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leximpwrites · 4 years

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CCS Master Post Pt. 2

Continuation of the lore master post for the CCS

Ships of the Confederate Navy

The Confederate Navy is a powerful force with a bewildering variety of ships that fulfill many different tasks, from the tiny guide tugs used to lead fighters back into their hangars to the mighty Iron Star, the largest ship ever built.

Diverse Construction

Each race builds their ships differently. This is an unavoidable reality to a composite society such as ours. It is important to know these distinctions when commanding a mixed force in the field, as utilizing the ships under your command in a way that plays to their strengths can be the difference between victory and defeat.

Felterran vessels are specialists, each class designed to fulfill a specific role. While this makes them outstandingly effective in their respective fields, assigning them duties outside their areas of expertise can have decidedly mixed results.

V/S Combine (VSC) ships are all-rounders, built to cover a wide range of missions, meaning that they can fill numerous roles on the battlefield, a trait that is both their strength and weakness.

Bal’rook warships are fast and deadly, but only lightly armored and shielded. This makes them glass cannons, and they must be used carefully. They excel in hitting hard and then darting away before the enemy can respond, or in perfectly timed shock assaults, rapidly charging forward to strike furiously at a weak point.

Krotean vessels are astonishingly robust, able to take fearful amounts of punishment and still live to fight another day, their crew battered but none the worse for wear. They trade speed and firepower for armor and shielding, meaning that while they are often slow and undergunned, they are extremely difficult to destroy. They are best used as literal shields for more fragile or vulnerable ships such as carriers or artillery cruisers.

Additionally, there are a number variations within each class of warship, which usually boil down to differences in armament and armor, though some have secondary systems that allow them to take on additional roles.

Recon ships are scouts, and replace some of their weaponry with extra engine systems and sensor equipment. Intended to be fast and quick, they typically have little to no armor or shields. They are not frontline combat units, and can be easily destroyed by other vessels.

Assault type craft trade some of their armor and shielding for additional speed and weaponry, allowing them to fill a fast attack role. While powerful, Assault ships are not overly sturdy.

Heavy warships are the opposite of Assault vessels, swapping speed and maneuverability for more guns and stronger defenses. While slower, they are powerful ships, with a focus on the slow and steady advance.

Strike vessels are a unique type of ship, equipped with a small hangar deck that enables them to carry several wings of fighters and bombers without sacrificing too much in the way of protection and firepower the way a true carrier does.

Support and Command ships, or S&C for short, are specialized warships designed to coordinate and support allied vessels through a variety of means, from electronic warfare suites to powerful sensor and communication units that all the ships to know what is going on around them and stay connected. These ships are often only lightly armed and shielded, and so should be protected at the center of a fleet.

Artillery ships are dedicated to pure firepower. Armed with numerous extreme range weapons such as missiles and heavy rail cannons, they are lethal at a distance and easy prey up close, and so should be kept to the rear of formations where they can best support their allies.

While it is impossible to list every single class of vessel here, the following is a list of the ships you are most likely to regularly encounter over the course of your duties as an officer of the fleet. Included is a brief description of what role the ship type plays in combat, and each class is broken down into groups according the the race that designed the ship.

Corvettes

Corvettes are small, agile craft, typically used to scout ahead of the main body of the fleet. They are lightly armed and armored, and in combat will normally be used to screen larger vessels from fighter and bomber attacks. Corvettes have 300-450 crew.

-Felterran

Harpy-class Interceptor

Banshee-class Heavy Corvette

-Bal’rook

Sha’borst-class Corvette

-VSC

Raptor-class Corvette

Kestrel-class Heavy Corvette

Frigates

Frigates are medium warships that are mainly focused on ship to ship combat, and so are decently armed and armored. While not as tactically flexible as cruisers, they are the most numerous type of vessel, and therefore make up the majority of most fleets. Frigates have 1,000-2,000 crew.

-Felterran

Wyvern-class Strike Frigate

Drake-class Frigate

Gryphon-class Heavy Frigate

-Bal’rook

Nanval-class Recon Frigate

Gre’lano-class Assault Frigate

Suvashti-class Artillery Frigate

-VSC

Owl-class Frigate

Shrike-class Assault Frigate

-Krotean

Bastion-class Heavy Frigate

Bulwark-class Strike Frigate

Destroyers

Fast, lightly armored, and heavily armed, Destroyers are superb ambush craft, designed to outrun anything they can’t defeat. They operate best in groups, either hitting a target all at once, or swiftly one after another. Destroyers have 1,000-3,000 crew.

-Felterran

Basilisk-class Destroyer

Gorgon-class Heavy Destroyer

-Bal’rook

Shar’tal-class Assault Destroyer

-VSC

Falcon-class Destroyer

Cruisers

Cruisers are the most diverse type of warship, designed to fill a wide variety of combat roles. Most cruisers are strongly armed and shielded, and are typically rallying points for smaller ships. Cruisers have 5,000-7,000 crew.

-Felterran

Pegasus-class Recon Cruiser

Chimera-class Cruiser

Dragon-class Heavy Cruiser

Manticore-class Strike Cruiser

Ifrit-class Assault Cruiser

Hydra-class Artillery Cruiser

Dullahan-class S&C Cruiser

-Bal’rook

Ill’roth-class Assault Cruiser

Vesh’paht-class Strike Cruiser

-VSC

Eagle-class Cruiser

Osprey-class Heavy Cruiser

Goshawk-class Assault Cruiser

Kite-class Strike Cruiser

Harrier-class S&C Cruiser

-Krotean

Barricade-class Heavy Cruiser

Battery-class Artillery Cruiser

Capital Ships

Capital ships are at the heart of most fleets. Battleships are slow moving, armored behemoths that are armed with a wide array of weaponry, and are designed to destroy anything their own size or smaller, used to anchor defensive lines, or lead attacks. Fast and less heavily armored, battlecruisers are swift hunters intended to take out other capital ships with their long range heavy weapons. Carriers are the largest type of capital ship, space-borne leviathans heavily armored and armed to the teeth, and holding thousands of fighters, bombers, and attack craft in their cavernous hangar bays. Carriers are typically flagships, towards the center of the fleets where they can best support other ships with their heavy armament and waves of fighter craft. Battleships have 15,000 - 20,000 crew, battlecruisers 11,000 - 15,000, and carriers 50,000+.

-Felterran

Cerberus-class Battleship

Fenrir-class Battlecruiser

Titan-class Carrier

-Bal’rook

Wu’lan’ra-class Battleship

Rey’jolk-class Battlecruiser

-VSC

Sparrowhawk-class Battlecruiser

-Krotean

Citadel-class Battleship

Redoubt-class Artillery Battleship

Stronghold-class Carrier

Other Vessels

While there are numerous other vessels that serve the Navy in one capacity or another, these are some of the most notable ships.

Iron Star - A Pulsar-class Dreadnought, the Iron Star is the only ship of her class, and at 381km long and 172km across at her widest point, is the largest ship ever built, and is a collaborative effort between all member races of the CCS. She has the same amount of firepower as six full battle fleets, and has the population of a large city, with 2.1 million crew, and another 3.7 million assorted support staff, civilians, and other noncombat personnel.

Glorious & Courageous - Twins and sister ships to the Iron Star, the Glorious and Courageous are both Quasar-class Dreadnoughts, and while smaller than their larger sibling, coming in at 133km long and 57km wide, they are still larger than anything else out there, and powerful warships.

Drax Volontus - A mobile space fortress built by the Kroteans, the Drax is the most heavily armed and armored space station in the entire CCS, as it is here the Lexicanum Confederatus, seat of the CCS government, is located, along with the residences of the Felterran Emperor, Krotean High Queen, Speaker of the VSC, and Bal’rook Lord Paladin, along with representatives of a dozen other races.

