SLDF - Sahi Class Support Ship.

[marauder648]

Sahi Class Support Ship.

One of the last ships to be produced by the SLDF the Sahi class was built under a tight air of secrecy and only six were completed before the Amaris Civil War with funding coming for them from off budget ‘black books’.

Although called support ships and any reports that were public about them described them as being more like a ‘Royal Antares’, the truth of the matter came with their unofficial, crew given name of ‘Planet crackers’.  The Sahi was built to support forces on the ground with pinpoint orbital fire from its many gauss rifles and thanks to the positioning of them on the hull, when operating as a bombardment platform it could bring a dozen to bear when firing ahead.
To support the gauss rifles the ship also mounted a large number of killer whale missiles that were fitted with kinetic penetrators as well as having the option to be armed with standard anti-ship warheads.  There was also a heavily armoured armoury onboard that could carry up to 200 nuclear warheads for the missiles.  Small clusters of 35cm naval lasers provided the ships only other capital scale firepower and these were mainly for warding off DropShips.  There was also a layer of anti-fighter weaponry which included rapid fire autocannons, missiles and lasers as well as a very heavy anti-missile barrier defence that was equal to that on a battleship, which was unusual on a cruiser scale ship.

With so many gauss rifles the ship devoted a lot of power to its weapon systems and to save weight, space and cost had the same engine system as the Sovetskii Soyuz class heavy cruiser but carried far heavier armour made of the same Lamellor ferro-carbide compounds that went into the McKenna class.  This armour was then heavily focused over the ships forwards arcs to allow her to survive ground based fire.
Additional self-defence was provided by two flights of fighters (12) and she could carry up to six small craft.  Cargo space was limited with little more than 44,000 tons of cargo space available onboard and as no DropShip collars were fitted the ship was reliant on her small craft to resupply her.  One thing of note was the barracks onboard for up to 100 Marines.  These were only present when a ship was carrying nuclear weapons and their presence was mainly to ensure these weapons security. 

Of the six ships built, only one the SLS Vlad Tepes survived to take part in the battle of the Sol system.  Her and her sister ships all proved their worth in engagements against Castle Brian’s occupied by Amaris troops.  Although they never fired a nuclear weapon at ground targets the ‘support ships’ were instrumental in disabling SDS ground batteries and breeching fortress walls for friendly troops.  But this hard work took a toll on the ships and lacking the parts and equipment to repair them fully three ships were cannibalized to keep the others going following the liberation of New Earth and by the time of Operation CHIEFTAN, only the Vlad Tepes was in any serviceable condition.  She took part in the suppression of the Cuba SDS facilities but was heavily damaged by ground based particle cannons.

It is believed that the ship was scuttled prior to Operation EXODUS as no ship matching the Sahi class’s silhouette was sighted amongst General Kerensky’s fleet as it left the Inner Sphere.  Nor has any ship of this type been seen amongst the Clans, who would probably find the ship and its intended role abhorrent.

Code: [Select]

Class/Model/Name: Sahi Class Assault Ship

Tech: Inner Sphere
Ship Cost: $11,430,602,000.00
Magazine Cost: $46,824,000.00
BV2: 75,098

Mass: 800,000
K-F Drive System: Compact with L-F Battery
Power Plant: Maneuvering Drive

Safe Thrust: 2
Maximum Thrust: 3

Armor Type: Lamellor Ferro-Carbide

Armament:

36 Naval Gauss Rifle Light
21 Naval Laser 35
10 Capital Launcher Killer Whale
8 AC 10 LB-X (IS)
18 Laser Large ER (IS)
4 AC 5 Ultra (IS)
8 LRM 20+Art4 (IS)
16 Laser Medium Pulse (IS)
8 Laser Medium
35 AMS (IS)

Class/Model/Name: Sahi Class Assault Ship
Mass: 800,000

Equipment: Mass
Drive: 96,000.00
Thrust
Safe: 2
Maximum: 3
Controls: 2,000.00
K-F Hyperdrive: Compact with L-F Battery (17 Integrity) 370,000.00
Jump Sail: (5 Integrity) 70.00
Structural Integrity: 80 64,000.00
Total Heat Sinks: 1513(3026) Double 1,030.00
Fuel & Fuel Pumps: 5000 points 2,040.00
Fire Control Computers: 3,093.93

