OBT Forum

Dragon Cat its Marauder here (in case the name didn't give it away) are the official btech forums down for you as well?  If so has there been any news on whats happend?

I've not been able to get in for the past few days.

Yeah I hope its nothing too serious and not a complete disaster.

Good thing its available on here as well.

Second part of the analysis of the Clans written by Vition2 and then a foreword added by me

My Prince,

In conjunction with General Caradoc Trevena I have detailed a report on the naval capabilities of the Clans located in the Inner Sphere and Periphery.  During my time as naval analysis of the Federated Suns Navy I watched our rivals and advised on the construction of a navy that could oppose any opponent.

Since transferring to the Star League Defence Force I have come to the conclusion that while the Clans are behind the Inner Sphere in development they are catching up with us at a frightening pace.  Across the Clans newly constructed designs are filling out their navies with new designs being debuted like never before while many of their “original” Star League-era ships are now undergoing massive refurbishments with anti-missile systems, screen launchers and Mk II Lithium Fusion Batteries being added to their core designs.  Although many of these designs are still under-armoured, under-armed and ill equipped to engage the newer Inner Sphere and Clan designs they are stronger than traditional designs.

Prince Victor, Caradoc Trevena and I have considered creating a similar analysis of the Inner Sphere states, however, should we delve into the Inner Sphere strength we will only be single steps away from considering them enemies.  While I have dedicated myself to the Star League Defence Force and its future you have only accepted this position temporarily and asking you to order the creation of a document that could be used against your own family is something that neither I nor Caradoc Trevena is willing to do.

Colonel Jessica Hammond

Clan Coyote
Capital:  Weingarten
Leader:  Khan Karl Heller, b. 3060 (48 years in 3108)
Strength:  8 WarShips (6 combat ships, 2 support ships, 0 yard ships)

    Of all the clans, the Coyote fleet is among the smallest.  In total, it consists of a mere eight WarShips, two of which are primarily support ships.  The biggest problem for growing the fleet is a lack of access to their own shipyards, leaving them at the mercy of the makings of other clans.  As of yet this has worked out quite well, with them managing to win one of the newly produced York-class Destroyer/carriers from the Tukayyid yards, and a combination of their assistance in the design and manufacture of the Mississippi-class Battleship netted them one of their own.  Lastly, they recently traded an unneeded Potemkin-class Troop Cruiser for a pair of ships from the Ravens, a Constellation-class frigate and a Drake-class Corvette.  This has allowed their fleet to, effectively, double the size of their fleet and more than triple its displacement.

    The composition of the fleet leaves little to be desired, excepting only the wish for the Liberator-class cruiser to be modernized.  The battleship give the combined fleet a solid core, a cruiser provides additional firepower, while the destroyers, frigate, and corvette provide adequate escort services.  The real downside to the Coyote fleet is a lack of depth, their limited numbers means any losses are a significant portion of their fleet.

    With regards to future fleet capacity, they are likely very close to their limit on both ship numbers and ship quality without spending the resources to build or otherwise secure maintenance slips, they can only rely on trialling and other clans’ goodwill for a short time longer, at least without starting to make significant concessions.  Some options they have include requisitioning the construction of a modified HH-1 from the Sea Foxes or Ravens, or a Legacy from the Bears, or a more permanent solution in the construction of a repair/refit facility over Tamar or Weingarten.  Once something like that is in place a doubling or tripling of their fleet may be possible.
 
Rim Collection (Clan Fire Mandrill)
Capital:  All Dawn/Gillfillian’s Gold
Leader:  Natasha Faraday, b. 3078 (30 years in 3108)
Strength: 7 WarShips (6 combat ships, 0 support ships, 1 yard ship)

    While the smallest clan fleet by mass, the leaps and bounds by which they have been growing is staggering.  This fleet manages to clock in at a mere seven ships, all but one are fighting ships.  Prior to the latter part of last year, the Mandrills had to rely entirely on either their diminutive Fox III repair ship to keep up routine maintenance or rely on outside assistance.  Though their fleet was small, this was causing pressure on their routine maintenance duties, leaving ships much closer to required maintenance than most navies would prefer, and usually minor malfunctions in equipment were frequent.  The recent acquiring of the damaged JumpShip yards of Schuyler and shipping off their New Syrtis-class carrier to be refit by the Foxes dramatically decreases this pressure.  And while the JumpShip yards are unlikely to be brought fully online for roughly another year, once this is done the economy of the Rim Collection will receive a massive boost.