Skyseeker - An experimental exploration vessel that is still currently under construction, the Skyseeker is a joint project between Krotean engineers and VSC shipbuilders, and when complete, will be able to plunge fearlessly into unexplored space in the quest for knowledge and discoveries.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

While highly unlikely, if in the course of your duties you are to encounter any of the following ships, you are to avoid interfering with their activities in anyway, do not contact them unless contacted first, and if you are, to provide any and all assistance their captains may require of you.

A Shar’tal-class Assault Destroyer, bearing the name Requiem.

A heavily modified Cerberus-class Battleship, bearing the name Annihilator.

An older Helios-class Artillery Cruiser, bearing the name Desolation.

A silver and blue painted Monastery-class Hospital ship, bearing the name Vector.

Once they have left the AO, you will then immediately contact Fleet Command and inform them of the interaction, along with your position and the ships last observed heading. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE YOU TO ATTEMPT TO FOLLOW, DETAIN, OR ATTACK THESE VESSELS. DOING SO IS PUNISHABLE BY COURT-MARTIAL.

**Whew* That took a WHILE. I’m not kidding, I’ve been banging this bugger out for just over five hours now. Anyway, I will post the final portion tomorrow or the day after. In the meantime, enjoy your tanksgiben! (And yes, that was on purpose, it’s a family joke. Lol)

@kitvinslakte @officialleehadan @nox919 @dierotenixe @apenvssword @starsdreaming @krceramics

#Felterra

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magik-and-chaos · 6 years

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Fun With OC’s

Born on Alderaan Kara Varss grew up in the lap of luxury. Her family designed ships for various factors and was well known for thier ship building prowless. Her father, Henri Varss, in particular was renown for his Strike-Class Medium Cruiser design. Kara on the other hand was committed to becoming a doctor. After graduating from the University of Alderaan, her father came to her with an arrangement. In one of his early business ventures, Henri signed a contract to marry off Kara to his father's business partner’s son.

Kara initially refused the deal believing that it was morally disguising and wanted to continue her life as a doctor. However, her father convinced him to at least meet with the man. Upon meeting with Alex Antares she soon came around on the deal. After hours of talking and debating they both came to an understanding. Kara found him to be a stubborn man who had a good heart underneath all of his gruff exteriors. They agreed to be married but both were allowed to keep their independence. Without saying it they loved each other in their unique way. Eventually, the couple produced 3 children and lived happily on the planet of Delaya. It was there they watched as Alderaan was destroyed by the Death Star. A few days later Alex and Kara joined the Rebel Alliance.

#star wars #oc rpg #star wars rpg

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libamericaorg · 7 years

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Russia Sends Trump A Message - Armed Warship Anchors Off The Coast Of Syria (VIDEO)

Russia Sends Trump A Message – Armed Warship Anchors Off The Coast Of Syria (VIDEO)

A Russian battlegroup of ships off the coast of Syria has added a new member: The Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate. This Russian warship is armed with Kalibr cruise missiles, the equivalent of the Tomahawk missiles that President Donald Trump ordered firedon a Syrian airbase yesterday. The U.S. strike was in response to Syrian autocrat Bashar al-Assad using chemical weapons against his own…

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#Donald Trump #missile launch #Russia #russian navy #Syria #Vladimir Putin

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whittlebaggett8 · 5 years

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China’s Navy Showcases New Type 055 Guided Missile Destroyer in Naval Parade

A naval parade to honor the 70th anniversary of the development of the Chinese Navy involved the service’s most up-to-date destroyer class.

About 30 Chinese and 18 overseas warships from 13 countries participated in a naval parade on April 23 in the western Chinese port of Quingdao to mark the 70th anniversary of the generation of the People’s Liberation Military Navy (Program), which was founded in 1949. The parade was as overseen by Chinese President Xi Jinping who was embarked aboard the Kind 052D destroyer Xining along with Approach Commander Vice Admiral Shen Jinlong.

The parade consisted of six different formations. The most notable ship in the parade, next to an upgraded Sort 094 Jin-course nuclear-run ballistic missile submarine, was the direct ship of the new Sort 055 guided-missile destroyer class (NATO designation: Renhai-course), Nanchang, (with hull range 101), which was released in 2017, and has been undergoing sea trials following a 14-thirty day period outfitting interval.

The Prepare strategies to procure up to eight Style 055 guided-missile destroyers more than the following 4 years with at minimum six ships of the class below development and the most up-to-date introduced in initially quarter of 2018. There has been speculation between naval analysts that the Strategy could induct up to 24 Style 055 surface combatants by the mid to late 2020s. As I previously summarized:

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The 180-meter long, 20-meter huge Sort 055 course is a improvement of the Style 052D Luyang III-class guided-missile destroyer, but is about a 3rd even bigger than the latter. Given its measurement, the U.S. Section of Protection has labeled the Sort 055 as cruiser [CG] fairly than a destroyer. In accordance to some estimates, the displacement of a Type 055 destroyer seems to be pretty much a third better than that of a Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-course guided missile destroyer.

The whole-load displacement of the Kind 055 is estimated at about 13,000 tons. Furthermore, I explained:

The Type 055’s principal armament consists of two mobile blocks consisting of a whole of 112 vertical start methods (VLS) able of firing medium- to very long-assortment surface-to-air [SAM], anti-ship, and land-attack cruise missiles which include HHQ-9 surface-to-air missiles, YJ-18 very long-range, anti-ship cruise missiles, CJ-10 land-attack cruise missiles [LACS], following to others. The ship is also armed with a H/PJ-38 130mm principal gun. Later upgraded variants of the Style 055 destroyer could also be armed with a railgun.

The warship can also have up to two Z-18 anti-submarine warfare helicopters. Alongside one another with the Style 052D Luyang III-class destroyer, the Sort 055 will form the main of long run very long-range Approach battlegroups and carrier strike groups. Sort 055 warships are multipurpose platforms and can be deployed in extended-range air protection, anti-surface area warfare, anti-air warfare, and anti-submarine warfare missions among the other people.

Some naval analysts have pointed out a range of design and style flaws like the minimal positioning of its flat-array radar system, which will likely impact the ship’s array of detection and the use of gentle aluminum alloy in the higher decks, which can cut down the Type 055s sturdiness in naval beat.

The post China’s Navy Showcases New Type 055 Guided Missile Destroyer in Naval Parade appeared first on Defence Online.

from WordPress https://defenceonline.com/2019/04/25/chinas-navy-showcases-new-type-055-guided-missile-destroyer-in-naval-parade/

#Asia Defense #China naval buildup #China naval parade #Guided-Missile Destroyer #PLA Navy #Type 055

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ask-de-writer · 4 years

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CAPTURED BY THE CLANS (part 1 of 3), a Science Fiction tale.

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to Science Fiction

Captured by the Clans

Glen Ten-Eyck (De Writer)

written, 2006

18231 words

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Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story. They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions, provided that such things are done without charge. I will allow those who do commission art works to charge for their images.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fictions is actively encouraged.

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Captured by the Clans (part 1 of 3)

T’cass was getting another headache. Trying to explain the M’cratt strategy to the Combined Clans Strategy Board was beyond frustrating. The problem was the same one that T’cass had faced for most of her young life. The Clans war leaders weren’t stupid at all. They just weren’t Warriors.

T’cass’ three mothers had been a trade ambassador to the Emperial Triad in the City of Empire on M’cratt. They had enrolled their kit in K’lass’ School of All Conflict, the most respected and absolutely the toughest school of the Warrior’s Way in all of M’cratt space. To everyone’s surprise, T’cass, a Clan kit, had done very well. She had done so well that the “civilizing” influence of the Embassy was set at naught. She was well on her way to becoming a true M’cratt Warrior when her mothers were recalled to Clan Space.

Nobody that she had found in Clan Space had wanted to become friends with the intense, Warrior’s Knife carrying T’cass. She simply didn’t think like a Clanner.

When Lezon Treh K’lass had begun to lead the M’cratti advance on Clan Space, nobody took it seriously until it was far too late. They were waiting for the Treaty Commission to act against the Empire. It didn’t act.

