Author Topic: Kiev Class Battle Carrier  (Read 2088 times)

marauder648

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Kiev Class Battle Carrier
« on: 17 June 2018, 10:21:53 »

As part of General Rebecca Fredasa’s New Arms Order the Sovietskii Soyuz class began production in 2735 and quickly moved to mass production in 2738.  Designed from the onset to be simple to manufacture and repair, multiple parts of the ship could be built at different yards with the sections being mated together at a yard to be completed.  This modular construction allowed the cruiser to be built in large numbers and meant it was easy to repair and upgrade.

This modular nature was noted by some Admirals who pushed for a more flexible fleet, citing that the Sovietskii Soyuz when compared to its predecessors, the Avatar and Aegis was comparatively under-gunned for a ship its size.  The disagreement became public and then political with the yards (and Politicians) at Caph offering several modified versions of the class.  The first, the ‘Sovremenny’ was a direct upgrade of the classes firepower to make them a more formidable design, the second was the Kiev class carrier.

The main change to the Kiev class was a significantly altered central core section to the ship which reduced the rather graceful ‘cobra hood’ of the forward section of the ship to a more truncated wedge. This considerably increased the ships internal space, as did the additional widening of the midships and side sections.  A pair of 200-meter grav-decks were wrapped round the jump-drive and the original weapons load was significantly altered.  The heavy autocannons were removed, as were the particle cannons, whilst additional triple mountings for 45cm lasers were installed along the ships flanks, bow and stern.  The missile battery was also augmented with the installation of extra silo’s for Barracuda missiles and their ammunition storage was considerably increased.

An extensive array of particle cannons, lasers and missiles were also installed for anti-fighter defences as well as small pulse lasers to engage hostile missile strikes.  These changes (as well as the installation of a 35-meter long ‘plug’ amidships to increase the ships length) all freed up considerable internal volume and allowed for the fitting of a trio of hangars, each capable of holding 24 fighters of all sizes giving the ship a total of 72 fighters onboard. A smaller sub-hanger is used to dock ten small craft, usually a mix of in-flight refuelling, SAR, and stores delivery craft as well as a few EW shuttles.  The quarters for the flight crews was oversized, and at full load a Kiev class could carry an additional full flight crew for her fighters and shuttles to allow for high-tempo operations. 

Due to the new hull layout the DropShip capacity was halved, with the two collars relocated on the dorsal hull of the ship to reduce interference between the hangar launch bay doors and any obstructions.  The removal of the energy hungry particle cannons and many of the systems associated with weapon usage was reallocated to the engines which were also refitted with the original drives being replaced with those found on the Luxor class.  The result was a considerably higher thrust rating with the ship being able to sustain a maximum of 2.5g of thrust.

Unfortunately these changes were so significant that they could not be simply worked into the current design, unlike the Sovremenny class, and instead the Kiev sections had to be built specifically for that sub-class.  There was also wrangling over the distribution of the design and several complaints about the additional strain it would put on the SLDF’s fighter academies.  But despite this, and with considerable political support the Kiev was authorised for production.  And of the Sovetskii Soyuz class, for every six cruisers built, a carrier was also constructed with sixty-six in construction at the start of the Amaris crisis.

General Kerensky took the survivors with him into his exodus and none remained in the Inner Sphere until the SLS Bon Homme Richard was salvaged by House Davion with the ship later being destroyed during the Second Succession War after only spending eight months under Davion colours.

Code: [Select]
Class/Model/Name: Kiev Class Battle Carrier
Tech: Inner Sphere
Ship Cost: $9,027,740,000.00
Magazine Cost: $12,840,000.00
BV2: 28,061

Mass: 830,000
K-F Drive System: Compact
Power Plant: Maneuvering Drive

Safe Thrust: 3
Maximum Thrust: 5

Armor Type: Improved Ferro-Aluminum

Armament:

2 Capital Launcher Killer Whale
10 Capital Launcher Barracuda
21 Naval Laser 45
24 LRM 20 (IS)
16 PPC
16 Laser Large Pulse (IS)
16 Laser Medium
24 Laser Small Pulse (IS)

Class/Model/Name: Kiev Class Battle Carrier

Mass: 830,000

Equipment: Mass

Drive: 149,400.00
Thrust
Safe: 3
Maximum: 5
Controls: 2,075.00
K-F Hyperdrive: Compact (18 Integrity) 375,575.00
Jump Sail: (5 Integrity) 72.00
Structural Integrity: 80 66,400.00
Total Heat Sinks: 1091(2182) Double 500.00
Fuel & Fuel Pumps: 18750 points 7,650.00
Fire Control Computers: 93.34

