Solomani Confederation (Military)
- Thread starter Condottiere
- Start date
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Since they're a tech level lower than the Imperium Navy, I like to think that the Solomani are far more innovative and focussed.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Solomani Navy: Armaments and Torpedoes
.. Torpedo
... cluster 7A
.... thrust 10/10
.... payload dependant
..... dense missile pack 69
...... 20(1d6*1d6).8/10
.... KCr 16 + dense missile pack + 20 multi-warhead missiles - bomb pumped warhead
.... payload dependant
.... thrust 10/10
..... dense sandcaster pack 7A
...... pebbles
...... 33(1d3)
.... KCr 16 + dense sandcaster pack + 33 multi-warhead missiles - bomb pumped warhead
... Bomb-Pumped 9C
.... 6d6.10/10
.... hit as missile
.... defend as laser
.... point defense DM-2
.... KCr 16
Unique to the the Solomani Navy, they removed the one tonne bomb-pumped warhead from the torpedo, or more precisely, only manufactured the fuse, electronics and sensors and connected it to a dense missile or sandcaster pack, which conicidentally, also takes up a tonne in space.
It's a nasty surprise to more lightly armoured ships, and a very nasty one to ground troops.
Like the bomb pumped laser warhead torpedo, the torpedo stands off from it's target, and the torpedo releases it's payload, either slightly dispersed towards a single target, or more widely dispersed towards several.
.. Torpedo
... cluster 7A
.... thrust 10/10
.... payload dependant
..... dense missile pack 69
...... 20(1d6*1d6).8/10
.... KCr 16 + dense missile pack + 20 multi-warhead missiles - bomb pumped warhead
.... payload dependant
.... thrust 10/10
..... dense sandcaster pack 7A
...... pebbles
...... 33(1d3)
.... KCr 16 + dense sandcaster pack + 33 multi-warhead missiles - bomb pumped warhead
... Bomb-Pumped 9C
.... 6d6.10/10
.... hit as missile
.... defend as laser
.... point defense DM-2
.... KCr 16
Unique to the the Solomani Navy, they removed the one tonne bomb-pumped warhead from the torpedo, or more precisely, only manufactured the fuse, electronics and sensors and connected it to a dense missile or sandcaster pack, which conicidentally, also takes up a tonne in space.
It's a nasty surprise to more lightly armoured ships, and a very nasty one to ground troops.
Like the bomb pumped laser warhead torpedo, the torpedo stands off from it's target, and the torpedo releases it's payload, either slightly dispersed towards a single target, or more widely dispersed towards several.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Solomani Navy: Armaments and Torpedoes
Since we're on the subject, I'm fairly sure that the Solomani Navy is working on Long Lancing their torpedoes. Since the warhead is one tonne, adding another one and a half tonnes for another stage, at four tonnes total, should double range and endurance.
Since we're on the subject, I'm fairly sure that the Solomani Navy is working on Long Lancing their torpedoes. Since the warhead is one tonne, adding another one and a half tonnes for another stage, at four tonnes total, should double range and endurance.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Solomani Navy: Standardized Docking Clamps
Docking Clamp
. Half-tonnes
.. Attached Ship Maximum
... 10 tonnes and below
.. MCr 0.25
. One-tonnes
.. Attached Ship Maximum
... 10–30 tonnes
.. MCr 0.5
. Two-tonnes
.. Attached Ship Maximum
... 10–60 tonnes
.. MCr 0.75
. Seven-tonnes
.. Attached Ship Maximum
... 60-200 tonnes
.. MCr 1.50
. Twenty-tonnes
.. Attached Ship Maximum
... 400-2'000 tonnes
.. MCr 4.00
. Seventyfive-tonnes
.. Attached Ship Maximum
... 2'000-7'500 tonnes
.. MCr 12.00
Docking Clamp
. Half-tonnes
.. Attached Ship Maximum
... 10 tonnes and below
.. MCr 0.25
. One-tonnes
.. Attached Ship Maximum
... 10–30 tonnes
.. MCr 0.5
. Two-tonnes
.. Attached Ship Maximum
... 10–60 tonnes
.. MCr 0.75
. Seven-tonnes
.. Attached Ship Maximum
... 60-200 tonnes
.. MCr 1.50
. Twenty-tonnes
.. Attached Ship Maximum
... 400-2'000 tonnes
.. MCr 4.00
. Seventyfive-tonnes
.. Attached Ship Maximum
... 2'000-7'500 tonnes
.. MCr 12.00
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Solomani Navy: Customized Half-tonne Docking Clamp
Docking Clamp
. Half-tonnes
.. Attached Ship Maximum
... 10 tonnes and below
.. MCr 0.25
It's for attaching drones, and small and really smallcraft to the hull, or embarking on them.
