in a secret mothball fleet
32 16 1 Midway-class Heavy Carrier
30 32 2 Battleship Group
128 64 2 1 Victory-class Pocket Battleship
128 64 4 2 Heavy Cruiser DetachmentE7
256 128 8 4 2 Zhukov-class Heavy Cruiser
256 128 8 4 2 Light Cruiser Squadron
1024 512 32 16 8 4 Nagara-class Light Cruiser
2048 1024 64 32 16 8 2 Destroyer Detachment
8192 4096 256 128 64 32 4 2 Xianghou-class Destroyer
32 16 1 Recon Squadron
256 128 8 8 Vasco de Gama-class Recon Frigates
32 16 1 Logistics Group
128 64 4 4 Supply-class Resupply Ship
512 256 16 16 4 Deepak-class Resupply Ship
10528 5264 327


To be fair, I don't think the Confederation Navy has any secret battle groups around the first millenia, ante or post bellum, since they likely committed all their reserves in the War of Imperium Aggression.

Going by published content, immediately after the war, the Confederation reorganized into a top and bottom heavy Navy, a rather sexy Monroesque hour glass figure doctrine.

That may have changed, now that they have what seems a reliable technological level fifteen industrial base, on one or more worlds.

I don't think that the Confederation Navy would bother with pocket battleships, but may with super cruisers.

 

[Condottiere]

In the eleventh century, I don't think the Confederation hides any of their capital ships, in the strategic sense, just operationally, by moving them about, which in turn gives operational experience to the crews and staffs.

What they are hiding, are stealthed cruisers infiltrated into the occupied territories.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Solomani Navy At the start of the Solomani Border War with the Aslan
2 Fleet
32 16 Heavy Carrier Battle Group +5 full HVBGs in a secret mothball fleet
32 16 1 Midway-class Heavy Carrier
30 32 2 Battleship Group
128 64 2 1 Victory-class Pocket Battleship
128 64 4 2 Heavy Cruiser DetachmentE7
256 128 8 4 2 Zhukov-class Heavy Cruiser
256 128 8 4 2 Light Cruiser Squadron
1024 512 32 16 8 4 Nagara-class Light Cruiser
2048 1024 64 32 16 8 2 Destroyer Detachment
8192 4096 256 128 64 32 4 2 Xianghou-class Destroyer
32 16 1 Recon Squadron
256 128 8 8 Vasco de Gama-class Recon Frigates
32 16 1 Logistics Group
128 64 4 4 Supply-class Resupply Ship
512 256 16 16 4 Deepak-class Resupply Ship
10528 5264 327


To be fair, I don't think the Confederation Navy has any secret battle groups around the first millenia, ante or post bellum, since they likely committed all their reserves in the War of Imperium Aggression.

Going by published content, immediately after the war, the Confederation reorganized into a top and bottom heavy Navy, a rather sexy Monroesque hour glass figure doctrine.

That may have changed, now that they have what seems a reliable technological level fifteen industrial base, on one or more worlds.

I don't think that the Confederation Navy would bother with pocket battleships, but may with super cruisers.

Actually, that part about the Mothball Fleet was supposed to have been edited out before I posted it. The Mothball Fleet would have been one TL lower than the regular fleet anyhow

 

[MasterGwydion]

In the eleventh century, I don't think the Confederation hides any of their capital ships, in the strategic sense, just operationally, by moving them about, which in turn gives operational experience to the crews and staffs.

What they are hiding, are stealthed cruisers infiltrated into the occupied territories.

Yeah, MTU is a bit different than the OTU. In MTU, the Solomani Rim War was between the Aslan and the Solomani and happened in the early 900s, almost 600 years after the Treaty between 4 Tlaukhu clans and the 3I.

 

[Condottiere]

i doubt that the Confederation Navy mothball fleet resembles the Imperium one.

There are two aspects you have to consider, what's the cut off date for what they consider worthwhile keeping and maintaining, which they don't donate to client states and member world navies, and they lost a lot of ships during the last war.

 

[MasterGwydion]

i doubt that the Confederation Navy mothball fleet resembles the Imperium one.

There are two aspects you have to consider, what's the cut off date for what they consider worthwhile keeping and maintaining, which they don't donate to client states and member world navies, and they lost a lot of ships during the last war.

I figured the mothball fleet is the remains of the Solomani Fleet from the last TL, so even being 300 years after the Solomani reached TL-13, the TL-12 mothball fleet would still be in great shape as mothballed fleets to not degrade in space over time in Traveller. Swap out the TL-12 sensors and computer systems for new TL-13 systems if they are in a hurry when they have to be reactivated. If you have more time, Upgrade the Power Plant as well.

In the OTU, the Solomani are a mess with their wars, so I think that you are right and in the OTU, they would not have a large mothball fleet. In MTU, the Solomani haven't been involved in a major war in over 1,500 years.