Armor: 497 pts Improved Ferro-Aluminum 828.00

Fore: 74
Fore-Left/Right: 88/88
Aft-Left/Right: 88/88
Aft: 71

Dropship Capacity: 2 2,000.00
Grav Decks:
Small: 0
Medium: 2 200.00
Large: 0
Escape Pods: 60 420.00
Life Boats: 50 350.00

Crew And Passengers:

46 Officers in Steerage Quarters 230.00
165 Crew in Steerage Quarters 825.00
55 Gunners and Others in Steerage Quarters 275.00
194 Bay Personnel
224 (194 Pilots, 30 Marines.) 1,120.00


# Weapons Loc Heat Damage Range Mass

2 Capital Launcher Killer Whale Nose 40 80 (8-C) Extreme-C 300.00
2 Capital Launcher Barracuda Nose 20 40 (4-C) 180.00
4 Laser Large Pulse (IS) Nose 40 36 (3.6-C) 28.00
4 PPC Nose 40 40 (4-C) 28.00
8 Laser Medium Nose 24 40 (4-C) 8.00
3 Laser Small Pulse (IS) Nose 6 9 (0.9-C) 3.00

3 Naval Laser 45 FL 210 135 (13.5-C) 2,700.00
2 Capital Launcher Barracuda FL 20 40 (4-C) 180.00
4 LRM 20 (IS) FL 24 48 (4.8-C) 40.00
3 Laser Small Pulse (IS) FL 6 9 (0.9-C) 3.00

3 Naval Laser 45 FR 210 135 (13.5-C) 2,700.00
2 Capital Launcher Barracuda FR 20 40 (4-C) 180.00
4 LRM 20 (IS) FR 24 48 (4.8-C) 40.00
3 Laser Small Pulse (IS) FR 6 9 (0.9-C) 3.00

3 Naval Laser 45 LBS 210 135 (13.5-C) 2,700.00
3 Naval Laser 45 LBS 210 135 (13.5-C) 2,700.00
4 PPC LBS 40 40 (4-C) 28.00
4 Laser Large Pulse (IS) LBS 40 36 (3.6-C) 28.00
3 Laser Small Pulse (IS) LBS 6 9 (0.9-C) 3.00

3 Naval Laser 45 RBS 210 135 (13.5-C) 2,700.00
3 Naval Laser 45 RBS 210 135 (13.5-C) 2,700.00
4 PPC RBS 40 40 (4-C) 28.00
4 Laser Large Pulse (IS) RBS 40 36 (3.6-C) 28.00
3 Laser Small Pulse (IS) RBS 6 9 (0.9-C) 3.00

2 Capital Launcher Barracuda AL 20 40 (4-C) 180.00
4 LRM 20 (IS) AL 24 48 (4.8-C) 40.00
4 LRM 20 (IS) AL 24 48 (4.8-C) 40.00
3 Laser Small Pulse (IS) AL 6 9 (0.9-C) 3.00

2 Capital Launcher Barracuda AR 20 40 (4-C) 180.00
4 LRM 20 (IS) AR 24 48 (4.8-C) 40.00
4 LRM 20 (IS) AR 24 48 (4.8-C) 40.00
3 Laser Small Pulse (IS) AR 6 9 (0.9-C) 3.00

3 Naval Laser 45 Aft 210 135 (13.5-C) 2,700.00
4 Laser Large Pulse (IS) Aft 40 36 (3.6-C) 28.00
4 PPC Aft 40 40 (4-C) 28.00
8 Laser Medium Aft 24 40 (4-C) 8.00
3 Laser Small Pulse (IS) Aft 6 9 (0.9-C) 3.00

Aerospace Group

72 x Fighters
10 x Small Craft
2 x DropShip Collars

Additional Equipment

1 x Small NCSS

Ammo Rounds

Capital Launcher Killer Whale Ammo 50
Capital Launcher Barracuda Ammo 400
LRM 20 (IS) Ammo 1,728

Cargo - 165,452 tons


As always, thoughts/comments are most welcome.
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marcussmythe

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Re: Kiev Class Battle Carrier
« Reply #1 on: 17 June 2018, 10:27:38 »
I never know how many fighters to put on a carrier.  You can pretty easily cram on just-plain-silly numbers, but ships in universe never do that (except sorta thera.  And even thera is more battle than carrier when you look at how her tonnage is spent!)  Of course, fighters arent free either, and a 1000 fighter carrier drops about 5Billion in fighters.  But a thousand fighters will kill far, far more than 5 Billion in shipping....