Because it's so small, the transfer facility is very tight, possibly needing a customized one for the light craft as well.
Docking Clamp
. Half-tonnes
.. Attached Ship Maximum
... 10 tonnes and below
.. MCr 0.25
It's for attaching drones, and small and really smallcraft to the hull, or embarking on them.
Because it's so small, the transfer facility is very tight, possibly needing a customized one for the light craft as well.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Spaceships: Armaments and Tech Level Thirteen Meson Spinal Mounts
Meson
. ARF/13
.. Rheinmetall AG
.. TL 13
.. 3'300-tonnes
.. MCr 3'300
.. 240
.. rapid fire
.. penetration I
. BRF/13
.. Rheinmetall AG
.. TL 13
.. 5'280-tonnes
.. MCr 5'280
.. 300
.. rapid fire
.. penetration II
. CRF/13
.. Rheinmetall AG
.. TL 13
.. 8'800-tonnes
.. MCr 8'800
.. 375
.. rapid fire
.. penetration IV
. DRF/13
.. Rheinmetall AG
.. TL 13
.. 15'400-tonnes
.. MCr 15'400
.. 450
.. rapid fire
.. penetration IV
Notes
1. In theory, this should be covered elsewhere, but it started out as part of a tech tree upgrade process for the Solomani cruisers and battleships.
2. Let's not be diverted, you need Meson weapon systems, but at tech level thirteen, they mostly don't seem worth it.
3. At tech level twelve, BRF/12 seems the optimal combination, while at thirteen, it would be CRF/13.
4. One problem with upgrading spinal mounts, is that you can install a smaller weapon system, but not a larger one, which would make upgrading cruisers from thirteen to fourteen a waste of time, at least if they follow the doctrine of having a general purpose gun, and keeping the same gun having an obsolete weapon system.
5. However, if you keep CRF/13 battleships, the power of the spinal mount is impressive enough to overawe most opposition, perhaps the Aslan sing odes of brave warriors and fleets who've encountered Solomani CRF/13 battleships, and mark their astral charts with, Here Be Dragons.
Meson
. ARF/13
.. Rheinmetall AG
.. TL 13
.. 3'300-tonnes
.. MCr 3'300
.. 240
.. rapid fire
.. penetration I
. BRF/13
.. Rheinmetall AG
.. TL 13
.. 5'280-tonnes
.. MCr 5'280
.. 300
.. rapid fire
.. penetration II
. CRF/13
.. Rheinmetall AG
.. TL 13
.. 8'800-tonnes
.. MCr 8'800
.. 375
.. rapid fire
.. penetration IV
. DRF/13
.. Rheinmetall AG
.. TL 13
.. 15'400-tonnes
.. MCr 15'400
.. 450
.. rapid fire
.. penetration IV
Notes
1. In theory, this should be covered elsewhere, but it started out as part of a tech tree upgrade process for the Solomani cruisers and battleships.
2. Let's not be diverted, you need Meson weapon systems, but at tech level thirteen, they mostly don't seem worth it.
3. At tech level twelve, BRF/12 seems the optimal combination, while at thirteen, it would be CRF/13.
4. One problem with upgrading spinal mounts, is that you can install a smaller weapon system, but not a larger one, which would make upgrading cruisers from thirteen to fourteen a waste of time, at least if they follow the doctrine of having a general purpose gun, and keeping the same gun having an obsolete weapon system.
5. However, if you keep CRF/13 battleships, the power of the spinal mount is impressive enough to overawe most opposition, perhaps the Aslan sing odes of brave warriors and fleets who've encountered Solomani CRF/13 battleships, and mark their astral charts with, Here Be Dragons.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Solomani Navy: Battlecruiser class Victory design
The SCS Victory (motto Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense) was the first capital ship laid down in 5391 AD by then newly independent Solomani Confederation, and formed the basis for the eponymous class of battlecruisers. Commissioned in 5395 AD, she was named after the 18th-century first rate ship of the line and flagship of the Terran United Kingdom's Royal Navy.
The first of fifty follow on ships, the class was designed with the intent to make provision for extensive major technical level upgrades, the first programme which started in 5498 AD, the second in 5530 AD. This has extended the service life of the remaining Victory class battlecruisers upto the present day.
The SCS Victory itself survived the War of Imperium Aggression, and remains the flagship of the Combined Grand Fleet of the Confederation, currently in orbit around Home, and serving as both guardship and the Confederation's premier Naval Academy.
