In 3004, the Khans of Clan Snow Raven requested that their Scientists begin design work on a new Frigate to replace the old (and increasing difficult-to-maintain) Congress-class vessels. Intended not only for their Touman, the new Frigate (designated as the Constellation-class) would be made available to all of the Clans of Kerensky . . . for a price.
Design work began at the Lum Naval Yards in early 3005 with the project engineers, technicians, and supervising Warriors reviewing past SLDF design concepts as well as existing and extinct vessels. From the start, the Scientists were adamant that the new vessel should be lighter in weight than the old Congress, ideally massing under 700,000 tons. This was done to accommodate the docking slips and repair docks of every Clan . . . several of whom possessed facilities capable of servicing vessels of no more than 700 kilotons displacement.
The Warriors grudgingly agreed, but insisted that the new vessels should mount a sizeable battery of standard-scale weaponry to deter hostile Aerospace and OmniFighters, as well as Assault DropShips. The technicians pointed out that this would require either vast amounts of tonnage devoted to fire control systems OR put a hard upper limit on the number of capital-scale weapons able to be mounted. The Warriors accepted that, and a very heavy battery of standard-scale weapon was added to the computer simulation. As the techs had predicted, few slots were left in the fire control systems, and soon enough there was a great debate over what types of weapons to mount.
One faction was determined to see a heavy battery of Naval Autocannon . . . but that was too similar to the Congress that the Constellation was replacing. A second wanted to mount massed Capital Missile Launchers, ala the all-but-extinct Quixote . . . but the cost of the capital missiles and limited damage capacity (with conventional warheads, at least) soon made the project team search for other answers. Finally, the design team managed to agree on a mixture of Naval Lasers (thirty-four 55cm Naval Lasers, to be exact) distributed in four-gun batteries to the flanks and five-gun batteries fore-and-stern. To match the engagement range of the NL-55s and increase firepower without straining the cooling system or power generators, a young Scientist suggested adding a Medium-caliber Naval Gauss Rifle to all six locations along the flanks . . . more than doubling the damage potential of the design. Each M-NGR was provided with 20 tons of ammunition allowing for 50 shots apiece before exhausting the magazines.
The secondary battery was finalized rapidly and consisted of identical arrays in all eight facings: three LRM-15 launchers with Artemis IV (with 240 tons total of ammunition), four Large Pulse Lasers, five Medium Pulse Lasers, and three LB-20X autocannons (also with 240 tons of ammunition).
With the weaponry finalized, the Warriors left the Scientists and Technicians to proceed on the actual design. Over the course of the next two years, the project team worked day-and-night until they were finally ready to submit their design to the Khans.
The Constellation would mass 680,000 tons . . . the same as existing Lola III-class Destroyers. Lighter engines would be utilized, however, providing the new Frigate with slightly reduced acceleration capabilities: a safe thrust of 1.5-g's and a maximum thrust of 2.5-g's. The internal structure was reduced as well, but supported 710 tons of lamellar ferro-carbide armor plating; this heavy armor protection exceeded that of any known prior class of Frigate (or Destroyer, for that matter).
Lithium-fusion batteries were to be installed, along with a ship-board HPG for maintaining communications. Two docking collars were specified and included on the plans as well. The parasite complement was to consist of a Binary of Aerospace or OmniFighters, along with a full Star of small craft. Unlike older SLDF vessels, the Constellation included dedicated quarters for the pilots and techs of the same size and amenities as the ship's crew. Likewise, a Binary of battle-armor equipped Elemental Marine infantry was provided for . . . and all primary and secondary access-ways and corridors were sized to allow their passage. Tertiary passages and connecting ladders were only large enough to allow for PA(L) equipped Elementals, rather than full-sized Battle Armor, but still this was a dramatic difference between the new Frigate design and older vessels.