T’cass could have told them why. She had tried to, in fact. What she’d said fell on deaf ears. The Clans had written that treaty and they knew what it said. They thought.

T’cass knew better. The translation had been bungled by skilled linguists who had failed to grasp one simple fact. It was impossible to say peace in M’cratt. The concept didn’t exist in the language. The Treaty Commission, limited to enforcing the treaties written by others, did know the correct reading and waited for a violation. There had been none yet.

The war had changed part of T’cass’ problem. Her talents in a fighter had proven to be past extraordinary. Her past let her know how the enemy thought and would react. Her fighter wing’s amazing record had brought her to the attention of the Strategy Board. They had recruited her for her talents.

The deal that she had struck left her in the pilot’s seat of her fighter when there was action. They were between engagements at present. It was terribly difficult to get the admirals of the Clans to listen to her. They were such straightforward beings. Their skills were nearly useless when facing an unorthodox and wily Warrior like Lezon Treh K’lass.

Getting a grip on herself, T’cass pointed into the holographic chart again. Exasperated, she tried to show the admirals what was so obvious to her. Using a light pointer to illustrate what she was saying, she tried again to say, “Lezon’s fleet is going to hit us here, at K’stall.”

“Ridiculous!” Admiral Lusan snorted, laying her ears back into her mane. “They will have to fight their way past R’iggin and D’far. Those fortress systems will slow them down for weeks at least! Besides, they will need time to lick their wounds after the defeat I gave them at C’ustance!”

Appalled at the ignorance of war that she was hearing, T’cass asked, “What defeat, Admiral Lusan? They drew you far out of position for defending K’stall and lost only a few ships doing it!”

Admiral Lusan did not like the implication that her victory, broadcast as such all over Clan Space, had been less than complete. Eyes slitted in rage, fangs bared, she snarled, “The M’cratt fled the field in disarray!” She slapped down a scouting report on the M’cratt retreat. “There’s your proof!”

“Yes,” said T’cass, picking up the report. “They all fled on vector 07.334, 45.680, 123.935. What’s out that way from C’ustance?”

Admiral F’rufan wrinkled her brow in thought and actually studied the chart. “I see. There’s a singularity in that direction, right there.” Her light pointer highlighted the black hole. “Perhaps we can catch them while they re-group around it. Nasty business, fighting in that sort of gravity well, but we’ll have the advantage of a position further out, in flatter space.”

“A good start,” said T’cass encouragingly. “Just feed these scouting reports into the computer and project them into the chart. Get a scale for the region so that it just includes K’stall.”

In moments the Strategy Board as a group were looking in dismay at a disaster unfolding. The ‘disaray’ of the M’cratt fleet had put them into a carefully planned order based upon the mass and acceleration abilities of each ship. As the ships whipped about the singularity under power they would come out at the enormous velocity of 54C. Gravity slingshoting packed the enemy into a tight formation aimed unmistakably at K’stall, leapfrogging right past the fortress systems.

Facing reality, Admiral Lusan asked, “What could be worse than this? We are light years out of position and can’t even get the main fleet there in time. Once K’stall falls, R’iggin and D’far will be cut off. The Central Fleet will be lost along with them.

“They will only need a battle group coming in from the direction of C’ustance while their main fleet comes back from K’stall.”

T’cass looked doubtfully at the chart and said, “Lezon could do that, of course, but why? Just six months cut off from resupply will weaken both the fortress systems and the Central Fleet. They could then be safely taken out by a few Talon carriers. It’s M’onafar that we need to worry about.

“M’onafar is not that far from K’stall and it has several gas giants in tight orbits for planets of their type. There are other tactical nightmares, besides. If it wasn’t such a perfect refueling and slingshoting point for all of the Combine Worlds, it would be classed as valueless. Nearly all of the trade to or from the Outer and Frontier worlds passes through that system. From M’onafar, all of the Combine Worlds of the Clans will be in striking range. If we lose M’onafar, we have lost the war.”

Admiral F’rufan scratched gently along her right fang as she thought. Nodding, she said, “I think that I see what T’cass is driving at. What can we marshal at K’stall? We can strip the defenses of the fortress systems. They’re not in particular danger now. What else? K’stall is mainly a supply depot and refit center. What’s in their repair inventory that can fight?”

Without meaning to, T’cass once again showed that she was at least several jumps ahead of the pride and already on the prey’s back. “They have a system siege unit that is up to full power in all combat systems. One of it’s four main engines is still at only sixty five percent output. There are two fighter carriers, one just refitted but not yet assigned, and the other has hull damage but is fully battle ready for short range work. There are nineteen moon or orbit based heavy tachyon batteries of twelve to forty megatons per second output, and an old interstellar signal laser that is still fully operational.

“From the fortress systems, we can pull thirty seven fighters, a light cruiser and the Fleet Operations dreadnought C’aliban. This battleship that we are on can get there in time to be of use as well.”

She laid out a sheaf of papers on the operations table and began to hand them about. “This is what I thought that we could do with them. It is a controlled holding action with a retreat to M’onafar to reinforce the Main and Central fleets already there.”

Admiral Lusan cocked her head and asked curiously, “If the Central fleet can’t get to K’stall in time to help, how can it possibly get to M’onafar? That’s an even greater distance. Also, how do you plan to get the Main fleet there? It is going be needed to defend the Combine Worlds.”

Bluntly, T’cass pointed out, “If M’onafar falls, the Main fleet will be functionally helpless as a defensive unit. Because of that, it will be best employed as a battle force at M’onafar.”

Ears lowered almost into her mane, T’cass said softly, “We must break Lezon’s advance or the best course for the Combine Worlds, indeed for all of the Clan Space, is surrender.”

T’cass’ ears cocked back up to a jaunty angle as she said, “As to getting the fleets there, we steal a page from Lezon. The Central fleet must boost for the singularity with all power. Each ship can choose its best course for M’onafar rather than trying to get together as a fleet after the singularity. Optimum use of the singularity’s gravitational well should get even the slowpokes up to 60C. Nobody even tries to go to K’stall. With deceleration time and the enemy’s lead, that battle will be over before any help can possibly arrive. Both of our fleets will get to M’onafar first, though. That’s what counts.

“The Main fleet can just advance from their present positions and get there in plenty of time.”

Guessing the answer already, Admiral F’rufan observed, “I see that you have a lot of other papers there. Strategic and tactical analyses?”

“Yes,” said T’cass quietly, laying out papers. She didn’t understand why she felt somehow ashamed for being right.

**********

Lezon Treh K’lass had a headache of her own. Once again, she was trying to explain to proud admirals who were good Warriors in their own right, how they had put the last strategic plan in the latrine, even while winning the engagement. Now, she also had to explain exactly what they needed to know to carry out the next strategic plan.

She knew what they thought of her. “Named in haste,” was the gentlest insult of the lot. When they thought that she couldn’t hear, “Low ranked favorite of the Empress Triad” was another favorite. True, she was young to have earned a Name, let alone the achievement of the full compliment of three Names. It had been the decision of the Empress Triad to Name her at all.

Before the deadly business of the Feront contact, Lezon had been another nameless corvette pilot. True, she had gone to K’lass’ School of All Conflict at the same time as the latest wife of the Empress Triad. True, at that prestigious school, every conflict that she participated in came out as she had planned it. True, that had brought her the notice of the rulers of the Empire. Also true, though they had watched her career as a Warrior, they had not intervened. Lezon was not the only one that they watched. Others had risen faster.

Now, by her own choice, she was a lowly Talon pilot. That was exactly what she wished to be. She could easily become any rank short of the Empress Triad, simply by making her wish known to her rulers. And the admirals who came to her knew it. There was no mistaking who was in charge of the war.

Lezon knew who was proud of serving with her and who was jealous of her skill and ability, both in a combat craft and politically. The war that Lezon had planned was proceeding exactly as the Triad Empress desired and that, to Lezon, was quite enough.