The Victory class was built around the ten thousand tonne Meson C/12 weapon system, with a three parsec jump range and a factor six reactionless manoeuvre drive.
The other surviving sister ships of the Victory are forward deployed along the Aslan frontier, being a pointed reminder to them as to where border exists between the two interstellar polities.
The SCS Victory (motto Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense) was the first capital ship laid down in 5391 AD by then newly independent Solomani Confederation, and formed the basis for the eponymous class of battlecruisers. Commissioned in 5395 AD, she was named after the 18th-century first rate ship of the line and flagship of the Terran United Kingdom's Royal Navy.
The first of fifty follow on ships, the class was designed with the intent to make provision for extensive major technical level upgrades, the first programme which started in 5498 AD, the second in 5530 AD. This has extended the service life of the remaining Victory class battlecruisers upto the present day.
The SCS Victory itself survived the War of Imperium Aggression, and remains the flagship of the Combined Grand Fleet of the Confederation, currently in orbit around Home, and serving as both guardship and the Confederation's premier Naval Academy.
The Victory class was built around the ten thousand tonne Meson C/12 weapon system, with a three parsec jump range and a factor six reactionless manoeuvre drive.
The other surviving sister ships of the Victory are forward deployed along the Aslan frontier, being a pointed reminder to them as to where border exists between the two interstellar polities.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Solomani Navy: Legacy capital ships
Digging further into Fighting Ships of the Solomani Confederation, there's also the Zeus class battlecruiser, listed at tech level thirteen and one hundred fifty thousand tonnes, and what's termed a fast dreadnought, the Prometheus class at tech level fourteen and a quarter million tonnes,
There seems to have been two schools of thought in the Solomani High Command, what I'll term the battleship traditionalists and the Jeune Ecole, one that emphasized the primacy of the big gun against those that preferred a commerce raiding doctrine and smallcraft swarms.
A century later, I'm going to guess that neither side prevailed, and what happened was that everything between minor warships and capital ships were basically discarded, in favour of big guns and swarms of smallcraft.
This could be due to the fact the Rim War may have decimated the capital ships of the Solomani Fleets, it practically destroyed most of their cruisers, who probably found themselves fighting Imperium forces that over whelmed them, compared to the capital ships that could run and absorb damage.
Digging further into Fighting Ships of the Solomani Confederation, there's also the Zeus class battlecruiser, listed at tech level thirteen and one hundred fifty thousand tonnes, and what's termed a fast dreadnought, the Prometheus class at tech level fourteen and a quarter million tonnes,
There seems to have been two schools of thought in the Solomani High Command, what I'll term the battleship traditionalists and the Jeune Ecole, one that emphasized the primacy of the big gun against those that preferred a commerce raiding doctrine and smallcraft swarms.
A century later, I'm going to guess that neither side prevailed, and what happened was that everything between minor warships and capital ships were basically discarded, in favour of big guns and swarms of smallcraft.
This could be due to the fact the Rim War may have decimated the capital ships of the Solomani Fleets, it practically destroyed most of their cruisers, who probably found themselves fighting Imperium forces that over whelmed them, compared to the capital ships that could run and absorb damage.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Solomani Navy: Pocket carrier class Bremen design
First of all, it's not how I would design it.
It's an old Solomani design dating back to the eighth century of the Third Imperium; it has two pods forward of the engineering section that contain the hangars and I'll presume normal launch facilities, connected by an overhead bridge, the whole effect reminds me of a dresser minus the mirror.
Bremen
. 7'500-tonnes
. Dispersed structure
. Tech level twelve
. Engineering
.. Fuel processor
.. Jump drive
... factor three
.. Manoeuvre drive
... factor six
.. Power plant
... factor six
.. Fuel
... 2'500-tonnes
. Flight deck(s)
.. Hangar
... 650-tonnes for fuel lighter
.. Hangar
... 2'080-tonnes for forty forty-tonne fighters
.. Maintenance shop
. Crew facilities
.. sickbay
I'm going to assume docking clamps rather than a one thousand tonne launch tube.
I don't feel like fleshing out right now, but sort of look at it in the broader sense. In Fighting Ships of the Solomani, pocket carriers are really more like ultralite carriers, which are different from escort carriers (not that they seem to have been mentioned), in that they add a capability to a task group, a fighter component, as compared to acting as primarily a defence against minor warships or CAS, which is why I assume that they are meant to carry heavy forty tonne fighters, and have the speed to keep up with the battleships.
First of all, it's not how I would design it.