Armor: 1000 pts Lamellor Ferro-Carbide 1,000.00

Fore: 220
Fore-Left/Right: 220/220
Aft-Left/Right : 116/116
Aft: 108

Dropship Capacity: 0
Grav Decks:
Small: 2 (100 meter) 100.00

Escape Pods: 115 805.00
Life Boats: 115 805.00

Crew And Passengers:
48 Officers in Steerage Quarters 240.00
157 Crew in Steerage Quarters 785.00
78 Gunners and Others in Steerage Quarters 390.00
54 Bay Personnel 0.00
100 Marines 500.00

# Weapons Loc Heat Damage Range Mass

3 Naval Gauss Rifle Light Nose 27 450 (45-C) Extreme-C 13,500.00
3 Naval Gauss Rifle Light Nose 27 450 (45-C) 13,500.00
3 Naval Laser 35 Nose 156 105 (10.5-C) 2,100.00
2 Capital Launcher Killer Whale Nose 40 80 (8-C) 300.00
6 Laser Large ER (IS) Nose 72 48 (4.8-C) 30.00
4 AC 5 Ultra (IS) Nose 8 28 (2.8-C) 36.00
5 AMS (IS) Nose 5 15 (1.5-C) 2.50

3 Naval Gauss Rifle Light FL 27 450 (45-C) 13,500.00
2 Capital Launcher Killer Whale FL 40 80 (8-C) 300.00
4 AC 10 LB-X (IS) FL 8 24 (2.4-C) 44.00
4 Laser Large ER (IS) FL 48 32 (3.2-C) 20.00
5 AMS (IS) FL 5 15 (1.5-C) 2.50

3 Naval Gauss Rifle Light FR 27 450 (45-C) 13,500.00
2 Capital Launcher Killer Whale FR 40 80 (8-C) 300.00
4 AC 10 LB-X (IS) FR 8 24 (2.4-C) 44.00
4 Laser Large ER (IS) FR 48 32 (3.2-C) 20.00
5 AMS (IS) FR 5 15 (1.5-C) 2.50

3 Naval Gauss Rifle Light LBS 27 450 (45-C) 13,500.00
3 Naval Gauss Rifle Light LBS 27 450 (45-C) 13,500.00
3 Naval Laser 35 LBS 156 105 (10.5-C) 2,100.00
3 Naval Laser 35 LBS 156 105 (10.5-C) 2,100.00
8 Laser Medium Pulse (IS) LBS 32 48 (4.8-C) 16.00
5 AMS (IS) LBS 5 15 (1.5-C) 2.50

3 Naval Gauss Rifle Light RBS 27 450 (45-C) 13,500.00
3 Naval Gauss Rifle Light RBS 27 450 (45-C) 13,500.00
3 Naval Laser 35 RBS 156 105 (10.5-C) 2,100.00
3 Naval Laser 35 RBS 156 105 (10.5-C) 2,100.00
8 Laser Medium Pulse (IS) RBS 32 48 (4.8-C) 16.00
5 AMS (IS) RBS 5 15 (1.5-C) 2.50

3 Naval Gauss Rifle Light AL 27 450 (45-C) 13,500.00
2 Capital Launcher Killer Whale AL 40 80 (8-C) 300.00
3 Naval Laser 35 AL 156 105 (10.5-C) 2,100.00
4 LRM 20+Art4 (IS) AL 24 64 (6.4-C) 44.00
5 AMS (IS) AL 5 15 (1.5-C) 2.50

3 Naval Gauss Rifle Light AR 27 450 (45-C) 13,500.00
2 Capital Launcher Killer Whale AR 40 80 (8-C) 300.00
3 Naval Laser 35 AR 156 105 (10.5-C) 2,100.00
4 LRM 20+Art4 (IS) AR 24 64 (6.4-C) 44.00
5 AMS (IS) AR 5 15 (1.5-C) 2.50

3 Naval Gauss Rifle Light Aft 27 450 (45-C) 13,500.00
3 Naval Gauss Rifle Light Aft 27 450 (45-C) 13,500.00
4 Laser Large ER (IS) Aft 48 32 (3.2-C) 20.00
8 Laser Medium Aft 24 40 (4-C) 8.00
5 AMS (IS) Aft 5 15 (1.5-C) 2.50

Ammo Type Rounds

Naval Gauss Rifle Light Ammo 600
Capital Launcher Killer Whale Ammo 600
AC 5 Ultra (IS) Ammo 320
AC 10 LB-X (IS) Ammo 240
LRM 20+Art4 (IS) Ammo 288
AMS (IS) Ammo 1500

Aerospace Compliment

12 x Fighters
6 x Small Craft

Cargo Capacity - 44,365 tons
'Insulated Cargo' - 200 tons

As always, any thoughts and comments are most welcome.  I went for gauss rifles as I'd think that energy weapons would have issues in an orbital bombardment role unless you put a HUGE amount of power into them to overcome things like thermal blooming and the like.  And whilst trio's of light naval gauss isn't very efficient, and having a pair of medium gauss would save weight and do more damage.  The way I see it is that the larger number of guns she can bring to bare could cover a wider area and allow her to support more friendly forces on the ground.

