Katana
The Katana is the main fighter craft of the Imperial Defense Force. The vessel is smaller and carried a similar number of armaments, though substantial smaller cannons. It carried a mixed ordnance of anti ship and anti aircraft missiles. The craft is armed with a number of ammo stores, six large and four smaller ones for launching ordnance. There are two under the cockpit and one to each side, by standard mount plasma cannon in the tube and the battery storage for 200 shots in the ammo store, in the segment of each wing where it meets the fuselage it carries a cyclic launcher for TALON missiles and in the wings it carries a number of smaller cyclic launchers for air to air missiles, two in each wing. It also carries its main engines in its fuselage and manoeuvring engines in its wings to give it a more stealthy profile.
The four gunpods can fit a choice of two weaponry. It can fit 40mm railguns, normally found on close in weapon systems. These guns have a cyclic rate of fire of 800 rounds per minute and can cause significant damage to enemy fighters on impact, especially when using a mix of high explosive slugs and armour piercing. The Gunpods could also fit a single plasma cannon, usually used as anti-tank weapons, or anti-starfighter weapons. While these had a long cool down time, they had sufficient firepower to take down a medium fighter in a single shot.
The Katana contains a rudimentary but effective onboard ECM system, utilising a RADAR receiver and jammer to jam and confuse incoming missiles. It operates on strobing frequency jamming, with emissions control, allowing it to provide wide band blanket jamming, without putting itself in overt risk, or blinding other Alesian assets.
The four gunpods can fit a choice of two weaponry. It can fit 40mm railguns, normally found on close in weapon systems. These guns have a cyclic rate of fire of 800 rounds per minute and can cause significant damage to enemy fighters on impact, especially when using a mix of high explosive slugs and armour piercing. The Gunpods could also fit a single plasma cannon, usually used as anti-tank weapons, or anti-starfighter weapons. While these had a long cool down time, they had sufficient firepower to take down a medium fighter in a single shot.
The Katana contains a rudimentary but effective onboard ECM system, utilising a RADAR receiver and jammer to jam and confuse incoming missiles. It operates on strobing frequency jamming, with emissions control, allowing it to provide wide band blanket jamming, without putting itself in overt risk, or blinding other Alesian assets.
Fighter/Electronic Wakizashi
The Fighter/Electronic Wakizashi, is the specialist front line air/space electronic warfare jet. The craft is armed with a number of ordnance bays for launching missile ordnance. There are two under the cockpit and one to each side, by standard mount 40mm rail guns in the tube, in the segment of each wing where it meets the fuselage it carries the electronic warfare pods and in the wings it carries a number of smaller cyclic launchers for air to air missiles, two in each wing. It also carries its main engines in its fuselage and manouvering engines in its wings to give it a more stealthy profile.
The Wakizashi's role is that of electronic air support, intended to protect forces against electronic and cybernetic attack while attempting to attack the enemy's electronic capabilities. It can do this by jamming enemy RADAR, preforming active cancellation of their RADAR, intercepting and jamming radio transmissions, hacking enemy combat systems and jam homing and electronic protection. It can also trace and discover the source of enemy RADAR and radio transmissions, making Wakizashis highly favoured for path finding, armed reconnaissance and the hunting of enemy communication, combat control or electronic warfare craft. Wakizashis are usually deployed with a wing of fighters, than as an individual squadron, usually designated to protect an element of a force in concert with out electronic warfare craft.
The Wakizashi's role is that of electronic air support, intended to protect forces against electronic and cybernetic attack while attempting to attack the enemy's electronic capabilities. It can do this by jamming enemy RADAR, preforming active cancellation of their RADAR, intercepting and jamming radio transmissions, hacking enemy combat systems and jam homing and electronic protection. It can also trace and discover the source of enemy RADAR and radio transmissions, making Wakizashis highly favoured for path finding, armed reconnaissance and the hunting of enemy communication, combat control or electronic warfare craft. Wakizashis are usually deployed with a wing of fighters, than as an individual squadron, usually designated to protect an element of a force in concert with out electronic warfare craft.