It's an old Solomani design dating back to the eighth century of the Third Imperium; it has two pods forward of the engineering section that contain the hangars and I'll presume normal launch facilities, connected by an overhead bridge, the whole effect reminds me of a dresser minus the mirror.
Bremen
. 7'500-tonnes
. Dispersed structure
. Tech level twelve
. Engineering
.. Fuel processor
.. Jump drive
... factor three
.. Manoeuvre drive
... factor six
.. Power plant
... factor six
.. Fuel
... 2'500-tonnes
. Flight deck(s)
.. Hangar
... 650-tonnes for fuel lighter
.. Hangar
... 2'080-tonnes for forty forty-tonne fighters
.. Maintenance shop
. Crew facilities
.. sickbay
I'm going to assume docking clamps rather than a one thousand tonne launch tube.
I don't feel like fleshing out right now, but sort of look at it in the broader sense. In Fighting Ships of the Solomani, pocket carriers are really more like ultralite carriers, which are different from escort carriers (not that they seem to have been mentioned), in that they add a capability to a task group, a fighter component, as compared to acting as primarily a defence against minor warships or CAS, which is why I assume that they are meant to carry heavy forty tonne fighters, and have the speed to keep up with the battleships.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Solomani Navy: Customized Docking Clamp
Game mechanics say that your optimized bang for buck would be forty tonne smallcraft, since you get two weapon slots. Ironically, the docking clamps were sized one tonne for thirty tonnes, and five tonnes for ninety.
Theoretically, you might come up with a 1.34 tonne clamp, for forty tonnes, or 1.4 tonnes for forty two tonnes. It's actually quibbling, since with a two-tonne one you could have a capacity for sixty tonnes, and cut down superfluous equipment.
One interesting version is to attach the docking clamp to a flatbed which is part of a track. That way you can have a flight deck on top of a spaceship, and shuttle various smallcraft around, using the launch facility as the elevator, and thereby have a full squadron on deck, ready to be deployed, or easily shuttled onto the elevator, down to the hangar and have maintenance performed on it.
It would be limited to smallcraft.
Game mechanics say that your optimized bang for buck would be forty tonne smallcraft, since you get two weapon slots. Ironically, the docking clamps were sized one tonne for thirty tonnes, and five tonnes for ninety.
Theoretically, you might come up with a 1.34 tonne clamp, for forty tonnes, or 1.4 tonnes for forty two tonnes. It's actually quibbling, since with a two-tonne one you could have a capacity for sixty tonnes, and cut down superfluous equipment.
One interesting version is to attach the docking clamp to a flatbed which is part of a track. That way you can have a flight deck on top of a spaceship, and shuttle various smallcraft around, using the launch facility as the elevator, and thereby have a full squadron on deck, ready to be deployed, or easily shuttled onto the elevator, down to the hangar and have maintenance performed on it.
It would be limited to smallcraft.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Solomani Navy: Carrier Aerospace Groups
While I get the impression that during the period preceding the War of Imperial Aggression, the Solomani High Command were enraptured with the supercarrier concept (and if true, a four hundred thousand tonne hypercarrier class), I'm think they will have though better of it, at least by the end of the war.
Super, or hyper, carriers make one big juicy target, and you normally wouldn't expect them to either be able to protect themselves, or make a run for it, once a determined strike group breaks through.
Carrier size is based on aerospace group size, so modern(ish) Solomani spacecraft carriers tonnage is dependant on how large an aerospace group they feel comfortable with.
Stepping back from the supercarrier, at around a hundred thousand tonnes, a fleet carrier would have about two hundred forty tonne heavy fighters and a hundred seventy tonne bombers, plus auxiliaries. I don't see much point in the bombers, but you usually determine space by identifying some common equivalency unit, and I'll make that the heavy fighter at forty tonnes, and I'll put that around six hundred for the fleet carrier. Of course, how that's distributed into actual hangar space, physical ordnance and launch tubes, is another matter.
The light carrier complement tends to resemble something closer to one hundred fifty heavy fighters; since the Solomani don't have light carriers, that won't matter.
A launch tube is the equivalent of twenty five units, so it's interesting to reflect at what point they become worth having, especially if you could just attach your spacecraft to docking clamps, that can be a thirtieth the size of the spacecraft. I'll arbitrarily pick the number fifty.
Interestingly enough, that appears to be around the number that the Solomani pocket carriers used to carry, though I think they didn't bother with a tube.
The next step down is the escort carrier, this one will vary widely, since they're supposed to be ad hoc solutions based on available commercial hulls; I'll say anywhere between ten to thirty units.