   The Mandrills make heavy use of both carrier WarShips and carrier DropShips, and they also have significant reserves of Titans and Titan monitors.  But they lack a strong front line combatant, something that would be able to take blows and land solid hits back on their opponent. The death of this fleet is a fast and hard hitting WarShip, something that can limit the effectiveness of the Mandrill aerospace fighters, while being able to out manoeuvre the carriers and bring bigger guns to bear on them.

   At the moment, the Mandrill fleet looks to be stagnant for quite a while yet.  While within a couple of years the activity from the newly acquired JumpShip yards ought to boost the small realm’s economy significantly.  With this boost, it is possible that inside of another ten years they could be producing WarShips of their own.

Clan Hell’s Horses
Capital:  Czestreg
Leader:  Khan Teresia Cooper, b. 3070
Strength: 16 WarShips (12 combat ships, 1 support ship, 3 yard ships)

   Second possibly only to the Sea Foxes in their mobility, the Hell’s Horses fleet is much more of a support apparatus for their ground troops than a combat fleet, though that appears to be in the midst of changing.  With three HH-1 Forge-class yard ships, they can keep most of their WarShips in the field for nearly an indefinite period of time - limited only by the capability of procuring base materials.  Early this year they lost a significant portion of their fleet with the Indafatigables’ debut in combat, but more recently has been seen to have acquired one of the Clans’ new Arbitration-class battleships, and while it has not been seen in combat, as of yet, it could prove to be a match for even a pair of Indefatigables.

   The introduction of the Arbitration-class battleship to their fleet appears to have caused reorganization, where one it functioned primarily as individual units with ad hoc pairings, the Arbitration appears to how have a permanent escort, creating a powerful but small group of vessels.  The rest of the fleet seems to continue to operate singly or in pairs, though mostly of older designs left over from the SLDF fleet; they still represent a significant threat to undefended worlds.

   The future appears to be an unknown for the Hell’s Horses, if they can procure an additional battleship or two they may become a truly serious threat.  As for their home-grown designs, both the Marathon and Halcyon are much more oriented towards supporting ground troops, each of which can orbitally drop a cluster’s worth of troops.  If they continue to work on increasing the efficacy of their fleet, we foresee these designs being modified to a more naval-oriented alignment.

Clan Jade Falcon
Capital:  Sudeten/Incukalns
Leader:  Khan Jana Pryde, b. 3077 (31 years in 3108)
Strength: 17 WarShips (17 combat ships, 0 support ships, 0 yard ships)

   The Falcons may not have the largest WarShip fleet among the clans, but they very well have the most experience, and the composition of the Falcon fleet is a scary proposition considering its neighbours.  Unlike most clans, which have focused more on producing or acquiring numbers to support and maintain their territories, the Falcons have instead focused on building a fleet built to destroy and conquer their enemies.  They currently have a total of four battleships, comprising nearly a full 25% of their fleet, supported by pair of very efficient large cruiser classes in their Jade Lion and Patriot types.  Round out the fleet is a sextet of Peregrines to support the movement of troops and supplies from the rear to the front.  Notably, the Falcons have recently traded away to both the Horses and Foxes any ships which do not serve a direct role in their Touman.

   The large number of battleships in the fleet allows the Falcons to heavily use them on offense; the downside to this is that their overall numbers are smaller than the typical fleet, leaving them with the likelihood of individual WarShips being damaged beyond effectiveness and needing to be pulled off the line for extended periods.  The counter to this is that their endurance and size rarely causes them to be outright destroyed.  The fewer cruisers and battle cruisers allow them to project their power out of the direct sight of the battleships or allow them to reinforce their battleships without doubling up on the battleships.  The Peregrines have rarely been seen near the front, and seem to be one of the primary transport and escort assets of the Falcons.

   Given the suspected size of the Falcon’s Dark Nebula yards, and the nearly two years of relative peace - though the Falcons did suffer occasional losses to the other clans - the possibility of another nearly half dozen WarShips entering their service in the next few months is quite high.  SLI believes another Mississippi may be getting close, while a pair of Patriots have likely already left the slips - that we haven’t seen them yet is concerning as it indicates Intelligence may be wrong.  Given the aggressiveness the Falcons have been pursuing we suspect they’ve, at least temporarily, abandoned their corvette program.  Whatever they have been working on, we will soon find out once the truce ends.