Claymore
The Fighter/Interceptor Claymore is Heavy Interceptor Fighter. It is borderline gunboat status, marginly shorter and having the same level shield generator and similar levels of armament. Though not as fast as the Katana, it can easily gun them down with its superior armament and carries a payload capable of dealing heavy damage to unshielded light capital ships.It is slow to turn away, though can easily roll away, but its rear is still open to attack, due to its slow nature. To appease this a quad of 10mm railguns on a rear facing turret were added, with a 180 field of fire in both x and y axis, and could be operated by a gunner with the crew. Alternative, it could be operated by an AI. It carries six weapon bays, allowing it to alternate between interdictor and interceptor centric roles.
The Claymore is commonly used for a mixture of roles, such as long range interdictor escort, being capable of short range slipspace jumps, long range combat patrol, long range combat missions, heavy fighter and bomber interception and mid range strikes against capital ships.
The Claymore is commonly used for a mixture of roles, such as long range interdictor escort, being capable of short range slipspace jumps, long range combat patrol, long range combat missions, heavy fighter and bomber interception and mid range strikes against capital ships.
Interdictor Broadsword
The Interdictor Broadsword is the primary Capital Ship Interdictor craft, designed to deal with short-mid ranged capital ship attack missions. The craft is naturally stealthy in design and is made to slip relatively unnoticed by RADAR under a ships detection and countermeasures suite and then launch a barrage of close range missiles into into it, causing serious harm then escaping by using its superior speed. The craft is fast, though slightly slower than the Sabre.
The plasma propulsion engines have been replaced by a second set of X-13 series engines. As a result, it is slightly slower in exoatmospheric conditions, but faster in atmosphere, as well as more power efficient. Despite its vast straight line speed, it is also incredibly agile, making use of multi-axis thrust vectoring, canards and multiple control surfaces and micro thrusters, allowing it to attain super manoeuvrability in and out of atmosphere. The Broadsword's role is high speed threat-response against capital ships, being able to carry enough payload to incur significant shield drain to a warship, or damage to a unshielded warship. The Broadsword is fast and stealthy, often representing the 'first wave' of exoatmospheric attack on a capital ship. It is often used as their 'first response' in a planetary attack scenario, focusing on landing craft and warships attempting to land in atmosphere, allowing them to engage and destroy them before they can start landing troops.
The plasma propulsion engines have been replaced by a second set of X-13 series engines. As a result, it is slightly slower in exoatmospheric conditions, but faster in atmosphere, as well as more power efficient. Despite its vast straight line speed, it is also incredibly agile, making use of multi-axis thrust vectoring, canards and multiple control surfaces and micro thrusters, allowing it to attain super manoeuvrability in and out of atmosphere. The Broadsword's role is high speed threat-response against capital ships, being able to carry enough payload to incur significant shield drain to a warship, or damage to a unshielded warship. The Broadsword is fast and stealthy, often representing the 'first wave' of exoatmospheric attack on a capital ship. It is often used as their 'first response' in a planetary attack scenario, focusing on landing craft and warships attempting to land in atmosphere, allowing them to engage and destroy them before they can start landing troops.
Spear
The Spear is the long range Interdictor. The craft is primarily designed to carrying large amounts of ordnance over long ranges to be deployed against enemy forces. The craft is slip space capable so it can make short jaunts across close systems, allowing it to operate from a launch position in friendly or neutral space and launch a bombing run and return safely. It is supported by this by being capable of both defending itself from enemy fighters and survive enemy CIWS defences and AAA Systems to deliver devastating payloads, carrying 50% more ordnance than that of the smaller Broadsword. The Spear, despite its size, is surprisingly fast, though not agile, meaning it can keep up with vessels such as the broadsword in bombing runs and deliver heavy fire. To defend itself, it mounts three remote weapon stations, using twin linked rail guns and a quad railgun on the rear turret. One is mounted on the tail, on the back of the flight cabin and one under the cabin and the RADAR. These defensive guns have their own tracking RADAR, LIDAR, optical sensor, infra-red sensor and magnetic array.
