Solomani Confederation (Military)

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Cruisers

1. Antebellum, most of the Confederation Navy equipment was at technological level thirteen.

2. The fifteen kilotonne Yarmouth class might represent an attempt to increase the size of light cruisers to accommodate a spinal mount, in this case a meson, presumably factor one.

3. Obviously, under current rules, this wouldn't work, in the sense that you couldn't have that plus a jump drive and its requisite fuel component.

4. Next would be Yamamoto class (batch two), fifty kilotonne strike cruisers.

5. These would be more sized to be able to take seventy five hundred tonne spinal mounts.

6. In theory, the sixty kilotonne Minsk class heavy cruiser would have had a factor two meson gun.

7. It enjoyed enough success, that some, or a lot, of officers in the Confederation Navy would have preferred a cruiser/carrier mix, instead of building more battlecruisers and dreadnoughts.

8. Kinda ironic, how that turned out.

9. We actually have a production number, with over a hundred built.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

1. Speaking of which, if the new Imperium Navy order of battle follows the two previous ones, we seem to be stuck with four fleet, four strike and eight light carriers.

2. Optimistic interpretation would indicate four fighter carriers per sector, currently.

3. And apparently, also antebellum.

4. In theory, pocket carriers were distributed to Fleet, Assault, and Heavy Strike Squadrons.

5. In practice, fast dreadnoughts didn't need them and were accompanied by a light cruiser instead.

6. I'm not a fan of pocket carriers.

7. Either go full light carrier, or escort carrier, depending on required tactical acceleration.

8. Originally, Carrier Squadrons were built around single fighter carriers.

9. Currently, they would be in separate Carrier Divisions, and administratively, assigned two to a Carrier Squadron.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

A. The technological level thirteen two hundred kilotonne Midway class fighter carriers, with fifteen hundred thirty tonne fighters each, are supposed to be the largest carriers the Confederation had, antebellum.

B. You have to wonder what their predecessors were, if any, otherwise that likely be a count of seven to twenty eight, assuming six sectors and strategic reserve counting as a sector fleet.

C. I'm going to assume that the reason they reduced it to maximum four hundred subsidiary fighters per carrier comes down to command and control, rather than the writers not quite reading up on the Confederation Navy feeling the draft, the draft for craft.

D. The fast dreadnoughts won't need them, since they have their own organic aerospace wing(s).

E. Assuming any Midways survived, they're probably still in commission in the Confederation Navy.

F. Chances are, their replacements are almost as large, and likely built one every two years, or if we take current production runs, one every five years.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

G. I just noticed, no Imperium Assault Squadrons in Sector Fleet.

H. Anyway, there are supposedly two per sector, which also seems unrealistic. considering the Confederation's goal of liberating the Occupied Territories.

I. Having a choice, I'd opt for one large assault carrier, than two smaller ones.

J. Add to that twelve escorts, four fleet couriers, four commando transports, a fleet tanker, and a fleet tender.

K. Considering that fighter carriers are supposed to work in coordination with an assault carrier, that's why I'd consolidate that into the Carrier Squadron.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

L. What I'd do is use the same hull for either a fighter or an assault carrier, difference being outlay and contents.

M. Assign each (Carrier Division) six escorts and three fleet couriers.

N. For convenience, include a battle tender in it's own Carrier Division.

O. Since apparently there are only two per sector.

P. And you might as well concentrate all that force in one steel gauntlet.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

Q. Which leaves us with light and escort carriers.

R. So far, escort carriers have only been constructed during war time, so we'll assume that may remain the case in the fifty seventh century.

S. That doesn't mean that from experience, the Confederation Navy hasn't been tinkering around with the design and doctrine, ready to implement it once the balloon goes up.

T. I would guess that a lot of freighters are designed to be easily convertible.

U. I tend to think that passenger liners are more likely to be converted to troop ships, rather than light carriers.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

V. While I love escort carriers, I also know why a peacetime navy wouldn't be enthused to build them.

W. First of all, there's only so much budget to go around, and in this case, the air wing is going to be more important (and expensive) than the (landing) platform.