Even if the war did not go as planned, so long as she guided her actions by the Warrior’s Way, Lezon would have accepted the result. Sometimes the Triple Goddess simply did not favor you.

The battle at C’ustance had been disturbing for two reasons. One was that some of her own prey-minded Admirals had tried to make an actual battle out of a simple sucker play. Those who did fight, against orders, had run into something new on the Clan side.

At least, through underestimating the enemy, they wouldn’t get any more Warriors killed unnecessarily. They were gone. What was unforgivable was that their ships and the irreplaceable Warriors who manned them were gone too.

The second disturbing item was that something new that they had seen on the Clan side. Some of the Clan units had fought with disciplined and unorthodox combat behavior as if they were being led by a true Warrior. Those units had cost all of the real losses to Lezon’s fleet.

Idly, Lezon wondered what it would be like to fight a Clan Warrior. Would she know the Warrior’s Way? Would she even know of the Warrior’s Way? How had a Clanner even learned to carry out a true combat? So far as she knew, Clanners failed to grasp the most basic understanding of the nature of Conflict.

She pulled her mind back to the problem of updating her attack on K’stall. She appreciated once again the efficiency of M’ace, Captain of the Hand of Claws, her Executive Officer, in organizing her data without sifting out “useless” information. It had been difficult to find an XO that she could work with so smoothly. It made dealing with the Admirals so much simpler.

New scouting data had come in and she needed to see how it affected her plans. Um, not that much. The old communication laser had been shifted into a solar orbit to get it out of the way of the planetary approaches. The capital ships in the system for repair and refit were moving about the system conducting routine function testing. Everything seemed normal.

At the Battle Groups meeting, Lezon presented the latest update to her plans and delegated the different parts of the attack to the Admirals that she trusted. They would do their jobs well and had a proven record of ability to improvise as necessary to reach a strategic objective.

Lezon spent an extra three days maneuvering the fleet into an attack position that was perpendicular to the ecliptic of the K’stall system. She brought the fleet in fast, coming straight down on the primary and breaking out around the star in powered cometary orbits. As the fleet scattered to the chosen targets, Treh’s Hunt exploded. In moments, Lezon’s Wisdom followed suit. A Talon fighter between the primary and the Fangs of the Goddess erupted fractions of a second before the Fangs of the Goddess.

Lezon saluted her unknown enemy. The Talon was the tip-off. They were being hit by the old interstellar signal laser in its solar orbit, firing from behind the scattering attack fleet. Lezon ordered her own Talon Carrier, the Hand of Claws, to launch. She broke the ranks as soon as possible after launch, spending her power recklessly to brake and dive back toward the star.

From the scouting data, she knew the orbit used by the ancient piece of equipment that was destroying the capital ships of her fleet. It was cunningly hidden in the tachyon noise of K’stall. Since the laser operated in the Electromagnetic spectrum, its attacks were invisible on the tachyon detection equipment now in universal use. Lezon admired her enemy’s brilliant cunning.

Diving around the star in a powered orbit at 0.6C, Lezon came up behind the antique device. In her entire life, she had only seen two of them. It was a long, narrow unit with a fairly huge and very dangerous antique fusion power plant at one end and a monster set of lenses at the other. The lenses were moving to focus the collimated beam of deadly light at another target as Lezon opened fire.

The laser was cut into unequal parts by her disruptor battery. She checked with close range instruments to be sure that the life system was intact and that all defenses were destroyed.

As a true Warrior of the Way, it was her duty to kill whenever necessary and then to protect the life of all non-combatants when possible. Those aboard the laser might be Clan but they were no longer a threat. She flashed past, rising away from the star, back into active combat.

The rest of the fleet was running into unexpectedly stiff opposition. Those capital ships under test, the ones that had looked like sitting snacks had turned out to have claws after all. There were also two dreadnoughts that her scouts had missed entirely. The bypassed fortress systems had supplied almost exactly the number of ships and fighters that she had expected.

Watching the battle unfold from the screens of her specially equipped Talon, Lezon could see that she had no need to interfere. Her Admirals were handling the situation. She returned to the basics of a fighter pilot’s job and left her command frequency silent.

Lezon could sympathize with her unknown Clan Warrior’s frustration at a good battle plan being destroyed by over-eager glory hunters. The dreadnoughts had been neatly hidden by the same tactic as the laser. If they had simply waited longer to deploy, they could have demolished most of the Empire Talon Carriers as they were lifting away from the star. The dreadnoughts would have remained difficult to detect in K’stall’s tachyon noise.

Now, those dreadnoughts were being hard pressed by Lezon’s Carriers and their swarms of deadly Talon fighters. The damaged and refit Clan fighter carriers had to break their positions to rescue the dreadnoughts and that functionally sealed the fate of the K’stall system. There would be hard fighting yet but a brilliant defense was ruined.

Lezon dove into the fray, dog fighting with the Clan fighters. Her disruptors were beginning to run dangerously hot from heavy use. Some of the superconducting circuits were beginning to boil the liquid nitrogen coolant in the cables. She broke away to clean space to cool her weapons.

A lone Clan fighter came after her. It fired a low powered warning shot. That did get Lezon’s attention. Clanners didn’t fight that way. They engaged. The deadly dance of the fighters began.

Her opponent was a true master of her craft. Lezon was unable to get a clean disable or kill hit. By the same token, her opponent couldn’t hit her either.

Her instruments began to tell Lezon an interesting tale. The tachyon batteries of the Clanner were running out of power. Her physical missiles were already used up. If the combat went on this way, Lezon would win by simply having a larger combat energy reserve.

Lezon was preparing to fire again, when she realized two things at once. Her enemy’s weapon reserves were gone and she had turned broadside to Lezon’s weapons and rotated her life system to face her enemy. A surrender position for a Warrior of the Way.

Lezon closed carefully to direct visual contact range. Now that she could see her enemy, she could see something that no Clanner would ever do. Her enemy had raised a Warrior’s Knife, and was holding it toward Lezon, handle first.

Lezon, deeply moved, unsheathed her own knife from its safety clips and held it up to her opponent, blade across between them. Her adversary promptly shifted hers to the same position. She had accepted the Obligation. If the war allowed, they would fight again, to a clear decision.

Lezon took an escort position and flew in formation with her antagonist. She didn’t break off until her enemy was safely back in reach of one of her fighter carriers. She had earned her Warrior’s Return along with the Obligation. Lezon flourished her knife and saw the return salute before she left.

Shortly after that, the K’stall defenses crumbled for good and the Clans were in a full but orderly retreat toward M’onafar.

Lezon let them go, sending only two Talon Carriers to harry them. She ordered the fleet to hold position at K’stall and use the captured repair facilities. There was a Warrior on the Clan side. One who knew exactly what she was about. Lezon wanted the greatest strength possible when they hit M’onafar.

In spite of all of the necessities of battle, M’ace had Lezon’s reports organized and waiting. There was a synthesized snack and a salted drink bowl laid out along with the data blocks. M’ace always seemed to know what was needed.

Lezon sat quietly in the data station on the command deck of the Hand of Claws, her Talon carrier, and munched the snack and the drink as she studied her reports from scouts and spies to see what she could learn about the M’onafar situation. Lezon hated spies and other traitors but only a fool refused accurate information because of its source.

She sent for the prisoners from the signal laser to congratulate them for their excellent part in the battle. To her, excellence was excellence, regardless of side.

Captain D’saric, of the cruiser Fangs of Empire, informed her smugly, “There were no prisoners to be taken from the laser. The life system received a direct hit during the battle.”

Lezon’s ears laid flat back into her mane and her lips curled away from her fangs at the lie. Her eyes slitted and her claws slid out. In a voice gone soft with rage, she demanded, “Let me see the recording.”

A picture of the laser’s ruined life system appeared in the hologram screen. Lezon studied it briefly. She turned to Captain D’saric and said in a dangerously mild voice, “That damage was done by a class four disruptor battery. Only medium cruiser and larger ships have them. There was just one vessel of that size within range of them. Yours. You were sent to pick the prisoners up, not execute them.”