[Hellraiser]

I've never actually participated in a game that involved orbital bombardment, but wasn't there something about only Aft/Aft-Side guns are used due to having to point engines at least semi-towards the planet?

I thought I read that somewhere on these forums at one point.

I thought it was one of the justifications for the SLDF having so many BS/AS combo guns to cover the flank but also the rear for bombardment.



Aside from that, the choice of weaponry is sub-optimal as you pointed out.

Light NG,  NL35,  Ultra-5,  none of those screams USE ME to me but it does keep for the feel of a non-optimal unit which is sort of a thing w/ canon designs.

The only thing that doesn't really fit is the large amount of AMS.  That is quite optimal to be at 5 per bay.   Though the overlapping coverage isn't really useful.   Better feel if it was only 4 arcs or so.



Your fluff is off though.

The McKenna doesn't use LFC.  Just FC.   LFC was on the Texas class.

How does it use the same engine as the SovSoy if its 30KT lighter?

[marauder648]

The large AMS was a very deliberate decision.  This things built to sit in low orbit trading shots with ground batteries, many of which are armed with missiles, so the AMS is extra armour against anti-shipping missiles.   

I have no idea about the orbital bombardment rules myself, and I must admit I had a star trek/wars vision in my head of the ship bow on to a planet going dakka-dakka rather than the more realistic ass first shooting.

And i'll re-work the fluff for the engines :) But I am glad ye approve.

[Liam's Ghost]

Warship guns are too short ranged to perform orbital bombardment from a standard geostationary orbit.

That means the ship must either:
1) Accept that their orbit will only bring them over the target area briefly. This means you get one volley per orbit.
2) Hold their position by pointing their aft end towards the planet and accelerating to counter gravity. This means aft and aft quarter guns can only be brought on target, but can fire constantly as long as you have fuel or thrust.
3) Move in over the target zone, turn the facing you want to shoot from at the target, and fire your shots, then swing around and start boosting away again before you hit the interface. In theory, this lets you stay on station longer and use a wider variety of weapons, but you can't fire as often. Also, the whole time you're firing your ship is actually falling towards certain doom, so it might not be best to do this with ships that don't have a lot of thrust. The difference between "orbital bombardment range" and "the edge of the atmosphere" is mighty thin.

[marauder648]

Hmmm...I'll have to re-think this one then. 

[Cryhavok101]

The range extends with the size of your target. Hitting "that one city" is gonna be easy if you don't care where in the city the shots land, and you'll have a large window to do it in. Hitting a designated mapsheet for fire support on a mission requires a lot more accuracy.

Each atmosphere hex your shot passes through places a penalty on the to-hit roll for the bombardment, so a horizon shot is gonna be extremely difficult, but a straight down shot will be easier, do to the least amount of atmosphere your shot passes through. However your shot is still passing through a bunch of atmosphere hexes, and for that reason you really don't want to be all the way out at extreme or even long range if you want to fire for accuracy. Ideally, you'd want to be at close range. Capital close range is only a few dozen kilometers, dangerously close to the atmosphere hex.

[willis]

Will you get MATTPLOG doing any art for this one?

[marauder648]

Will you get MATTPLOG doing any art for this one?

<_<   >_>  Mebbe...if I can get a slot, guy's darn busy!

[Kasaga]

<_<   >_>  Mebbe...if I can get a slot, guy's darn busy!

I'm next turd.  lol...

[marauder648]

I'm next turd.  lol...

*shakes fish* Fiend!  Only really need one pic and i'm good to go with working on my next book :p

[Starfox1701]

While I like the fluff if you look at the raw numbers of McKenna they had at the start of the war she ends up being an idea looking for a place to happen rather the filling a perceived whole in the roster I think. The fleet has got plenty of ships that excel at orbital fire support. However if she where actually intended to dual specifically with ground based SDS bases that would be unique and useful.

[marauder648]

Very true but then again the SLDF did kind of keep doing that or producing nowhere near enough of a very good thing (see the Kimagure class).

Perhaps they were built with an eye towards cracking Castle Brian's, specifically those in the Rim Worlds Republic.  Of course this could never be admitted publically.

And so what if these ships always work as a full squadron together in the fleet that is part of the Commanding General's Flagship formation.  Made to attack Rim World fortifications, no idea what you're talking about...