What follows is my take on the Solomani Navy, but every capital ship would have an organic aerospace group (taking advantage of lots of launch facilities in the hull), while cruisers would be required to have enough hangar space for at least a squadron.
While I get the impression that during the period preceding the War of Imperial Aggression, the Solomani High Command were enraptured with the supercarrier concept (and if true, a four hundred thousand tonne hypercarrier class), I'm think they will have though better of it, at least by the end of the war.
Super, or hyper, carriers make one big juicy target, and you normally wouldn't expect them to either be able to protect themselves, or make a run for it, once a determined strike group breaks through.
Carrier size is based on aerospace group size, so modern(ish) Solomani spacecraft carriers tonnage is dependant on how large an aerospace group they feel comfortable with.
Stepping back from the supercarrier, at around a hundred thousand tonnes, a fleet carrier would have about two hundred forty tonne heavy fighters and a hundred seventy tonne bombers, plus auxiliaries. I don't see much point in the bombers, but you usually determine space by identifying some common equivalency unit, and I'll make that the heavy fighter at forty tonnes, and I'll put that around six hundred for the fleet carrier. Of course, how that's distributed into actual hangar space, physical ordnance and launch tubes, is another matter.
The light carrier complement tends to resemble something closer to one hundred fifty heavy fighters; since the Solomani don't have light carriers, that won't matter.
A launch tube is the equivalent of twenty five units, so it's interesting to reflect at what point they become worth having, especially if you could just attach your spacecraft to docking clamps, that can be a thirtieth the size of the spacecraft. I'll arbitrarily pick the number fifty.
Interestingly enough, that appears to be around the number that the Solomani pocket carriers used to carry, though I think they didn't bother with a tube.
The next step down is the escort carrier, this one will vary widely, since they're supposed to be ad hoc solutions based on available commercial hulls; I'll say anywhere between ten to thirty units.
What follows is my take on the Solomani Navy, but every capital ship would have an organic aerospace group (taking advantage of lots of launch facilities in the hull), while cruisers would be required to have enough hangar space for at least a squadron.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
I was a little too vague there.
The seventy tonne missile bayed bombers aren't worth it, and it's the only bay you're allowed to use for smallcraft.
You can have the forty tonner lug two torpedoes, but I have something else in mind for the spacebomber role.
The seventy tonne missile bayed bombers aren't worth it, and it's the only bay you're allowed to use for smallcraft.
You can have the forty tonner lug two torpedoes, but I have something else in mind for the spacebomber role.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Solomani Navy: Aerospace Groups
I go on the premise that space operations are entirely the under the purview of the Solomani Navy, so that the Army will not have under it's direct command spaceships, which would tend to isolate units to the planets they are based on, if the Navy withdrew their ships, preventing the Army from ever being able to conduct a coup on it's own.
But at the same time, the Navy is committed to provide the Army with a minimal level of transportation capacity, protection from spaceborne threats, and CAS.
The Solomani Navy don't envision their heavy fighters being tasked for CAS, and don't have the equivalent to the seventy tonne missile bomber that the Imperium uses.
For CAS, the Navy prefers to use ultralite and light fighters, with Fokker TriWing medium fighters used for the aerospace superiority mission.
Fifty-nine tonne shuttles were used for the heavy transport role, thirty tonne shuttles for the medium role, and ten to fourteen tonnes for light transports. Two hundred tonne ships were ultra-heavy transporters.
Anything larger just attracts unwanted attention.
I go on the premise that space operations are entirely the under the purview of the Solomani Navy, so that the Army will not have under it's direct command spaceships, which would tend to isolate units to the planets they are based on, if the Navy withdrew their ships, preventing the Army from ever being able to conduct a coup on it's own.
But at the same time, the Navy is committed to provide the Army with a minimal level of transportation capacity, protection from spaceborne threats, and CAS.
The Solomani Navy don't envision their heavy fighters being tasked for CAS, and don't have the equivalent to the seventy tonne missile bomber that the Imperium uses.
For CAS, the Navy prefers to use ultralite and light fighters, with Fokker TriWing medium fighters used for the aerospace superiority mission.
Fifty-nine tonne shuttles were used for the heavy transport role, thirty tonne shuttles for the medium role, and ten to fourteen tonnes for light transports. Two hundred tonne ships were ultra-heavy transporters.
Anything larger just attracts unwanted attention.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Solomani Navy: Cruisers and the Battle Line
Since my assumption that they all tend to be unique, and widely scattered in their deployments, Solomani Naval Staff doesn't count on them being included, and in fact, doesn't believe they should be.