X. You'd want to make the platform as survivable as possible, which is not the purpose of an escort carrier.

Y. Outside of the money, you'd be committing rare trained crews, that could be used elsewhere.

Z. And since your political masters are idiots, there are only so many ship slots available that they will fund.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

1. In most cases I try to salvage something from canon designs, but the twenty five kilotonne Zuiho class light carrier is basically crap.

2. Outside of the fact that no light carrier has ever been mentioned for the Confederation Navy.

3. What's it supposed to do, internal security?

4. It will get eaten up in combat, with twenty four or forty eight light fighters.

5. I think someone was watching too much Battlestar Galactica with sixteen launch tubes, total eighteen hundred tonnes, that could be better utilized for more, and heavier, fighters.

6. Drop in an interdiction barge, that could probably do the job more efficiently.

7. Communications could be done with a dedicated (fleet courier) tender.

8. Exploration with an old refurbished heavy(ish) cruiser.

9. If you want a compromise, a through deck cruiser, combining elements of light cruiser, escort carrier, troop carrier, commando carrier.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

A. It makes me nostalgic for pocket carriers, and I really dislike those.

B. High Guard gives us an idea what a light carrier is supposedly, the twenty nine kilotonne Skimkish class.

C. First off, heavily armoured and protected.

D. Second, eighty fifty tonne heavy fighters and one launch tube.

E. Pretty well armed, against opportunistic small combatants.

F. Though not intended as a command ship, nor for independent operations.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

G. The fifty kilotonne Jaellemo class planetoid cruiser has a complement of thirty heavy fighters and a launch tube.

H. The fifty kilotonne Arakoine class strike cruiser has a hundred heavy fighters and two launch tubes.

I. The hundred kilotonne Antiama class fleet carrier three hundred heavy fighters and three launch tubes.

J. As does the semimegatonne dreadnought carrier Tigress class.

K. Basically, an Imperium Navy light cruiser is what you expect a current era super, or even medium, carrier, has in relative terms.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

L. The sixty kilotonne Azhanti class frontier cruiser has eighty light fighters and two launch tubes.

M. And surprisingly, so does the Wind class strike carrier with just one launch tube.

N. The eight kilotonne Texas class light cruiser has ten light fighters.

O. Light fighters can only operate optimally in a permissive environment.

P. Which might work in commerce raiding and ground attack, but unlikely in an actual space battle.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

Q. Squadron size is eight, basically two finger fours.

R. I don't think dogfighting combat is sophisticated enough for a Thach Weave.

S. That's smaller than the default Imperium of ten fighters.

T. A fighter Schwarm (four aircraft) was divided into two Rotten (singular: Rotte, "pack") of two aircraft, equivalent to a pair in the English-speaking world. As such a fighter Schwarm was equivalent to a section/element in the Western Allied air forces. The term Rotte was also used for a formation of two aircraft: the smallest tactical unit, consisting of a leader and a wingman.

U. A Schwarm (plural Schwärme; literally "swarm"), consisted of four to six aircraft within a Staffel. A bomber Schwarm (at full strength, six aircraft) was divided into a Kette ("chain") of three aircraft. As such, a bomber Schwarm was equivalent to a flight in the Western Allied air forces. A Kette was also the term used for a "v" formation.[13][14]

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

V. So we have about twenty four spacecraft to make up a wing, which will place under the command of a (Wing) Commander.

W. That doesn't mean it's just twenty four sets of flight and maintenance crew, since there could be multiple shifts to keep the spacecraft in constant service.

X. A flight of two to six spacecraft, subdivided into one to three divisions, commanded by a (Flight) Lieutenant.

Y. Squadrons are led by senior flight officers, referred to as Squadron Leaders, and organized in accordance to the needs of the mission, usually two to three flights.