The point of a carrier is to deliver fighter strikes.  Twice as many fighters is therefore basically twice as good.  But you've got weird constraints like bay doors (how many is enough?  How many fighters can you operate out of one door in tactically meaningful timeframes?) and cargo (how much fuel does a fighter burn in a typical deployment?  How many spare parts?  What do you budget in cargo per fighter?  At least its weight?  Twice?  Ten times?)

To be honest - I worry for her.  72 fighters at her tonnage is to me only barely worthy of the word 'carrier', and her broadside armament does not rise to the level of battle.  But 150Kt Cargo.  150Kt.  I think losing a third of that cargo space for more fighters and guns would still leave her well able to operate at long range and project force, but as it is, she feels more like a very well armed freighter than a warship.

Of course, she is Starleague.  They specialized in well armed freighters playing warship dressup.
« Last Edit: 17 June 2018, 10:44:23 by marcussmythe »

Starfox1701

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Re: Kiev Class Battle Carrier
« Reply #2 on: 17 June 2018, 11:09:06 »
I have to agree in part. She lacks any real capital weapons to speak of so "battle" carrier just doesn't fit. She needs more guns

marauder648

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Re: Kiev Class Battle Carrier
« Reply #3 on: 17 June 2018, 11:24:26 »
Yep she's underwhelming as she's basically a fat Sarmakand class carrier with a lot more cargo and protection.  But outside of the Sarmakand's and the few surviving New Syrtis class ships, there's not much carrier opposition.  She's got more fighters than any battleship afloat and her armament is there to ward off ships or help with the barrage.  She's an SLDF ship, so its not just her you need to worry about, its her 3 normal Sov Soy squadron mates, and the six destroyers with them, and all their dropships and fighters (two of which are Titan class DropShip CVs).  With 72 fighters you could establish aerospace superiority if not dominance over most opponents or force them to carry carrier dropships of their own which then means you've got a nice soft target to destroy to screw over the fighters even if you do loose.  And with 72 fighters that convoy you're guarding is not going to get attacked by your typical pirates or raiders for sure.

I really don't like over-optimizing. Its boring, its very easy.  anyone can make a 3/5 100 tonner Clan with 5 x LPL and a tarcom that can alpha every turn without heat build up even after moving

Code: [Select]
Stone Cheese Mek
Clan TW
100 tons 
BV: 3,081
Cost: 27,590,000 C-bills

Movement: 3/5
Engine: 300 XL
Heat Sinks: 26 [52]
Gyro: Standard Gyro

Internal: 152
Armor: 307/307
                     Internal    Armor
--------------------------------------
Center Torso               31       50
Center Torso (rear)                 12
Right Torso                21       32
Right Torso (rear)                  10
Left Torso                 21       32
Left Torso (rear)                   10
Right Arm                  17       34
Left Arm                   17       34
Right Leg                  21       42
Left Leg                   21       42

Weapon                         Loc  Heat
----------------------------------------
Large Pulse Laser               CT    10
Large Pulse Laser               RA    10
Large Pulse Laser               LT    10
Large Pulse Laser               RT    10
Large Pulse Laser               LA    10
Medium Pulse Laser              HD     4

Equipment                      Loc
----------------------------------
Targeting Computer              RT
Standard                       None

!MechView.CarringCapacity!One battle armor squad


But to make something that's not perfect, thats got its flaws, this is harder.  And its more interesting to face.  Put that Mech above down on a table and i'm sure it says in the rules that your opponent is allowed to kidney punch you.  Its no fun to face, its painfully easy to use and is just boring.  Thats the problem with min-maxed Mech's, tanks, ships, you name it.  They are boring.

I also went with in universe weapons loadouts, something close to SLDF cargo space, as well as the idea of constraints regarding space onboard.  Yes in theory you could put hundreds of fighters on a ship this size, but where the hell are they going to fit, unless you had hallways where the floor was fighter wings.
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marcussmythe

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Re: Kiev Class Battle Carrier
« Reply #4 on: 17 June 2018, 12:02:39 »
Agreed as to min maxing, but we may disagree on how much design space there is between ‘utter fromage’ and ‘what idiot signed the appropriations bill for this’.

But yeah.  Better or worse, shes very starleague.  If you accept that its a grossly superior navy that will probably never fight anyone who can stand up to them, she makes perfect sense - in the same fashion that, say, the Solarian League Navy does in the Honorverse.

Starfox1701

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Re: Kiev Class Battle Carrier
« Reply #5 on: 17 June 2018, 12:15:05 »
I'm not saying min max her but the big difference between a black water fleet carrier and battle carrier is that battle carriers don't stand off they follow the fighters in and add their firepower directly to the strike. She can't do that. At the very least she should have triple or quadruple the naval laser armorment to keep with SLDF AAA and AMS doctrine.

 

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