Captain D’saric dismissed the accusation, contemptuously saying, “They weren’t Warriors. They should have known better than to oppose us. They paid the price.”

Lezon, ears still laid her flat into her mane, snarled, “Have you ever heard of intelligence? I wished to find out who, among our enemies, thought of that trick. Now we must face the key battle of this war ill prepared!”

Lezon whirled about and pointed at the hologram chart. “Your stupidity may have cost us M’onafar! If we lose there, we will need to sue for an end to hostility! We are seriously overextended unless we can consolidate our position at M’onafar.

“You are relieved. Your contempt for the Warrior’s Way is not tolerable. The Empress Triad will have the full information of this event. Your future is in their claws!”

Commander M’ase, captain of the Hand of Claws, had held her silence until D’saric was gone. Now, she asked, “Was that wise? D’saric is popular among the capital ship commanders. They may see this as a petty reason for dismissal and possible execution.”

Lezon cocked one ear thoughtfully and nodded, accepting her Executive Officer’s point. “They may see it that way. It isn’t a petty or minor breach, though. She deliberately fired on a helpless enemy. By the Warrior’s Way she was honor bound to protect those lives. Besides, their information was of inestimable value. I don’t know how it happened but the enemy now has a genuine Warrior on their side. I fought her.

“D’saric has breached the Warrior’s Way. That is what defines us. Without it, we cannot understand the basic nature of Conflict. That leaves us no better than animals.”

M’ase, nodded understanding, “I recognize that and honor the Way. Others may not. It is often difficult to remove oneself from one’s feelings and many, even in the higher ranks, have not fully succeeded.”

“True,” Lezon conceded, “but whether they have succeeded in following the Way or not, they must follow the orders of the Empress Triad. They have put into writing this simple directive. ‘Fight the best war that the Way of the Warrior allows.’ D’saric violated that order as well as mine. At the least, those Clanners were to be valuable slaves. My personal booty.”

M’ase shook her head sadly. Warriors like Lezon happened only once in many lifetimes. The problem was that they never seemed to fully understand the deep gulf that lay between them and those that they led.

Her eyes slitted in thought and she nodded to herself. Actually, the other commanders might well respond better to the idea that Lezon’s anger stemmed from a financial loss than the true reason. She determined to let both reasons “slip out” at the next meeting of the Battle Leaders.

M’ase had been honored when the War Leader of the Empress Triad had chosen the Hand of Claws as her flagship. M’ase had no loyalty to anything but the Empire and the Warrior’s Way. Others had felt slighted that the War Leader had not chosen a more impressive ship.

Lezon’s answer to such was simple. “I am a Warrior. I choose to fight at the closest quarters that I can. I can’t do that from inside the armor of a dreadnought.”

M’ase knew the answer for the simple truth. Others, who habitually thought in more subtle terms, saw the answer as an insult to the bravery of the admirals in those dreadnoughts. This was particularly true of those primary admirals who had to take their orders from a “not so simple” combat pilot.

M’ase herself took Lezon’s orders without worry. She knew that if there was one thing that Lezon valued above all else, it was the lives of those that she led. That many would die, Lezon understood perfectly. That no death on either side be wasted in achieving the goals set by her Empresses, was Lezon’s highest aim.

Many otherwise good Warriors simply could not grasp that the lives of the enemy were as precious as the lives of your own. What else could give the Conflict value? D’saric had been one of those who failed to grasp that fundamental principle.

The primary reason that the Hand of Claws had been chosen for Lezon’s flagship, instead of one of the mightier ships was the simple fact that M’ase did understand and honor the principles of the Warrior’s Way. As Lezon’s Executive Officer, she also understood Lezon’s frustration at being denied vital intelligence about her enemy by D’saric’s pettiness. In space battles, captives were scarce. Ones with valuable knowledge were scarcer yet.

Lezon thought deeply about the upcoming engagement at M’onafar. This battle was the true pivot point of her entire campaign. Now there was a new element in the mix. Only superior numbers and luck had enabled the Empire to win here at K’stall. However it had happened, there was a true Warrior on the Clan side now.

She too, was brilliant and unorthodox, just as Lezon was. What unpleasantness could she cook up for the Empire? Something occurred to Lezon. She dispatched the fastest scout ship in the fleet to take a look at C’ustance.

**********

T’cass had not fought the admirals over the best use of the fleets. She had simply offered her analysis of the situation and the best way to deal with it. Seeing resistance to the idea of leaving the Combine Worlds undefended she had stalked from the room, snarling, “M’cratt historians will love your decision.”

To T’cass’ surprise, it was admiral Lusan that caught up with her as she was starting to secure her combat harness for the hop from the Flagship to FC 417, her carrier.

“T’cass, wait!” called admiral Lusan as she came running up to the fighter launch bay. “We still need you to explain those deployments!” She paused by the fighter’s still open canopy.

Looking in, Lusan saw T’cass’ big Warrior’s Knife in it’s sheath. “Why do you always carry that?” she asked. “There’s a perfectly good survival knife in the emergency kit.”

T’cass countered with, “Why do you need me to explain ship deployment? The answer is, I’m a Warrior. You are not. You are a good fighter and nobody questions your courage. Unfortunately, courage is simply not enough when there are true Warriors in the fray.

“I earned the right to make and carry this Warrior’s Knife. K’lass’ School of All Conflict allowed me to have it over a year early. Lezon Treh K’lass is the only other one who graduated from K’lass’ School of All Conflict that early. It is not merely mine, it is of me.”

At once, Lusan said contritely, “I did not mean to offend. The truth is, none of us understands the enemy. You do. We don’t understand you either but we do trust you. It’s just so difficult for us to understand either you or Lezon.

“The K’stall defense was brilliant. Now that we have analyzed it, we have even admitted our errors. If we had fought it as you planned it, it would have been an even better engagement than it was.”

She offered a hand to T’cass who carefully unfastened her harness and dismounted her fighter. “If you have decided to follow my plan, we need to talk to a Treaty Commission representative as soon as possible. It would be best if it was the Feront that we talk to. However it works, what one part of it knows, the rest knows.”

Lusan replied, “That won’t be hard. They’ve moved three of their big fusion ring System Siege vessels into the M’onafar system. Why do you want to talk to them? All that they ever do is watch.”

“It,” corrected T’cass absently. “The Feront is one thing composed of many creatures. That was a key to how Lezon managed to fight it to a standstill and open communication with it. I’ve talked to it before, when I was still in K’lass’ School.”

“About the T.C. watching,” T’cass added tiredly, having been over this so many times before, “the T.C. is simply waiting for a violation. There hasn’t been one yet.”

Lusan wrinkled her brow, causing whiskers to rise as she tried to sort out her companion’s thinking. “We had a peace treaty. I’ve read it. This is a war. The violation is obvious, isn’t it?”

Suddenly T’cass had an idea. Perhaps if she approached the notion with humor, she could get it across. Grinning, she said, “I can’t stand laying down.”

Lusan did chuckle at the old snack of a gag but knew her companion well enough to realize that there was a point in what she said. “So what is your point? Is it the impossibility contained in the statement?”

“Yes. In M’cratt it is impossible to say peace. The very title of the treaty is a logical impossibility like that joke. The translators tried to say, ‘a time of no conflict.’ In M’cratt, absence of conflict is an impossible state. The translation fault, which was the doing of our people, invalidated everything that they tried to say. What they needed to say was ‘a time of conflicts managed for balance.’”

Finally, Lusan got it. “The Department of Clan Affairs isn’t going to like hearing that they brought this mess about by a translation foul-up.”

Tartly, T’cass replied, “Don’t I know it! My mothers were recalled for listening to me and trying to get the treaty fixed. I know all about those dead and decaying snack brains!” As they made their way through the busy corridors of the huge ship, T’cass’ claws half extended in rage at the memory.