The Spear carries six bomb bays, in two rows of three, allowing it to carry an ungodly amount of munition. It can carry carry 144 small diameter bombs, 48 1000lb bombs, 36 2000lb bombs, a number of cruise missiles or even a pair of high yield bombs, or large cruise missiles. It can alternately be fitted with rotary launch bays, that restrict the amount of ordnance it can launch at once, but allow it to carry more ordnance, with greater variety. It can fit four external heavy pylons, that allow it to significantly increase its ordnance payload at the cost of stealth, giving it the option to carry more bombs, missiles or nuclear warheads externally. These external pylons can also mount drones for close in defence against interceptors, or for forward suppression of enemy air defences, reconnaissance or battle damage assessment. It also mounts a pair of medium pylons on either side of the fuselage, for defensive missiles against ground and air targets.
The Spear, due to its size requires either a run way or capturing equipment to return to its carrier. It is fitted with two large, extremely powerful engines, featuring mutli-axis thrust vectoring, divertless engine inserts, triple redundant flight systems, and variable sweep wings, allowing it to fit inside smaller spaces of warship interiors and expand the wings at launch to allow greater manoeuvrability and lift. The twin wing tails also fold in to allow decreased room.
The Spear carries six bomb bays, in two rows of three, allowing it to carry an ungodly amount of munition. It can carry carry 144 small diameter bombs, 48 1000lb bombs, 36 2000lb bombs, a number of cruise missiles or even a pair of high yield bombs, or large cruise missiles. It can alternately be fitted with rotary launch bays, that restrict the amount of ordnance it can launch at once, but allow it to carry more ordnance, with greater variety. It can fit four external heavy pylons, that allow it to significantly increase its ordnance payload at the cost of stealth, giving it the option to carry more bombs, missiles or nuclear warheads externally. These external pylons can also mount drones for close in defence against interceptors, or for forward suppression of enemy air defences, reconnaissance or battle damage assessment. It also mounts a pair of medium pylons on either side of the fuselage, for defensive missiles against ground and air targets.
The Spear, due to its size requires either a run way or capturing equipment to return to its carrier. It is fitted with two large, extremely powerful engines, featuring mutli-axis thrust vectoring, divertless engine inserts, triple redundant flight systems, and variable sweep wings, allowing it to fit inside smaller spaces of warship interiors and expand the wings at launch to allow greater manoeuvrability and lift. The twin wing tails also fold in to allow decreased room.
Shortsword
The Shortsword is a intelligently designed bomber aircraft, focusing on being able to go between tactical and strategic missions, including high altitude missions and close range, low support bombing missions. To do this it focuses on a large flight body focused around the forward cabin, bomb bay, two main engines then the wide wings with vectored thrust engines. This format allows it to preform high altitude missions and even travel transatmospherically but also loiter at vary altitudes with some degree of agility. Its wing tip mounted vectored thrust engines are rocket engines while the main engines can vary between ramjet and rocket modes, like many engines. The newer engine adjustments allow it to supercruise at mach 2. The Shortsword can be accelerated to Mach 11 through full setting the engines to scramjet mode and engaging afterburners.
The variable bomb bay can take a wide variety of mission selective bomb ordnance, including a wide variety of general purpose, bunker busters, high accuracy, cluster, special objective and high power bombs and ordnance. This gives it the ability to spread untold amounts of destruction in its wake. With its bomb bay, it can alternate between nearly 200 small diameter bombs, a wide variety of 500 and 1000 lb bombs, 24 2000lb bombs, a number of cruise missiles, or a single large bomb. As an alternate, it can carry rotary launchers, allowing a wider range of ordnancne at the cost of drop speed, allowing it to focus on a more tactical role. The Shortsword can vary between operating as a Strategic Bomber, with the ability to carpet bomb a wide area, focus on more of a Tactical role with selective guided munitions or outfit itself as a bomb truck, with a number of cruise missiles and air to ground missiles. The Shortsword can even carry a single long range nuclear missile. Externally it has two heavy pylons, for mounting large bombs, cruise missiles, even nuclear weapons, or mounting drones for close in defence against interceptors, or for suppression of enemy air defence, reconnaissance or battle damage assessment. It also has two medium pylons for mounting defensive missiles against interceptors.