Instead, they become nuclei of detached and/or independent task groups, whose primary missions would be reconnaissance in force, strategic deep strikes, and commerce raiding.
Since my assumption that they all tend to be unique, and widely scattered in their deployments, Solomani Naval Staff doesn't count on them being included, and in fact, doesn't believe they should be.
Instead, they become nuclei of detached and/or independent task groups, whose primary missions would be reconnaissance in force, strategic deep strikes, and commerce raiding.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Solomani Navy: Fighter Doctrine
I pretty much see them adopt a Hi-Med-Lo mix, with the elite heavy fighter squadrons assigned to the first class dreadnoughts and battle cruisers, though rotated to the frontier ships in order to maintain their edge.
The heavy fighters are conceptualized like the F-14 fleet defender, basically meant to take out heavy strikecraft before they approached the task group, while the medium fighters chased and blocked the enemy fighters. They'd also escort light strikecraft to their targets.
Light fighters are meant to be advanced trainers, point defence interceptors and CAS for planetary assaults.
Experience has persuaded the Solomani Naval Staff to equip their heavy and medium fighter squadrons with cutting edge spacecraft, as they feel it's easier to control the flow of the (fighter aspect of the) battle with a smaller number of powerful spacecraft, than allowing it to degenerate into a free for all, so that they don't get into each other's way, which is far more likely with large numbers of light fighters.
Light fighters aren't usually committed to a deep space battle, except as a last resort.
I pretty much see them adopt a Hi-Med-Lo mix, with the elite heavy fighter squadrons assigned to the first class dreadnoughts and battle cruisers, though rotated to the frontier ships in order to maintain their edge.
The heavy fighters are conceptualized like the F-14 fleet defender, basically meant to take out heavy strikecraft before they approached the task group, while the medium fighters chased and blocked the enemy fighters. They'd also escort light strikecraft to their targets.
Light fighters are meant to be advanced trainers, point defence interceptors and CAS for planetary assaults.
Experience has persuaded the Solomani Naval Staff to equip their heavy and medium fighter squadrons with cutting edge spacecraft, as they feel it's easier to control the flow of the (fighter aspect of the) battle with a smaller number of powerful spacecraft, than allowing it to degenerate into a free for all, so that they don't get into each other's way, which is far more likely with large numbers of light fighters.
Light fighters aren't usually committed to a deep space battle, except as a last resort.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Solomani Navy: Carrier Air Wing
Four Strike Fighter (VFA) Squadrons with 12 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets; or 10 F/A-18C Hornets. The typical mix is one F/A-18F (two seat) Super Hornet squadron and a mix of three single seat F/A-18E Super Hornet and/or F/A-18C Hornet squadrons. In three airwings one of the F/A-18C Hornet squadrons is a U.S. Marine Corps Fighter Attack (VMFA) Squadron.
One Electronic Attack (VAQ) Squadron of 4 EA-6B Prowlers or 5 EA-18G Growlers; The EA-6B will eventually be replaced by the EA-18G in all airwings.
One Carrier Airborne Early Warning (VAW) Squadron of 4 E-2C Hawkeyes;
One Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) Squadron of 10 MH-60S Seahawks (2 - 4 of which are typically based in detachments on other strike group ships)
One Helicopter Maritime Strike (HSM) Squadron of 11 MH-60R Seahawks (3 - 5 of which are typically based in detachments on other strike group ships).
A Fleet Logistics Support (VRC) Squadron Detachment of 2 C-2 Greyhounds
It's the current composition of an American carrier air wing, which seems rather well balanced.
The equivalent would be fifty three medium fighters, of which twelve would be double seaters, and five dedicated electronic warfare craft. I expect if and when the F-35s are deployed, training will be conducted totally in simulators, and the electronics warfare part would be added pods, if they ever do get around to replacing the Growlers.
There would be a squadron of four early warning picket crafts, which you could stuff into thirty tonne shuttles.
Speaking of shuttles, and considering the lack of a sea-going option, maybe four fifty nine tonne shuttles, and something that can actually jump and carry a load, so two independent two hundred tonne jump four starships.
Twenty one helicopters would be thirty tonne utility shuttles, of which a quarter to half would be detached.
Doesn't seem very impressive on an interstellar scale.
One twenty tonne launch tube, five rounds launched, maybe just a strike of forty in four, with the remainder on CAP or undergoing maintenance, the utility shuttles on call would be cycled through the normal launch facilities and attached to the hull with docking clamps.
Not too sure what constitutes anti-submarine warfare, though you'd have some on look out for stealthed mines and others ready for search and rescue.