Diplomatically Lusan let the matter slide. Instead, Lusan asked something else that had been bothering her. “There is a rumor going around that a Talon escorted you almost to FC 417, during the K’stall battle. Is it true?”

Lusan was utterly taken aback by T’cass’ instant response. “Of course it’s true. We had a good fight going. Neither of us could get any decisive advantage. When I ran out of power for the tachyon battery and all of my missiles were already gone, I rolled my fighter to a submit position. Instead of taking a surrender, my opponent imposed the Obligation of Conflict and saw me safely home. We will fight again, if the Triple Goddess allows, and come to a proper decision as to which is the better Warrior.”

Lusan honestly tried to figure that one out. All that she could think of was to ask incredulously, “You mean that you agreed that one of you will kill the other later?”

T’cass nodded nonchalantly, “Perhaps. If one of us shows a clear superiority, the other will submit and become the student of the winner. That is part of the Way.”

As they entered the War Planning room, Lusan offered, “Perhaps that may be a weakness in that Warrior’s Way thing that the M’cratt put so much stock in. If our fighters could use that maneuver to lure …” It was as far as she got. She had been knocked to the floor and T’cass had her helpless. Lusan was staring into the eyes of death itself, personified in T’cass.

Angrily pronouncing each word separately, T’cass said, “If. I. Ever. Hear. Of. That. You. Will. Die. I. Will. Not. Fight. With. Those. Of. No. Honor.” Mastering her rage slowly, she helped Lusan up. Then she added, “I do not understand you. Clans and M’cratt are the same species. All that separates us is a gulf of thought. Trust me when I say that the Feront is easier for me to understand than you are.”

Sliding her claws back and raising her ears out of the protection of her mane, T’cass glanced about the War Room. She saw shock and fear printed on many faces. Acknowledging the alien ways of the Clans, T’cass ducked her head in apology and said, “Admiral Lusan, I am sorry for this incident.

“Understand, what you proposed is the action of a beast, not a person. If that tactic is tried, every prisoner that the M’cratti hold will be killed as a beast. The only exceptions will be those already taken as personal slaves and thus having a protection as persons under M’cratt law. It will also open up more deadly methods of war between us and make a peace of any sort impossible. The M’cratt will not treat with beasts. They will exterminate them if they feel that they are a danger.”

Admiral F’rufan with forced mildness asked, “Maybe we should know what set you off like that. I don’t think that I want you going for me that way. Was that an unarmed combat style or just anger and fast reflexes?”

“Both,” answered T’cass. “It was a simple V’naris take-down. V’naris is an ancient school of unarmed combat.”

Lusan spoke up, “I suggested doing something that would violate their Warrior’s Way on purpose. I should have remembered that T’cass considers herself a Warrior first and of the Clans only second. She has made the point often enough.” Turning to T’cass, she said, “I accept your apology. I had no idea that my notion could cause so much harm.”

T’cass nodded and said, “Has anybody raised one of those T.C. ships yet? I need to get permission for something from the Feront.”

F’rufan dismissed the notion. “They’ve been trying to contact us. Since they won’t do anything to stop the blatant treaty violations of the M’cratt, I ordered our communications people to ignore them.”

Calmly, T’cass said, “That was stupid. Those three ships by themselves, without backup, have enough firepower to destroy both our fleet and the M’cratt fleet. The M’cratt haven’t broken the treaty. That’s why the T.C. hasn’t acted. It was genius on Lezon’s part to get the Feront into the Treaty Commission. We need them to approve my strategy since it involves deliberate planetary damage.”

Next==>

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to Science Fiction

#CAPTURED BY THE CLANS #Part 1 of 3 #Science Fiction #Written by Glen Ten-Eyck (De Writer)

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samsathya · 5 years

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The U.S. State Department has cleared a potential sale of 24 Lockheed Martin-Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk Romeo multirole maritime helicopters to India.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement “This proposed sale will support the policy and national security of the USA by serving to strengthen the U.S.-Indian strategic relationship and to enhance the protection of a significant defensive partner that continues to be a crucial force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia region”

DSCA added further “The proposed sale will offer India with the potential to perform anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions together with the flexibility to perform secondary missions together with vertical refilling, search and rescue, and communications relay.

Read More- EMISAT: ISRO’s Smart Electronic Spy in Space

India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and strengthen its homeland defence.” State Department said it has informed the U.S Congress about its decision to give green light to the deal.

India had made the request for MH-60R Seahawk last year. The deal is estimated to be worth around $2.6 billion.

Why India is buying 24 Lockheed Martin-Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk Romeo from the U.S?

The rivalry between India and China has been simmering. China has invested heavily on increasing its military might and a lot of focus has been put on expanding its Navy.

It has also been actively pursuing which many experts call the ‘String of Pearls’ strategy. This strategy aims to increase Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean region. The idea is to have Chinese military and commercial facilities along sea lines of communication, that extend from the Chinese land to Port Sudan in the Horn of Africa.

string of pearls china

The sea lines run through many major maritime choke points like the Strait of Mandeb, the Strait of Malacca, the Strait of Hormuz, and therefore the Lombok Strait moreover as alternative strategic maritime centres in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Somalia. MH-60R helicopter is designed for hunting submarines and ships as well as undertaking search-and-rescue operations

Strait of Mandeb

the Strait of Malacca

the Strait of Hormuz

the Lombok Strait

The Indian Navy currently operates 11 Kamov-28 and 17 Sea King ASW helicopters. But these have very limited capability and almost half of them are not flightworthy. The induction of Romeos is vital to fill the capability gap.

Sea King ASW helicopter Indian navy

Kamaov 28 Indian navy

Read More-Meteor Missile-Mirage 2000 – Post Balakot Op

Sikorsky MH-60 Seahawk Features

The Sikorsky MH-60 Seahawk is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission helicopter based on the USA Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The helicopter can fly at a maximum speed of 146 km which is 270 km/h or 168 mph and has a range of 450 nm or 518 mi or 834 km. It has a service ceiling of 12,000 ft or 3,580 m.

Being multirole capable it can handle anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), naval special warfare (NSW) insertion, search and rescue (SAR), combat search and rescue (CSAR), vertical replenishment (VERTREP), and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC).

The helicopter can be deployed from frigate, destroyer, cruiser, fast combat support ship or aircraft carrier. MH-60R that India is going for is one of the several variants of the MH-60 and is nicked named the Romeo. The MH-60R combines the features of the SH-60B and SH-60F.

Offensive mission capability of MH-60R Seahawk include anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface warfare (ASUW), so the weapons are geared mainly for those roles. MH-60R helicopters can carry AGM-114 Hellfires for a strike against small vessels and land targets.

AGM-114 Hellfire missiles

It has a top speed of Mach 1.3 and a range of 5 miles or 8 km. MH-60R helicopters will be armed with MK 54 torpedoes It is Lightweight Hybrid Torpedo developed by Raytheon. It has a speed or more than 40 km or 74.1 km/h. It carries a 96.8 lbs or 44 kg, high-explosive. MH-60R will also have APKWS 70mm laser-guided rockets.

MK 54 torpedoes

It has a max speed of Mach 2.9 and range around 3 miles or 5 km. on the USA Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family.

Read More-Su-57 Export- Russian- Sukhoi Fighter Specs

The MH-60R lacks an anti-ship missile in its traditional configuration. But according to the Defence Security Cooperation Agency, Naval Strike Missile (NSM) will be integrated into India’s MH-60Rs.

naval strike missile (NSM)

NSM is a 5th generation anti-ship missile developed by Norway-based Kongsberg Gruppen and U.S. missile maker Raytheon. The missile has a range of 100 miles or 185 km and is capable of high subsonic speeds. It has sea skim mode by which it travels very close to the surface, making it hard to detect and intercept. It is equipped with a 276 pounds or 125 kg multi-purpose blast/fragmentation warhead.