Or it could still be an 'aftershock' of the Mass driver concern, a case of 'They've got ships with big rods from gods, why haven't we got them too?"  Again, privately we know why, the SLDF's fire control systems and doctrine had shifted away from such things, but perhaps as an orbital bombardment platform a number of gauss rifles could be very effective.

Also I was quite deliberate with my choice of weapons.  An energy weapon would do horrid damage to stuff on the surface, but they lack penetrating power really.  If you wanted to get at a deeply buried bunker, a laser or PPC would 'just' blast a shallow crater and turn the surrounding area into glass.

An AC round is an explosive shell, so basically its a bomb, a bloody big one with some of the shells but still, digging craters making an explosive mess.  A gauss round is a rod from god.  You've got a 200kg round coming in at hypersonic speeds, and when that hits thats going to convert a lot of that into energy.  So you get the blast and the round probably penetrates deeper than a AC and acts like a bunker buster or WW2 grand slam/tallboy bomb

[Hellraiser]

Class/Model/Name:   Sahi Class Assault Ship

Mass:                        800,000
Safe Thrust:   2
Maximum Thrust:   3

Armor Type:   Lamellor Ferro-Carbide

Armament:   
36   Naval Gauss Rifle Light
21   Naval Laser 35
10   Capital Launcher Killer Whale
8   AC 10 LB-X (IS)
18   Laser Large ER (IS)
4   AC 5 Ultra (IS)
8   LRM 20+Art4 (IS)
16   Laser Medium Pulse (IS)
8   Laser Medium
35   AMS (IS)

Armor:   1000 pts Lamellor Ferro-Carbide            1,000.00
Fore:         220      
Fore-Left/Right:   220/220      
Aft-Left/Right   :   116/116      
Aft:         108      
         
#   Weapons            Loc   Heat   Damage      Range      Mass

3   Naval Gauss Rifle Light      Nose   27   450 (45-C)   Extreme-C   13,500.00
3   Naval Gauss Rifle Light      Nose   27   450 (45-C)         13,500.00
3   Naval Laser 35         Nose   156   105 (10.5-C)         2,100.00
2   Capital Launcher Killer Whale   Nose   40   80 (8-C)         300.00
6   Laser Large ER (IS)      Nose   72   48 (4.8-C)         30.00
4   AC 5 Ultra (IS)         Nose   8   28 (2.8-C)         36.00
5   AMS (IS)         Nose   5   15 (1.5-C)         2.50

3   Naval Gauss Rifle Light      FL   27   450 (45-C)         13,500.00
2   Capital Launcher Killer Whale   FL   40   80 (8-C)         300.00
4   AC 10 LB-X (IS)         FL   8   24 (2.4-C)         44.00
4   Laser Large ER (IS)      FL   48   32 (3.2-C)         20.00
5   AMS (IS)         FL   5   15 (1.5-C)         2.50

3   Naval Gauss Rifle Light      FR   27   450 (45-C)         13,500.00
2   Capital Launcher Killer Whale   FR   40   80 (8-C)         300.00
4   AC 10 LB-X (IS)         FR   8   24 (2.4-C)         44.00
4   Laser Large ER (IS)      FR   48   32 (3.2-C)         20.00
5   AMS (IS)         FR   5   15 (1.5-C)         2.50

3   Naval Gauss Rifle Light      LBS   27   450 (45-C)         13,500.00
3   Naval Gauss Rifle Light      LBS   27   450 (45-C)         13,500.00
3   Naval Laser 35         LBS   156   105 (10.5-C)         2,100.00
3   Naval Laser 35         LBS   156   105 (10.5-C)         2,100.00
8   Laser Medium Pulse (IS)      LBS   32   48 (4.8-C)         16.00
5   AMS (IS)         LBS   5   15 (1.5-C)         2.50

3   Naval Gauss Rifle Light      RBS   27   450 (45-C)         13,500.00
3   Naval Gauss Rifle Light      RBS   27   450 (45-C)         13,500.00
3   Naval Laser 35         RBS   156   105 (10.5-C)         2,100.00
3   Naval Laser 35         RBS   156   105 (10.5-C)         2,100.00
8   Laser Medium Pulse (IS)      RBS   32   48 (4.8-C)         16.00
5   AMS (IS)         RBS   5   15 (1.5-C)         2.50

3   Naval Gauss Rifle Light      AL   27   450 (45-C)         13,500.00
2   Capital Launcher Killer Whale   AL   40   80 (8-C)         300.00
3   Naval Laser 35         AL   156   105 (10.5-C)         2,100.00
4   LRM 20+Art4 (IS)      AL   24   64 (6.4-C)         44.00
5   AMS (IS)         AL   5   15 (1.5-C)         2.50