 

[Condottiere]

Canon does say that the Confederation spacecraft do leave room for upgrades.

Considering the costs from Trillion Credit, it would most likely be minor systems, bays, turrets and electronics.

Going by Fighting Ships, I'd say a century ago they'd keep technological level eleven spacecraft, with cutting edge at fourteen; my personal take that they've dumped everything since then, and anything below thirteen is actually newish and picked due to cost benefit.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Canon does say that the Confederation spacecraft do leave room for upgrades.

Considering the costs from Trillion Credit, it would most likely be minor systems, bays, turrets and electronics.

Going by Fighting Ships, I'd say a century ago they'd keep technological level eleven spacecraft, with cutting edge at fourteen; my personal take that they've dumped everything since then, and anything below thirteen is actually newish and picked due to cost benefit.

Trillion Credit Squadron also states that most ships have a backup J-Drive, M-Drive, Power Plant, and Computer, which I have ever only seen on a handful of actual ship designs. It states a minimum requirement of J-3, so all ships should be built with 2 J-3 Drives. I have never seen a ship with 2 J-3 Drives, J-2 and a J-3 Drive, yes, but only on one very specific and very experimental class of ship. So, Trillion Credit Squadron's rules, need to be taken with a grain of salt as they do not reflect how the majority of military ships in the OTU.

Where does Canon mention that Solomani ships do leave room for upgrades? I assumed it, but I do not know that it was actually stated anywhere.

I would think that on average, that the normal TL for fleets would be max TL minus 1 for polities that have been at the TL for less than 100 years. After more than 100 years at a TL, all of the ships should be upgraded, since most ships have a life span of less than 100 years, unless they are a mothball or a reserve fleet, then they should be one TL below the rest of the Fleet. Unless you are like the Vilani and actively restrict technological advancement of your military. lol

That is just My 2Cr though...

 

[Condottiere]

1. Fighting Ships of the Solomani Confederation.

2. Since they were a technological level behind, they would know how much they needed to catch up.

3. Engineering backups seem more viable in Classic Book Five.

4. The Imperium has had a millenia to build up it's Navy, with a starting technological level of twelve, so depots could have eleven hundred year old technological level eleven spacecraft.

5. Going by recent events, letting surplus spacecraft gather moss doesn't make sense, unless you rotate them, which i think the Confederation is more inclined to do, and dispose of spacecraft they figure they won't need, even if they fully mobilized.

 

[MasterGwydion]

1. Fighting Ships of the Solomani Confederation.

2. Since they were a technological level behind, they would know how much they needed to catch up.

3. Engineering backups seem more viable in Classic Book Five.

4. The Imperium has had a millenia to build up it's Navy, with a starting technological level of twelve, so depots could have eleven hundred year old technological level eleven spacecraft.

5. Going by recent events, letting surplus spacecraft gather moss doesn't make sense, unless you rotate them, which i think the Confederation is more inclined to do, and dispose of spacecraft they figure they won't need, even if they fully mobilized.

Makes sense.

 

[Condottiere]

What you can do, as canonized by Tee Five, and confirmed by breakaway hulls, is split the engines into modules, including jump drives, though each module would still have that five tonne overhead.

 

[MasterGwydion]

What you can do, as canonized by Tee Five, and confirmed by breakaway hulls, is split the engines into modules, including jump drives, though each module would still have that five tonne overhead.

5 tons is small beans when talking about 14,000 tons worth of ship that can break into 3 parts. 1J-Drive, 1 M-Drive, 3 Power Plants, and 1 bridge. So, the extra space required is minimal.

 

[AndrewW]

5 tons is small beans when talking about 14,000 tons worth of ship that can break into 3 parts. 1J-Drive, 1 M-Drive, 3 Power Plants, and 1 bridge. So, the extra space required is minimal.

There's a 2% overhead of total tonnage for the breakaway hulls, so that would be an additional 280 tons on a 14,000 ton hull, not sure how you are dividing it their. You mention 1 on the drives and bridge, but 3 power plants but would need the drives and bridge for each section.

 

[MasterGwydion]

5 tons is small beans when talking about 14,000 tons worth of ship that can break into 3 parts. 1J-Drive, 1 M-Drive, 3 Power Plants, and 1 bridge. So, the extra space required is minimal.

There's a 2% overhead of total tonnage for the breakaway hulls, so that would be an additional 280 tons on a 14,000 ton hull, not sure how you are dividing it their. You mention 1 on the drives and bridge, but 3 power plants but would need the drives and bridge for each section.

Only the Jump Section has a sophont crew, so only the Jump Section needs a Bridge, Life Support, and Staterooms. Each Section does require its own Computer though. The Sophont Crew on the Jump Section is 1 Astrogator.

 

[Condottiere]

You don't actually need to construct breakaway hulls, to modularize.

Also, if you podularize, the same applies.