Four Strike Fighter (VFA) Squadrons with 12 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets; or 10 F/A-18C Hornets. The typical mix is one F/A-18F (two seat) Super Hornet squadron and a mix of three single seat F/A-18E Super Hornet and/or F/A-18C Hornet squadrons. In three airwings one of the F/A-18C Hornet squadrons is a U.S. Marine Corps Fighter Attack (VMFA) Squadron.
One Electronic Attack (VAQ) Squadron of 4 EA-6B Prowlers or 5 EA-18G Growlers; The EA-6B will eventually be replaced by the EA-18G in all airwings.
One Carrier Airborne Early Warning (VAW) Squadron of 4 E-2C Hawkeyes;
One Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) Squadron of 10 MH-60S Seahawks (2 - 4 of which are typically based in detachments on other strike group ships)
One Helicopter Maritime Strike (HSM) Squadron of 11 MH-60R Seahawks (3 - 5 of which are typically based in detachments on other strike group ships).
A Fleet Logistics Support (VRC) Squadron Detachment of 2 C-2 Greyhounds
It's the current composition of an American carrier air wing, which seems rather well balanced.
The equivalent would be fifty three medium fighters, of which twelve would be double seaters, and five dedicated electronic warfare craft. I expect if and when the F-35s are deployed, training will be conducted totally in simulators, and the electronics warfare part would be added pods, if they ever do get around to replacing the Growlers.
There would be a squadron of four early warning picket crafts, which you could stuff into thirty tonne shuttles.
Speaking of shuttles, and considering the lack of a sea-going option, maybe four fifty nine tonne shuttles, and something that can actually jump and carry a load, so two independent two hundred tonne jump four starships.
Twenty one helicopters would be thirty tonne utility shuttles, of which a quarter to half would be detached.
Doesn't seem very impressive on an interstellar scale.
One twenty tonne launch tube, five rounds launched, maybe just a strike of forty in four, with the remainder on CAP or undergoing maintenance, the utility shuttles on call would be cycled through the normal launch facilities and attached to the hull with docking clamps.
Not too sure what constitutes anti-submarine warfare, though you'd have some on look out for stealthed mines and others ready for search and rescue.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Solomani Army: Interstellar Transport
1. Solomani Army budget pays for all interstellar transport for their troops and equipment.
2. Solomani Navy crews or arranges charters for that transport.
3. Solomani Army want the most bang for their buck.
4. Solomani Naval Staff want the minimum possible commitment of naval personnel (and assets) to Army operations.
5. Assault carriers are the largest troop transports, and are operated by Solomani naval personnel, forms it's own task group, guarded by an escort flotilla. The task group is commanded by a naval flag officer, under the direction of an Army general officer.
6. The Navy is paying the operating costs for the escort flotilla, the Army is paying for the operating costs of the assault carrier; the Navy is paying the salaries of their personnel.
7. Solomani Naval Staff actually prefer to charter commercial ships as troop transports, as the army would be paying the bill, which would include the salaries of the commercial crews.
8. They're not that fond of hiring Private Military Contractors for escort warships, because they pay that tab.
9. Assault carriers also act as the flag ship of the local subsector fleet, and have onboard a battalion of Solomani Marines plus support, besides the reinforced Solomani Army Division.
10. They also have attached a large contingent of SolSec specialists.
11. There's usually one assault carrier per subsector assigned.
12. The same restrictions regarding ship tonnage apply to Army transport as they do to Navy ships. The Army doesn't bother screwing around with intermediate and medium sized ships, and if they require one that size, they'll ask the Navy contract a private charter.
13. The most common Army transport is the Assault Ship, a two thousand tonne planetary landing craft, whose basic design has spawned any number of specialized and ad hoc variants. It's meant to hold a reinforced company plus equipment and stores.
1. Solomani Army budget pays for all interstellar transport for their troops and equipment.
2. Solomani Navy crews or arranges charters for that transport.
3. Solomani Army want the most bang for their buck.
4. Solomani Naval Staff want the minimum possible commitment of naval personnel (and assets) to Army operations.
5. Assault carriers are the largest troop transports, and are operated by Solomani naval personnel, forms it's own task group, guarded by an escort flotilla. The task group is commanded by a naval flag officer, under the direction of an Army general officer.
6. The Navy is paying the operating costs for the escort flotilla, the Army is paying for the operating costs of the assault carrier; the Navy is paying the salaries of their personnel.
7. Solomani Naval Staff actually prefer to charter commercial ships as troop transports, as the army would be paying the bill, which would include the salaries of the commercial crews.