3   Naval Gauss Rifle Light      AR   27   450 (45-C)         13,500.00
2   Capital Launcher Killer Whale   AR   40   80 (8-C)         300.00
3   Naval Laser 35         AR   156   105 (10.5-C)         2,100.00
4   LRM 20+Art4 (IS)      AR   24   64 (6.4-C)         44.00
5   AMS (IS)         AR   5   15 (1.5-C)         2.50

3   Naval Gauss Rifle Light      Aft   27   450 (45-C)         13,500.00
3   Naval Gauss Rifle Light      Aft   27   450 (45-C)         13,500.00
4   Laser Large ER (IS)      Aft   48   32 (3.2-C)         20.00
8   Laser Medium         Aft   24   40 (4-C)         8.00
5   AMS (IS)         Aft   5   15 (1.5-C)         2.50

Given what was confirmed about firing arcs from orbit, I'd suggest a different arc distribution.

36 NLGR = 4 Nose,  2/FS, 4/BS,  4+4/AS,  4 Rear.      (You can keep that battery of 12 pointed at the ground still at one time)
21 NL35 = 3/FS, 5/AS, 5 Rear    (Another nice battery for ground fire or bracket fire)
10 Killer Whale = 2/FS, 2/AS, 2 Rear   (Solid coverage all around)
34 AMS = 5 Nose,  5/FS, 5/BS,  9 Rear   (Avoided FC in the Aft Sides but beefed up the Rear to a +3)
4 AC 5 Ultra (IS) = 4 Nose
17 Laser Medium Pulse (IS) = 7 Nose, 5/AS
8 LRM 20+Art4 (IS) = 4/FS
18   Laser Large ER (IS)  =  2/FS,  7/BS
8   Laser Medium  =  2/FS,  2/BS
4   AC 10 LB-X (IS) = 2/BS



The Anti-Figher weaponry is really advanced for a SL ship.
I suggest switching the advanced AC's out for a bunch of standard AC10's, because the way cluster damage works in AT scale, the Ultra/LBX really isn't helping much.
I think the FS NLGR could be swapped out for NL35's to give you a better Anti-Fighter/Bracket pattern there & put some of that tonnage back into Cargo which is really quite low for a SL vessel.


Finally,  I'd rearrange the armor given the confirmation of aft to planet.
Something like....
160 / 160 / 180 / 160


Still a very similar feel to what you have going but set up a bit more towards the mission profile for the ship.

[marauder648]

Oooh! yes, very good idea and I like it very much :D  I'll faff around with the layout later on today, tad busy at the moment :)  And yeah the weapons mix is advanced but the way I see them is that they would put their best weapons and equipment on WarShips, especially strategically valuable units like Battleships, carriers etc. And these fall into that. They are the personal 'shotgun' of senior command and really, if used 'correctly' they could wreck a planet, so that kind of horrific potential has to be commanded by someone darn senior. 
I'm saying that the first squadron of ships completed (and the only ones built) were part of the fleet that was formed around the SLS McKenna's Pride and thus under the direct command of the Commanding General with Kerensky and DeChavilier being the ones who could authorize their use in a bombardment role and any release of nuclear weapons would HAVE to come from those two. 

If more had been built they would have been in a similar situation, attached to the squadron of a fleet flagship and under the direct authorization of the commander of that fleet, who when consulting with his or her ground equivalent would then decide to release them for a bombardment role.  Its a very very specialized and limited ship but in my head it seemed like something the SLDF would throw money at. Hell if they can build 40 Camerons that they didn't want they can build these :p

[Starfox1701]

She needs more armor. Trading fire with an SDS castle Brian is going to take a while. She needs to be able to take a pounding or needs some kind of ecm boost. To keep from getting pounded.

[Alsadius]

If your goal is to hit fortifications, then being in low-earth orbit isn't a problem - you're well above the interface, still within capital short range, and you don't need to be directly overhead all the time. Going over your target every hour and a half to fire off a few volleys is just fine. If your goal was to be close fire support for ground troops then it'd be more problematic(they generally need the firepower right now, not in an hour), but siege equipment firing every hour and a half has surprisingly close RL equivalents.

Of course, if it's an anti-fortress gun, you'd probably want heavy Gauss or some of the high-calibre NACs, not light Gauss.

[Daryk]

I'm late to this thread, but will repeat what I said in one of your other ones... this one seems to be crying out for NL/45s vice 35s...  It won't be that much tonnage, and gives you that extra range bracket.