The variable bomb bay can take a wide variety of mission selective bomb ordnance, including a wide variety of general purpose, bunker busters, high accuracy, cluster, special objective and high power bombs and ordnance. This gives it the ability to spread untold amounts of destruction in its wake. With its bomb bay, it can alternate between nearly 200 small diameter bombs, a wide variety of 500 and 1000 lb bombs, 24 2000lb bombs, a number of cruise missiles, or a single large bomb. As an alternate, it can carry rotary launchers, allowing a wider range of ordnancne at the cost of drop speed, allowing it to focus on a more tactical role. The Shortsword can vary between operating as a Strategic Bomber, with the ability to carpet bomb a wide area, focus on more of a Tactical role with selective guided munitions or outfit itself as a bomb truck, with a number of cruise missiles and air to ground missiles. The Shortsword can even carry a single long range nuclear missile. Externally it has two heavy pylons, for mounting large bombs, cruise missiles, even nuclear weapons, or mounting drones for close in defence against interceptors, or for suppression of enemy air defence, reconnaissance or battle damage assessment. It also has two medium pylons for mounting defensive missiles against interceptors.
Bokken
The Bokken is a super fast recon jet. Its the fastest air/spacecraft in production and features a slipspace drive, a high power engine with good fuel efficiency and a wide range of stealth systems, such as RADAR absorbent paint, LASER absorbent laminates, thermal-optical camouflage, thermal cooling, cyrogenic engine bleeders and RADAR resistant shape.
It features a powerful multidirectional AESA RADAR with SAR capable operations, a high power optical camera, with recording capacity, capable of reading a man's newspaper from orbit, a high power IR sensor, ELNIT gathering systems, ECM systems for protection from incoming missiles, 5Mine Dispenser system and Countermeasure launchers and enough speed to out run the majority of missile systems. It also features two signals receivers.
The Bokken is used for gathering of intelligence against airborne, ground based and spaceborne targets, capable of gathering intelligence on movement, capabilities,transmissions, all the while relaying these in real time to the War Net. It can also observe weather patterns, analyse wind samples for chemical, biological, nuclear or radiological threats and preform geographic, and geomagnetic mapping.
It features a powerful multidirectional AESA RADAR with SAR capable operations, a high power optical camera, with recording capacity, capable of reading a man's newspaper from orbit, a high power IR sensor, ELNIT gathering systems, ECM systems for protection from incoming missiles, 5Mine Dispenser system and Countermeasure launchers and enough speed to out run the majority of missile systems. It also features two signals receivers.
The Bokken is used for gathering of intelligence against airborne, ground based and spaceborne targets, capable of gathering intelligence on movement, capabilities,transmissions, all the while relaying these in real time to the War Net. It can also observe weather patterns, analyse wind samples for chemical, biological, nuclear or radiological threats and preform geographic, and geomagnetic mapping.
Xiphos
The Xiphos is an air frame that is designed to simultaneously support battle management for air forces, ground forces, act as early Space/Airborne Early Warning and observation.
The Xiphos mounts two RADARs. One is a active electronically scanned array held in a radome above the fuselage, capable of covering a area of around 120,000 kilometers, far outside the range of every combat aircraft in the arsenal of every faction and even most warships, making its RADAR capacities on par with carriers. This RADAR can detect incoming aircraft far outside of missile range and its RADAR can be used to direct both air and ground RADAR homing missile systems to their targets. It can also pick up even well hidden air and ground emitters, allowing it to act as jam homing as well. The second is a ground facing RADAR to has a Ground Moving Target indication, fixed target indicator and synthetic aperture RADAR modes. This can cover around 113,000 kilometers and track up to 9000 ground targets. In support of all this, it can gather a variety of intelligence, usually signals/electronic intelligence, from enemy space, air, ground and sea based systems, being capable of intercepting, translating and tracking a variety of signals in the electromagnetic spectrum and gather its own composite imagery intelligence, from a mixture of aerial photographs taken with one of the two on board telescoping cameras (one produces full colour optical photos, the other produces thermal images) and ground reading RADAR outputs.