NSM features an imaging IR-seeker which is complemented by inertial/GPS navigation. The missile also has a built-in database of representative ship types to distinguish between intended targets and other objects. Importantly it can be used as an anti-ship missile as a for taking out land targets.

A strong Indian Navy is essential for India, keeping in view the Chinese activities. Sikorsky MH-60R will certainly add to its capacity. The quick approval of the deal also demonstrates the increasing closeness between India and the U.S.

MH-60R SEAHAWK- For Indian Navy The U.S. State Department has cleared a potential sale of 24 Lockheed Martin-Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk Romeo multirole maritime helicopters to India.

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clusterassets · 6 years

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New world news from Time: ‘We’re Gonna Do What International Law Says We Can Do.’ Aboard the USS Carl Vinson in the South China Sea

Crowned with a giant disc-shaped radar — the captains all call it their “eye in the sky” — the E-2C Hawkeye early warning aircraft is typically one of the first to launch and the last to retire on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson. By day’s end, more than 100 sorties will have been launched and recovered, flying out in all directions over the disputed waters of the South China Sea.

One of America’s longest-serving Nimitz-class carriers, the Vinson is midway through a deployment that has sent its Strike Group One to Hawaii, Guam and the Philippines. The group’s commander, Rear Admiral John Fuller, says his mission is threefold: fortify friendships; maintain stability; keep the sea-lanes open. “A routine event,” he says.

Bu it may not seem routine to China, which defiantly considers most of the sea as its sovereign territory. The Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei all lay claim to parts of the sea, through which nearly a third of global trade passes each year. In 2016, the Philippines won a landmark case in an international tribunal based in the Hague, which ruled that China’s territorial claims had “no legal basis.” Beijing rejected the ruling and continued redrawing the map.

Read more: Inside the International Contest Over the World’s Most Important Waterway

In recent years, what once were tiny reefs in the middle of this maritime highway have been expanded and built by Beijing into insular forts, complete with radar systems and what look like anti-ship missile launchers. According to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, 2017 was a “constructive year” for China in the Spratlys (also claimed by the Philippines) and the Paracels (which Vietnam and Taiwan both say are theirs).

But the U.S. isn’t a claimant, and the crew aboard the Vinson, a 1,092-ft nuclear-powered warship shielded by a guided-missile cruiser, two destroyers and eight aircraft squadrons, insists it isn’t here to pick a fight. This, it seems, is a charm offensive.

It’s oh-six-hundred hours when a voice crackles through the loudspeaker and into the cabins of the roughly 5,300 sailors, civilians and pilots who live aboard the ship, and another day begins on what they call their “floating city.” There’s a simple answer to the question: “What are U.S. sailors doing in the South China Sea?” Yoga. Reading. Eating Pop-Tarts. Praying. Lots and lots of flight practice.

“It’s different when you’re above the islands and you get the bird’s eye view,” says Lt. Abigail Khushf, a 26-year-old helicopter pilot from Houston, Tex. “All the pieces of the picture start coming together.” Her aircraft, the MH-60S Sea Hawk, is optimized to deliver humanitarian assistance and carry out search and rescue operations. She’s in the air three to five times a week, circling over the Spratlys, the Malacca Strait, wherever the flagship takes her.

MCS 2nd Class Sean M. Castellano—U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson transits the Pacific Ocean on Jan. 20, 2018.

“We’re not trying to send a specific message other than we’re exercising our freedom of navigation and really trying to keep the status quo,” says the ship’s Commanding Officer Capt. Douglas Verissimo, whose first port call was 31 years ago in the Philippines, one of America’s oldest allies in Asia. His next will be in Vietnam, where the Vinson will become the first U.S. carrier to visit the country since the war ended more than four decades ago.

So far, these exercises have been unprovocative. The U.S. regularly conducts FONOPS, or freedom of navigation operations, in disputed seas throughout the world. The current deployment hasn’t yet conducted any; FONOPS are a form of navigational protest, whereby a government vessel legally enters an area in which another party has unlawfully declared excessive claims. When and if the U.S. protests a claim, it will be obvious.

“We know where international law says we can operate, and I know where international law says we can’t,” says Fuller, the Strike Group commander, as we sail somewhere east of Woody Island, a Chinese-controlled feature in the Paracels, late last week. “And we’re gonna do what international law says we can do.”

March 02, 2018 at 02:41PM ClusterAssets Inc., https://ClusterAssets.wordpress.com

#Time #world #news #ClusterAssets #ClusterAsset #Cluster Asset Inc.#ClusterAssets Inc.

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itsjoemorganfan-blog · 7 years

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5 TERRIFYING Ways Economic Collapse Will Affect You

[dropcap class=””]H[/dropcap]ope I didn’t scare you too much with my last information about financial collapse. Remember, you are one of the people who is preparing for a disaster to strike. That means that you will be ready when the time comes, although you may be one of the only ones. That should give you some much-needed assurance. You won’t have to go to a FEMA camp with everyone else so that…

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jacknicholson1963 · 7 years

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Royal Navy aircraft carriers – vulnerable or fit for the fight?

There have been frequent suggestions that aircraft carriers are inherently vulnerable and have been rendered obsolete by a new generation of weaponry. Here we look the range of conventional threats the carriers might face in a high-end conflict and how the RN and the Queen Elizabeth Class are configured to deal with them.

The Russians have called the QEC “large and convenient targets”. A cute sound bite that is frequently rehearsed in various forms across the media and helps create the illusion that they are just passive floating airfields, lacking their own offensive power or the ability to defend themselves. Some forget that a prime purpose of the carrier battle group is to go on the offensive and strike in a proactive way, and if necessary to eliminate what may threaten them before it may mount an attack. That said, it would be complacent to think that any aircraft carrier is invulnerable. Recent developments in stealth aircraft, hypersonic and ballistic anti-ship missiles and ultra-quiet submarines are a threat to all surface combatants. Even the mighty US Navy is stretched to cope in this environment, so how much more is the threadbare RN at risk?

On the day HMS Queen Elizabeth arrived in Portsmouth for the first time we met Commodore Andrew Betton, commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group and asked him if he considers the RN can offer the ship adequate protection, particularly if faced with high-level threats. He replied “The maritime task group operates with layers of force protection, some of which is delivered by ships & aircraft. We also have satellite surveillance to support our understanding of what’s around us. We can bring in extra layers of protection when needed. Every deployment of the carrier & structure of task group around will be based on an intelligence assessment of the threat likely to be faced and the operational tasking.” These layers of protection and defensive measures the UK is able to provide the QEC are worth closer examination.

Seven layers of protection

1. Situational awareness

The outer defence of the Carrier Strike Group (CSG) are aircraft such as the P-8A Poseidon’s, satellite imagery, undersea acoustic sensors, and even basic human intelligence could all contribute to this awareness. Depending on the circumstances and the ability to collect this data, this kind of information may be plentiful at times or almost nonexistent on other occasions. History has proven for example, that land-based aircraft, even if dedicated to the task is almost incapable of sustaining round the clock protection or intelligence to naval vessels. It is always extremely challenging to secure and maintain real-time data on distant threats. This works both ways, to attack the CSG from distance, the enemy also needs accurate location data on ships that may cover over 400 nautical miles in 24 hours.

The QEC and some of the RN’s escort ships now benefit from some exceptionally capable new radars. The high-resolution Artisan 3D (Type 997) radar has a range of over 100nm. The carrier’s (Type 1046) S1850M long range air search radar has a range out to 200nm. The large size of the QEC allows the aerials to be mounted high above the waterline, extending the range at which sea-skimmers can be detected.

2. Carrier aircraft

The first active line of defence are the F-35B Lightnings flown from the carrier itself. Able to strike land targets, and intercept aircraft and attack ships that threaten the CSG. A major strength is that the F-35 has exceptional sensors and can be networked with other aircraft to monitor a large area, feed data back to the carrier and respond quickly. A potential weakness here is the un-refuelled combat radius of the F-35B (without drop tanks that compromise stealth and handling) at approximately 500nm.