The crew would consist of forty-two officers, sixty gunners, and one-hundred thirty-nine crewmen, in addition to the fifty Elementals and ninety pilots and technicians assigned to flight operations. Three hundred and eighty-one personnel all told. The project team also included first-class staterooms for up to fifty passengers and standard second-class staterooms for another one hundred and sixty-nine. Life support, food provisions, and water stowage was assigned in sufficient quantities to accommodate the full six hundred personnel and passengers for up to one standard year before requiring resupply operations. Two 115-meter diameter grav decks were also installed to allow the crew and passengers to maintain their physical conditioning and health. Although abandoning a vessel is a subject seldom spoken of in public, the Raven Khans were impressed that the project team included sufficient escape boats to evacuate the entire crew and passenger complement.
Fuel stores consisted of 14,425 tons, allowing the Constellation to accelerate at 1-g for up to 365 days before depleting her onboard tanks. Considered excessive by many critics after the design was unveiled, the additional fuel bunkers were well-designed and equipped with automated fire-suppression systems as well as relief valves and lines that allowed for any specific fuel tank to be dumped, its contents dispersed to vacuum.
Cargo stowage was rated at 68,000 tons . . . a full 10% of the ship's displacement. In addition, the new design would carry onboard another 34,000 tons of spare parts, putting the total cargo fraction at a hefty 15%.
Impressed by the final submission, the Raven Khans accepted it and showered all members of the project team with honors and gifts (although the supervising Warriors received the most lavish and the lowly Technicians the least, of course).
In March of 3008, construction began on CSR Constellation at the Lum Naval Yards. Three years later, in May of 3011, she underwent space-trials on her own power. Observers from all Clans were on-hand to witness her performance and within weeks the Raven Khans had received orders for nearly a dozen of these well-found little WarShips.
AeroTech 2 Vessel Technical Readout
VALIDATED
Class/Model/Name: Constellation (Frigate)
Tech: Clan / 3057
Vessel Type: WarShip
Rules: Level 2, Custom design
Rules Set: AeroTech2
Mass: 680,000 tons
Hull: AlumaShield MX
K-F Drive System: KF King III
Length: 653 meters
Sail Diameter: 1,100 meters
Power Plant: Rolls LeFay Standard
Safe Thrust: 3
Maximum Thrust: 5
Armor Type: Boeing D-Span Lamellor Ferro-carbide
Armament:
34 NL55
24 LRM 15+ArtIV
32 Large Pulse Laser
40 Medium Pulse Laser
24 LB 20-X AC
6 Medium N-Gauss
Manufacturer: Boeing Interstellar
Communications System: ViaComm 248
Targeting & Tracking System: Delta Trac-VII
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Class/Model/Name: Constellation (Frigate)
Mass: 680,000 tons
Equipment: Mass
Power Plant, Drive & Control: 122,400.00
Thrust: Safe Thrust: 3
Maximum Thrust: 5
Kearny-Fuchida Hyperdrive: Compact (Integrity = 14) 307,700.00
Lithium Fusion Battery 6,800.00
