Solomani Confederation (Military)

Confederation Navy: Carriers

V. Four hundred fighters on what we'll assume are the largest Confederation Navy fighter carriers would be a Group.

W. (Navy) Carrier Squadrons would be usually commanded by a Rear Admiral from the Aerospace branch, much like a Fleet Squadron would likely be led by a Rear Admiral from the Line branch.

X. A Carrier Squadron would with two fighter carriers and eight hundred plus fighters, plus support 'craft be designated a numbered Aerospace Force.

Y. I would suppose an Aerospace Marshal would command a system based Aerospace Force, though that's just a thought that struck me, and needs more consideration.

Z. Though more like an Aerospace Commodore, if it's just a temporary build up
 
Confederation Navy: Zuiho Class Light Carrier

1. So I had a much closer look at the Zuiho.

2. It's implied that it's a compromised design.

3. I think it's a very compromised design.

4. First of all, why is it using light fighters?

5. You slightly double the size, you get a more capable 'craft.

6. Especially, considering this is supposed to be from the Confederation Navy, not Home Guard or member state.

7. Also, I count five hundred sixty two hardpoints on a twenty five kilotonne hull.

8. If I understand the concept, this was supposed to be one of those system control ships.

9. Though I find it hard to figure out how it's supposed to deal with anything more dangerous then a technological level nine threat.
 
Confederation Navy: Zuiho Class Light Carrier

A. Twenty five kilotonnes is a good basis, as it allows leveraging the additional structural strength.

B. For the Confederation, jump factor three seems the fleet norm for range.

C. However, I can't imagine in any scenario that acceleration factor four is.

D. I don't think there is an issue with standard hull configuration, since it's a sort of vanilla compromise that allows you to add on armour plating without much additional expense.

E. Armour factor four seems the norm for destroyers.

F. Has a company of soldiers onboard.
 
Confederation Navy: Zuiho Class Light Carrier

G. The concept is for a multi role ship, I'm guessing.

H. Without actually vivisecting the design to check for accuracy, I'm going to speculate it's doomed to failure.

I. Ninety six fifteen tonne fighters would require fifteen hundred eighty four tonnes in docking space.

J. You could squeeze in forty one thirty five tonne 'craft.

K. Better sensor coverage would allow a full launch on one launch tube in twenty five minutes, rather than scrambling in four minutes.
 
Confederation Navy: Zuiho Class Light Carrier

L. The reason you build a twenty five kilotonne hull is to leverage the extra structural strength.

M. It's the same reason that you start off with a hundred kilotonne hull when considering capital ships.

N. For a gun cruiser, the range tends to be optimal between twenty five (for structural strength) and fifty (for spinal mount close in accuracy) kilotonnes.

O. If your ship doesn't have a spinal mount, it doesn't matter if the hull is larger than fifty kilotonnes.

P. If you don't prioritize structural strength, the ship can be below twenty five kilotonnes.
 
Confederation Navy: Zuiho Class Light Carrier

Q. Since a spinal mount isn't involved, you could think of a spacecraft as an empty metal box.

R. Or, in this case, treat it as such.

S. Which means you could reconfigure the innards to sort of optimized to the particular role, or even mission, you want that spacecraft to perform.

T. Or, you could have a primary hull, and attach hangar modules, or other specialized ones, to the exterior of that.

U. Though I think that technically, these would be referred to as pods.
 
Confederation Army: Intervention Force

1. I heard that the Pentagon thesis (or belief) is that three battalions of three thousand troops, dropped anywhere globally within a day, could deescalate any situation.

2. If there are no Confederation ground forces insystem, that would require a minimum three week delay as they would need to be called in from the nearest Confederation Army base.

3. Part of that would be the implied morale force of neutrality, and the implication of reinforcement.

4. Which would make them preferable to Solomani Security Internal Security troops.

5. So I would think that most Confederation Navy transports would have accommodations for a brigade size contingent.
 
Confederation Navy: Zuiho Class Light Carrier

V. Having a jump capability indicates that the spacecraft should be able to reach it's area of operation on it's own steam.

W. If you really wanted the light carrier to keep up with fleet units, then it should have had at least acceleration factor five.

X. As far as I know, light carriers were supposedly cut down fleet carriers, sacrificing capacity to maintain somewhat similar performance.

Y. Of course, in Traveller, that leans towards acceleration factor two.

Z. If an option had been escort carrier, you could drop acceleration to factor three.
 
1. Apparently, no Scout Service, that function being performed by the Navy.

2. Makes sense if the idea is to assert control and access through a central institution.

3. Does seem to go against traditionalist Solomani, or at least American, values.

4. Maybe the Navy coordinates activities, and outsources the work to PMCs and other private corporations.

I have always been somewhat confused by the artificial separation of the various services. It seems to make vastly more logistical and projection of force sense to be a single service. At least to me.
 
Whether intentionally or not, what you ended up with is a somewhat more militarized version of Starfleet.

Not counting the likely bureaucracy, what you have are three big services that perform some basic functions: the Army provides dirtside security; the Navy lines of interstellar communication and power projection; Solomani Security internal security and external espionage.

The Army can't go anywhere without the Navy; the Navy doesn't have the means to occupy planets; Solomani Security keeps an eye on both (as well as everyone else), but would probably need resources from both to carry out it's functions.
 
Confederation Navy: Zuiho Class Light Carrier

1. Technological level ten allows acceleration three, and tends to be about the maximum speed commercial spacecraft would push to.