8. They're not that fond of hiring Private Military Contractors for escort warships, because they pay that tab.
9. Assault carriers also act as the flag ship of the local subsector fleet, and have onboard a battalion of Solomani Marines plus support, besides the reinforced Solomani Army Division.
10. They also have attached a large contingent of SolSec specialists.
11. There's usually one assault carrier per subsector assigned.
12. The same restrictions regarding ship tonnage apply to Army transport as they do to Navy ships. The Army doesn't bother screwing around with intermediate and medium sized ships, and if they require one that size, they'll ask the Navy contract a private charter.
13. The most common Army transport is the Assault Ship, a two thousand tonne planetary landing craft, whose basic design has spawned any number of specialized and ad hoc variants. It's meant to hold a reinforced company plus equipment and stores.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Solomani Army: Interstellar Transportation
I've always liked military gliders, though their heyday was over within a very short span of time. Cheap, one-shot transports that can carry equipped troops and some moderately heavy weapons, into the heart of the enemy's territory, though perhaps, not too far from getting reinforced by the ground troops, a bridge that might be too far to cross.
Of course, that doesn't really work anymore since the Great Patriotic War, since air defences have become more effective, and helicopters can be used to land troops when and where it's convenient or necessary.
Though that's evolved a little as well, since what you want is a long ranged fast stealthy transport that can drop the troops on a pin and surprise your hosts. Basically, the tilt-rotor Osprey, or at least, it's successor.
The equivalent might be a large air/raft, and that seems to scream, sitting duck.
The Solomani Marines would seem to be the ideal instrument for commando raids, but in most cases, the Solomani Confederation prefers to be visible and heavy handed, which is where the Army comes in; outside of which, the Army is keen to demonstrate it's worth and justify it's budget allocation.
Since the Army isn't supposed to get anywhere without the Navy, the Navy has to provide it's various transports, almost all of which happen to be two thousand tonnes and below.
To reiterate, standard Solomani hulls are two thousand tonnes, a thousand, six hundred, four hundred, two hundred, fifty nine, forty, thirty, fourteen, and ten.
Both the Army and the Navy are very fond of the two thousand tonne assault ships; the Army gets to deliver a big force, whereas the Navy can operate them with a minimal crew.
Most of them are engineered to be heavily protected and fast, to bring it's payload, the troops and their equipment, as soon as possible to the surface, so that aerospace defences have only a very limited time to target them. Even heavily armoured grav tanks, since ship armour factor fourteen and re-entry speed six or seven is going to keep them better protected and faster than if they descended on their own.
For really fast re-entry, the Navy provides the fifty-nine tonne shuttle, that depending on your view of human frailty, could accelerate anywhere from ten to thirteen point five gees.
I've always liked military gliders, though their heyday was over within a very short span of time. Cheap, one-shot transports that can carry equipped troops and some moderately heavy weapons, into the heart of the enemy's territory, though perhaps, not too far from getting reinforced by the ground troops, a bridge that might be too far to cross.
Of course, that doesn't really work anymore since the Great Patriotic War, since air defences have become more effective, and helicopters can be used to land troops when and where it's convenient or necessary.
Though that's evolved a little as well, since what you want is a long ranged fast stealthy transport that can drop the troops on a pin and surprise your hosts. Basically, the tilt-rotor Osprey, or at least, it's successor.
The equivalent might be a large air/raft, and that seems to scream, sitting duck.
The Solomani Marines would seem to be the ideal instrument for commando raids, but in most cases, the Solomani Confederation prefers to be visible and heavy handed, which is where the Army comes in; outside of which, the Army is keen to demonstrate it's worth and justify it's budget allocation.
Since the Army isn't supposed to get anywhere without the Navy, the Navy has to provide it's various transports, almost all of which happen to be two thousand tonnes and below.
To reiterate, standard Solomani hulls are two thousand tonnes, a thousand, six hundred, four hundred, two hundred, fifty nine, forty, thirty, fourteen, and ten.
Both the Army and the Navy are very fond of the two thousand tonne assault ships; the Army gets to deliver a big force, whereas the Navy can operate them with a minimal crew.
Most of them are engineered to be heavily protected and fast, to bring it's payload, the troops and their equipment, as soon as possible to the surface, so that aerospace defences have only a very limited time to target them. Even heavily armoured grav tanks, since ship armour factor fourteen and re-entry speed six or seven is going to keep them better protected and faster than if they descended on their own.
For really fast re-entry, the Navy provides the fifty-nine tonne shuttle, that depending on your view of human frailty, could accelerate anywhere from ten to thirteen point five gees.