Jump Sail (Detachable): (Integrity = 4) 64.00
Structural Integrity: 55 37,400.00
Total Heat Sinks: 1,862 Double 1,323.00
Fuel & Fuel Pumps: 14,714.00
Bridge, Controls, Radar, Computer & Attitude Thrusters: 1,700.00
Fire Control Computers: .00
Food & Water: (365 days supply) 1,095.00
Hyperpulse Generator: 50.00
Armor Type: Lamellor Ferro-carbide (817 total armor pts) 710.00
Capital Scale Armor Pts
Location: L / R
Fore: 142
Fore-Left/Right: 142/142
Aft-Left/Right: 142/142
Aft: 107
Cargo:
Bay 1: Fighters (20) with 4 doors 3,000.00
Bay 2: Small Craft (10) with 2 doors 2,000.00
Bay 3: Cargo (1) with 4 doors 68,000.00
DropShip Capacity: 2 Docking Hardpoints 2,000.00
Grav Decks #1 - 2: (115-meter diameter) 200.00
Escape Pods: 100 (7 tons each) 700.00
Crew and Passengers:
42 Officers (42 minimum) 420.00
139 Crew (139 minimum) 973.00
60 Gunners (60 minimum) 420.00
50 1st Class Passengers 500.00
169 2nd Class Passengers 1,183.00
50 Marine Battle Armor Troopers/Elementals 350.00
90 Bay Personnel .00
Weapons and Equipment Loc SRV MRV LRV ERV Heat Mass
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5 NL55 Nose 28 28 28 28 425 5,500.00
3 LRM 15+ArtIV(240 rounds) Nose 4(36) 4(36) 4(36) -- 15 43.50
4 Large Pulse Laser Nose 4(40) 4(40) 4(40) -- 40 24.00
5 Medium Pulse Laser Nose 4(35) 4(35) -- -- 20 10.00
3 LB 20-X AC(150 rounds) Nose 4(36) 4(36) -- -- 18 66.00
4 NL55 FL/R 22 22 22 22 680 8,800.00
1 Medium N-Gauss(50 rounds)FL/R 25 25 25 25 30 11,040.00
3 LRM 15+ArtIV(240 rounds) FL/R 4(36) 4(36) 4(36) -- 30 87.00
4 Large Pulse Laser FL/R 4(40) 4(40) 4(40) -- 80 48.00
5 Medium Pulse Laser FL/R 4(35) 4(35) -- -- 40 20.00
3 LB 20-X AC(150 rounds) FL/R 4(36) 4(36) -- -- 36 132.00
4 NL55 L/RBS 22 22 22 22 680 8,800.00
1 Medium N-Gauss(50 rounds)L/RBS 25 25 25 25 30 11,040.00
3 LRM 15+ArtIV(240 rounds) L/RBS 4(36) 4(36) 4(36) -- 30 87.00
4 Large Pulse Laser L/RBS 4(40) 4(40) 4(40) -- 80 48.00
5 Medium Pulse Laser L/RBS 4(35) 4(35) -- -- 40 20.00
3 LB 20-X AC(150 rounds) L/RBS 4(36) 4(36) -- -- 36 132.00
4 NL55 AL/R 22 22 22 22 680 8,800.00
1 Medium N-Gauss(50 rounds)AL/R 25 25 25 25 30 11,040.00
3 LRM 15+ArtIV(240 rounds) AL/R 4(36) 4(36) 4(36) -- 30 87.00
4 Large Pulse Laser AL/R 4(40) 4(40) 4(40) -- 80 48.00
5 Medium Pulse Laser AL/R 4(35) 4(35) -- -- 40 20.00
3 LB 20-X AC(150 rounds) AL/R 4(36) 4(36) -- -- 36 132.00
5 NL55 Aft 28 28 28 28 425 5,500.00
3 LRM 15+ArtIV(240 rounds) Aft 4(36) 4(36) 4(36) -- 15 43.50
4 Large Pulse Laser Aft 4(40) 4(40) 4(40) -- 40 24.00
5 Medium Pulse Laser Aft 4(35) 4(35) -- -- 20 10.00
3 LB 20-X AC(150 rounds) Aft 4(36) 4(36) -- -- 18 66.00
1 Lot Spare Parts (5.00%) 34,000.00
90 Bay Personnel Quarters 630.00
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TOTALS: Heat: 3,724 680,000.00
Tons Left: .00
Calculated Factors:
Total Cost: 12,067,621,400 C-Bills
Battle Value: 119,705
Cost per BV: 100,811.34
Weapon Value: 65,493 (Ratio = .55)
Damage Factors: SRV = 4,217; MRV = 4,055; LRV = 2,668; ERV = 975
Maintenance: Maintenance Point Value (MPV) = 359,588
(48,330 Structure, 183,170 Life Support, 128,088 Weapons)
Support Points (SP) = 535,275 (149% of MPV)
BattleForce2: Not applicable