2. A little careful astrogation would place such vessels at a minimum distance to the actual destination.

3. Jump factor three becomes available at technological level twelve.

4. Three and three is about the same performance as the mercenary cruiser.

5. That would make that performance acceptable in a paramilitary starship.

6. You probably don't need armour plating, if you plan to avoid being in a position where you are likely to.

7. While you could have a stock of spare parts to repair onboard 'craft, the usual procedure would be having extra 'craft onboard to replace destroyed or badly damaged 'craft.

8. Since flying could be tiring, you could have shared 'craft.

9. 'Craft can also be docked externally; in theory, a courier doesn't usually need a ride.
 
Confederation Navy: Zuiho Class Light Carrier

A. We're looking for enough space for one hundred twenty troops, two kilotonnes worth of hangars, and launch and storage facilities for about fourteen hundred tonnes worth of smallcraft.

B. That probably would take up half the volume of specified starship.

C. Our budget is about fifteen gigastarbux, but preferably lower.

D. Fleet operations could mean similar performance to a (full) fleet carrier.

E. Independent operations would require enough cargo space to be self sustaining

F. Smallcraft component is compromisable.
 
Confederation Navy: Zuiho Class Light Carrier

G. Since they've gone to the trouble of being a moving target while launching and recovery, minimum tonnage would be five kilotonnes plus.

H. That allows a distributed array

I. And knowing is half the battle.

J. Yo.

K. Since, as a carrier and a command ship, you want to have a very clear idea what's on approach.
 
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Confederation Navy: Zuiho Class Light Carrier

L. Five Thousand And One (tonnes), A Space Oddity.

M. Crew requirement drops by a quarter.

N. Twenty kilotonnes by a third.

O. Fifty kilotonnes, by a half.

P. Which is one of the reasons why fifty kilotonnes is the sweetspot for (mediumish) cruisers.
 
Confederation Navy: Zuiho Class Light Carrier

Q. One reason to standardizing smallcraft sizes (and hull configuration) isn't just to eliminate the need for different sized docking space.

R. Shuttle operations, whatever they are supposed to be, would be at the same operational tempo, being able to use the launch tubes and recovery deck.

S. What makes an effective (commerce) raider?

T. Presumably, because fifteen tonne fighters are likely to get eaten up for breakfast by a robust planetary defense.

U. Against a convoy with a reasonably sized escort force, the half the destroyers would ignore the fighters and race to take out the carrier.
 
Confederation Navy: Zuiho Class Light Carrier

V. If there is a jump factor two variant with larger hangars, it would be a new design, as the two hangar pods would have to be enlarged, and the primary hull shortened.

W. I'm not too sure if this is the optimal design for long range exploration.

X. I wonder if the Navy duped Solomani Security into accepting them for their purposes, being anxious to get rid of them.

Y. I would have thought that a dedicated ecks boat tender would be more suitable for communications support.

Z. A combined hangar would probably allow greater flexibility in usage.
 
Confederation Navy: Carriers

1. How do you define a ('craft) carrier?

2. I'd say that it has a substantial 'craft component.

3. Launch tube(s) and recovery deck(s) that the majority of the craft can utilize.

4. If there are no launch tube(s) and recovery deck(s), the vessel is defined as a tender.

5. Rationale would be that a 'craft carrier can continue to perform launch and recovery of 'craft while under acceleration.

6. If you have to cut acceleration for launch or recovery, the vessel becomes vulnerable.

7. It's probably possible to develop a launch facility that requires less volume than a launch tube, at the expense of the launch rate.

8. A more basic form of the catapult concept, likely a combination of the launch tube and a mass driver.

9. That wouldn't necessarily make the vessel a carrier, but it would allow launch while under acceleration.
 
Confederation Navy: Carriers

A. In theory, fleet implies that a starwarship can keep up with the line of battle.

B. Armoured (flight) deck carriers, could also be termed battle carriers, since the concept involved actually keeping up with the line of battle, if not incorporation, since they would have substantial armour plating.

C. Hard to say if there is an actual difference between attack and strike carriers, as both would use the onboard aerospace groups as the primary strike weapon system at a distance.

D. Light implies a cut down fleet carrier, with the same performance but a smaller aerospace component.

E. Assault would be a carrier optimized for planetary assault, with at least half the 'craft component consisting of troop transports.

F. Escort would be a cheap hull, with at a minimum a catapult and a recovery deck.
 
Confederation Navy: Carriers

G. Another option for launch and recovery under acceleration would be having the launch facilities in the rear.

H. If you straight line fly out of the rear, through a nice wide open hole, the risk of getting hit by the carrier's hull would be minimal.

I. In theory, you could make the recovery deck also be used as a launchpad.

J. If not, hangar bay doors are placed as far as to the rear as possible.

K. You could have a physical rail system as part of catch and release.
 
Confederation Navy: Carriers

L. Built into the ceiling of a cargo hold, this overhead gantry crane is designed to shift cargo containers in and out of the ship. The crane’s mechanism moves about the bay on a sliding jig and can extend beyond the cargo door on a gibbet to deposit freight directly onto a dockside or vehicle. The crane is strong enough to lift fully loaded containers of up to 65 tons and can couple with most pallets and crates.

M. Are there cranes in hangars? Probably, but they're not mentioned.

N. Probably simpler and safer to release the object from the crane, than attempting to try and dock to the crane.

O. In theory, you could attach a sixty five tonne docking clamp to the crane; in practice, the entire crane infrastructure is only rated for sixty five tonnes.

P. Like docking clamps, cranes probably can be reinforced.
 
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