The Searchwater radar of Crowsnest helicopter has an approximate maximum range of 150nm and operate up to 450nm away from the carrier with sorties lasting up to 4.5 hrs. As the range of anti-ship missiles increases, the combat radius and limited number of aircraft (12-24?) that can be deployed against potential launch platforms become critical.

3a. Area defence (air)

The Principal Anti Air Missile System (PAAMS) carried by the T45 is possibly the best and naval air defence system afloat anywhere in the world and is theoretically capable of detecting and simultaneously engaging multiple aircraft and missiles travelling up to Mach 4. The Sea Viper missiles provide an air defence umbrella that extends out to about 65 nautical miles over the CBG.

Once the propulsion problems have been fully cured by the mid-2020s, with just 6 Type 45s, the RN is likely to be able to assign a maximum of two these destroyers for escorting the CBG. Even if the MoD actually holds sufficient missile stocks for all the T45s to embark a full outfit, they can carry a maximum of 48 and cannot be replenished at sea. One can have great confidence an initial saturation attack would be successfully repelled, but repeated attacks could exhaust limited ammunition quickly. The comparable AEGIS-equipped Arleigh Burke destroyers of the USN can embark up to 96 missiles and the Ticonderoga cruisers up to 122 missiles of various kinds. The US Carrier battle group would typically be escorted by 4-6 of these AEGIS ships. At present, the RN has no ability to destroy ballistic missiles (anti-ship or otherwise) but there is the potential for the RN to buy the Aster Block 1NT for the Type 45 in future.

3b. Area defence (underwater)

Of all the threats to the CBG, the submarine presents the most danger as they become increasingly quiet and hard to detect. Submarines are usually the best means of finding and sinking other submarines. Of the 7 SSNs possessed by the RN, it would be expected that one will be assigned to protect the CBG (The USN typically assigns 2 SSNs to a carrier group). Usually, the SSN will work as a ‘freelancer’, not especially close to the CGB but in the best tactical position to intecerpt and track hostile ships or submarines. The Merlin Mk2 helicopters operating from the deck of the QEC and the escorts are the only other means of prosecuting submarines (unless ASROC missiles are purchased for the Type 26 Frigates). Finding submarines will be the primary job of the Type 23/26 frigates. Their Type 20xx towed array sonar is the usually the best tool for detection at a safe distance away from the CBG. They will then direct the Merlin to the target which can be localised using its FLASH dipping sonar. The escorts all have bow-mounted sonars but detection ranges in both passive and active modes are usually considerably less than that of the towed array, but which time a submarine could be close enough to have achieved a firing position. Unfortunately, despite the quiet electric motors that propel the Type 45, the QEC and the supporting Tide-class RFAs, they all have noisy diesel engines and auxiliary machinery bolted directly to their hulls. Without dampening measures, this radiates noise and vibration into the water which interferes with sonars and may aid enemy submarines in locating the CSG.

The P-8A Poseidons may also be able to contribute to the ASW effort surrounding the carrier, but this would very much depend on the area of operations.

In broad terms area, defence against submarine and air threats is much easier to conduct in the open ocean. It the littorals close to land and in congested and noisy shallower seas, defence of the carrier becomes significantly harder.

3c. Area defence (surface)

A rather obvious gap in the CSG defences is the lack of medium or long range anti-ship missile carried by the RN’s escorts (from 2018 to around 2030 when the FCGWS project may bear fruit). When the Sea Venom missile comes into service the RN will have an excellent weapon for use against fast attack craft or corvettes, but attacking major warships must be delegated to the F-35s or a supporting submarine.

Sea Viper and Sea Ceptor. The ship-launched missile systems key for air defence of the CSG

4. Point defence

Missiles or aircraft that evade the area defences should then encounter the point defence Surface to Air Missile (SAM) systems that protect individual ships or a few ships in close company A point defence SAM would typically have a maximum range of 10-12 nautical miles. The QEC has no point defence system of its own and will entrust this task to its escorting ships. Other navies think differently. The French carrier, Charles de Gaulle is fitted with 16 x Aster 15 SAMs and 2 Sadral SAM launchers. US carriers have both RIM-7 Sea Sparrow SAM and RIM-116 Rolling Airframe SAMs. The new Sea Ceptor SAM fitted to the Type 23/26 frigates looks to be very effective in this role and has significantly greater range than the Sea Wolf system it replaces. The point defence ‘goalkeeping’ mission requires the escort to stay in close touch with the carrier and its arcs of fire may be restricted by the carrier or other ships. At times the frigates may need to operate at some distance away from the carrier in order to deploy towed array sonar and listen for submarines, undisturbed by the self-generated noise of the CSG.

The Type 45 can also provide point defence using its shorter range Aster 15 missiles but the number of ships and available missiles is again the problem. Fitting at least a few Sea Ceptor cells to the QEC would not be especially difficult and this omission has everything to do with saving money and nothing to do with tactical wisdom.

5. Close in weapons systems

The QEC will has a very standard CIWS fit of 3 x 20 mm Block 1B Phallax guns and 4 x 30mm Automated Small Caliber Guns (ASCG). The ubiquitous Phalanx system is used by many navies across the world, is simple and reliable but how it would perform in saturation missile attack is unknown. The ASCGs are cued by electro-optical mounts high on the ship and can be controlled from the ops room. They would probably be very effective against small boat swarm attacks. It is assumed the QEC will also be fitted with a variety of decoy launchers and the Surface Ship Torpedo Defence (SSTD) decoy system. The USN fitting an active variant of SSTD on its carriers that launch mini torpedos to destroy inbound torpedos, rather than just attempt to confuse them.

6. Light weapons and force protection measures

The inner layer of protection consists of a selection of removable M2HB machine guns and Mk44 mini guns on pintle mounts around the ship. On all RN vessels, these weapons are manned on entering or leaving port as protection against attack from small craft or drones. In battle conditions, they may also serve as useful last-ditch defence particularly against aircraft or small boat swarms. Being manually aimed, they are of minimal use against missiles.

7. Damage control and survivability

If the worst happens, the QEC have been carefully designed to withstand significant battle damage. The designers wisely avoided the pressure to reduce costs by cutting corners on construction standards. This kind of protection would be very difficult and expensive to retrofit at a later date and resistance to blast and splinter and flooding provides reassurance that the ship can survive some hits or near misses without catastrophic structural damage and is able to float, move and fight in difficult conditions. The RN is also recognised as a world leader in training its sailors in effective damage control.

Conclusions

This is a whistlestop tour of a very complex subject but this basic assessment shows there are weaknesses that restrict where the QEC could be safely operated without assistance from the US Navy and other NATO nations. By withdrawing from standing commitments, at a stretch, the RN will probably be able to muster 2 destroyers and 3 or 4 frigates to provide sustained escort to the carrier. The QEC and its bare minimum supporting assets do offer the option of mounting an independent British operation but only against a lesser adversary (ie not Russia and certainly not China). Even a ‘Falklands conflict’ style operation would still entail considerable risk, given the slim escort and lack of strength in depth.

No one seriously expects the UK to take on a peer-level opponent alone but beyond the apocalyptic scenario of major state-on-state conflict, the carriers still have huge utility. Even if the RN cannot act independently, the QEC significantly adds to NATO and western naval capability and deterrence which is presently inadequate in the European theatre. The QEC also come with all the other attendant soft-power capabilities such as diplomatic and trade missions, humanitarian and relief operations and the ability to help enforce foreign policy without firing a shot or putting troops on the ground. They are also highly valued by the US who see them as able to plug gaps to relieve pressure on their fleet.

Asked if he expects to operate mostly with coalition warships Cdre Betton said; “Coalition operations are attractive as they spread the burden, and give us a shared authority. But the new carriers are a capability that is sovereign at core and allow us to act unilaterally if we wish”.

from Save the Royal Navy http://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/royal-navy-aircraft-carriers-vulnerable-or-fit-for-the-fight/

#Save the Royal Navy

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