Z. Wings can be homogenous, or composite, and could be from twelve to upto sixty spacecraft.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

1. Zuiho equivalent would be acceleration factor four, jump factor three, armour factor four.

2. Standard bridge, command bridge, one hundred twenty troops, and apparently two hangars with a kilotonne capacity each.

3. Our weight limit is twenty five kilotonnes and and our budget fifteen gigastarbux.

4. A (holographic) hundred tonne command bridge needs a fifty hundred and one tonne hull, that's fifty one times a semimegastarbux, times one hundred twenty five percent, plus thirty megastarbux, sixty one and seven eighths of a megastarbux.

5. Improved sensors, countermeasures suite, enhanced signal processing, and apparently fifty tonnes of deep penetration scanners, total fifty eight tonnes and sixty six and three tenths megastarbux.

6. A hundred firmpoints' worth of tonnage would be fifty thirty five tonne fighters, nineteen hundred twenty five tonnes of docking space.

7. A launch tube is three hundred fifty tonnes, and could launch fifty fighters in half an hour.

8. A recovery deck would be also three hundred fifty tonnes, and would take five hours to recover fifty fighters.

9. The advantage being, you can recover stragglers while running away.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

A. The question is, do we give it similar armament, two medium missile bays, and sixteen fusion barbettes.

B. Or protection, ten dampers and two meson screens.

C. Experience says that the best protection is not being within ordnance range, hence fighters and/or bombers to accomplish that stand off.

D. Speed to remain outside that range, as I suspect that if a major, possibly even a minor, combatant turns up, the carrier's fate would be inGlorious.

E. So, maybe just point defence.

F. And faster engines.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

G. The way I figure it, we configure the hull into a trimaran.

H. Primary hull has everything important, secondary spillover, and tertiary hull, about forty five hundred tonnes of fuel.

I. Making them breakaways is an expensive proposition, compared to none, or docking clamp victors.

J. But we need direct access to the fuel, if the jump drive is placed in the citadel, rather than outsourced.

K. And drop tanks doesn't cut it, especially if you want to use that hull for hardpoints.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

L. Optionally, you could use pods, like the Galactica, but without the pylons.

M. Problem is, if there is one, is that there are no real rules for them.

N. Hull cost(s) are default.

O. You can have a local bridge; or command centre.

P. It takes several weeks to install them, and presumably, uninstall them.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

Q. I'd save six hundred megastarbux and three hundred tonnes in connectability costs.

R. Also, if you go breakaway, you go breakaway all the way, otherwise you have to be very clear as to what constitutes the hull, half measures cost the same as a complete overhaul.

S. Unlike breakaways, pod hull armour has to match the primary hull, as far as I can tell.

T. In theory, being separate components, composition and factor should be capable of variation, though there's no actual indication one way or another, beyond examples.

U. Though if making a run for it, being able to just blow the tank if it's empty and you're unlikely to make it to a gas station in time, is rather useful.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

V. Just to be sure, I looked it up.

W. Imperium light and fleet carriers continue to have acceleration factor two.

X. You have to assume they are relying on their aerospace group and/or escorts to shield them from a counterstrike.

Y. I kinda doubt the Zuiho is going to survive one; at best, mission killed.

Z. Which is why I think that Confederation Navy will be using escort carriers, since they are expendable, and cheap.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Carriers

1. Let's try this again.

2. We have three hull and/or pods.

3. Primary hull has to be fifty hundred and one tonnes.

4. This qualifies it for command bridge, distributed sensors, twenty five percent crew reduction, and military hull.

5. Neither the drop tank, nor the secondary hull mission pod need to be five kilotonnes plus, and I doubt three mechanics, more or less, matter in terms of crew reductions.

6. Loss of ten percent of the primary hull's hull points would destroy the drop tank.

7. The point being to be out of range of enemy fire.

8. The secondary hull can be attached with a docking clamp victor, and can be pretty thin skinned with minimum facilities.

9. Essentially, I decided to make the primary hull an enlarged detachable bridge.