The Xiphos' primary role is battle management, and through its two RADARs can provide real time intelligence for infantry on the ground, allowing forces on the ground to patch into its intelligence gathering systems to provide increased situation awareness or guide naval fire, air engagement, air bombardment or ground based artillery systems. By using a mixture of visual and electronic observation gear, mixed with IFF signalling, and threat analysis, they can determine what kind of enemy forces are travelling in which direction and what speed and how many and rely this to friendly units. From its position at a Low Earth Orbit at 90 kilometres above the action (or at the boundary of the Thermosphere). It can provide aerial battle management, increasing situational awareness for aircraft, added stealth by allowing them to turn off their RADARs, increased range and increased terminal guidance, by feeding telemetry data to missiles. It is also a vital instrument in suppression of enemy air defences operations, being able to detect, designate and jam enemy RADAR instruments.
Its well shielded, studded with point defence lasers and has a highly stealthy design, which is compounded by advance Electronic Warfare and Counter Warfare systems along with stealthy design and active camouflage. As a result, even when operating at full capacity, it can be difficult to locate, visually and technically. When its systems are off line and its 'running silent' it is near impossible to detect.
The Xiphos mounts two RADARs. One is a active electronically scanned array held in a radome above the fuselage, capable of covering a area of around 120,000 kilometers, far outside the range of every combat aircraft in the arsenal of every faction and even most warships, making its RADAR capacities on par with carriers. This RADAR can detect incoming aircraft far outside of missile range and its RADAR can be used to direct both air and ground RADAR homing missile systems to their targets. It can also pick up even well hidden air and ground emitters, allowing it to act as jam homing as well. The second is a ground facing RADAR to has a Ground Moving Target indication, fixed target indicator and synthetic aperture RADAR modes. This can cover around 113,000 kilometers and track up to 9000 ground targets. In support of all this, it can gather a variety of intelligence, usually signals/electronic intelligence, from enemy space, air, ground and sea based systems, being capable of intercepting, translating and tracking a variety of signals in the electromagnetic spectrum and gather its own composite imagery intelligence, from a mixture of aerial photographs taken with one of the two on board telescoping cameras (one produces full colour optical photos, the other produces thermal images) and ground reading RADAR outputs.
The Xiphos' primary role is battle management, and through its two RADARs can provide real time intelligence for infantry on the ground, allowing forces on the ground to patch into its intelligence gathering systems to provide increased situation awareness or guide naval fire, air engagement, air bombardment or ground based artillery systems. By using a mixture of visual and electronic observation gear, mixed with IFF signalling, and threat analysis, they can determine what kind of enemy forces are travelling in which direction and what speed and how many and rely this to friendly units. From its position at a Low Earth Orbit at 90 kilometres above the action (or at the boundary of the Thermosphere). It can provide aerial battle management, increasing situational awareness for aircraft, added stealth by allowing them to turn off their RADARs, increased range and increased terminal guidance, by feeding telemetry data to missiles. It is also a vital instrument in suppression of enemy air defences operations, being able to detect, designate and jam enemy RADAR instruments.
Its well shielded, studded with point defence lasers and has a highly stealthy design, which is compounded by advance Electronic Warfare and Counter Warfare systems along with stealthy design and active camouflage. As a result, even when operating at full capacity, it can be difficult to locate, visually and technically. When its systems are off line and its 'running silent' it is near impossible to detect.
Ark
The Ark is a heavy dropship, used to transport infantry, vehicles and materials in bulk. The Dropship is atmosphere and space capable, with VTOL capabilities and its own slipspace drive, intended to act as a inter-system transport. The Ark has three internally linked decks, with separate docking points. The Ark's unfilled interior is cavernous and can, at maximum, hold five full Companies, plus their associated equipment, usually in the eight modular cargo pods slung underneath its bow. Ark are well protected, with numerous countermeasure launchers, mine dispensers, a shielding generator and point defence LASERs, allowing it to at least fend off moderate attacks. However, being such a large target, it is rendered vulnerable to capital ship strikes, which is why its often relegated to dropping and supply positions far to the rear. The Ark is the most popular strategic space lifter in Alesia, being used to transport a variety materials, including armoured fighting vehicles, logistical supplies, building materials, even starship components. Its also commonly used to transport personnel between basis, into orbit for navy rendezvous or to bring reinforcements contested worlds, under escort, being kept far away from hostile forces and under close guard.