Clan Nova Cat
Capital:  New Barcella
Leader:  Khan Canin Rosse, b. 3038 (70 years in 3108)
Strength: 39 WarShips (28 combat ships, 9 support ships, 2 yard ship)

   With only seven WarShips above or below the mass of a cruiser or battle cruiser, the Nova Cat fleet is the epitome of a cruiser navy.  In addition to this, very little of the fleet are built to the specifications of the First SLDF, giving the Nova Cats greater offensive power than their tonnage would typically suggest.  The downside to this is that many of the classes they’ve built or modified were created shortly after their move to the Den, and some of them are beginning to show their age - rumours of an upgraded Anna Rosse battle cruiser notwithstanding.

   While most of the WarShips are assigned to small squadrons, or stars, the reality of their deployment is most of them work on their own.  Speaking to the squadrons, many are built around a solid core of a pair of battle cruisers or other heavier WarShips, and include a Liger-class strike cruiser for aerospace support.  Were these to function as squadrons or small fleets they would be quite well rounded.  These squadrons greatest weakness is that they do not operate often enough together.

   With a total of nine slips and a pair of yard ships, they certainly have the capability of maintaining and growing their fleet.  On the other hand, a significant portion of the fleet is located far from home and supply lines and are in danger of being defeated in detail against the combined might of the Combine and aiding SLDF formations.  The Den itself is very well positioned to defend itself from external threats.

Clan Sea Fox
Capital:  Twycross
Leader:  Khan Evangeline Clarke, b 3068 (40 years in 3108)
Strength: 38 WarShips (13 combat ships, 25 support ships, 0 yardships)

   Due to the structure of the Sea Fox Touman, there isn’t a whole lot to say about the fleet of this clan.  They are spread too thinly to be able to use their WarShips in a true fleet action.  On the other hand, each of their khanates is self-sustaining and contains large manufacturing capabilities.  This means that most of their trading fleets include at least one Sea Fox-class ArcShip, a massive vessel which, while it doesn’t technically out mass a leviathan, the reality is that many of the permanently or semi-permanently attached DropShips frequently cause the ships to verge on the 3 million ton mark.  Escorting these is at least one and often two combat WarShips of various types; most of these tend towards older first SLDF classes, which allow them to function in two purposes - as a combat escort, and as an expansion to the manufacturing or refining processes of the fleet due to their cavernous cargo holds.

   While the Fox’s Chainelane Isles shipyards are off-limits to unescorted outsiders, the Foxes not infrequently invite visitors from both the Spheroid states as well as the other Clans to view their facilities.  These facilities show the dichotomy with the Fox’s walking that line between following the letter of the Clan Grand Council’s guidelines and still producing things to sell to the Inner Sphere.  Many of the products here are built using Inner Sphere technology but in such a way as to easily be upgraded to clan specs.  The output from the shipyards themselves have tended towards very limited WarShip production, with most of these materials being used in the construction of more ArcShips, with only limited resources going towards the construction of new combat WarShip - often at the behest of another clan.  Their holdings at the Clipperton Yards are a different story, other than a small portion of it completely off-limits to those not of the clan, it is entirely devoted to Inner Sphere levels of technology, and is a focal point for their mercantilism in the rimward sectors of the Inner Sphere.

Wolf Empire (Clan Wolf)
Capital:  Sheridan
Leader:  Khan Amina Kerensky, b. 3075 (33 years in 3108)
Strength: 22 WarShips (16 combat ships, 7 support ships, 1 yardship)

   Until very recently, the majority of the Clan Wolf fleet was full of ancient designs with relatively few modern WarShips.  The transport capacity of this fleet was such that their relocation to the current Wolf Empire was managed quickly and quietly.  With the launch of the Lola IV-class destroyers and the addition of two combat WarShips and an additional support ship via their merger with the Mountain Wolves has gone a long way in shoring up the efficacy of their fleet - not to mention a second McKenna-class battleship gives them an amount of offensive firepower to be very wary of, particularly as the Wolves lie right across the border.

   Most Wolf ships work singly or in pairs, with the more occasional ad hoc larger grouping, but their significant number of Isegrim assault ships means that rarely are they ever truly alone.  The counter to that is the Wolf aerospace arm is surprisingly small, with the vast majority of said assets being assigned to ground forces, and relatively few berths among their fleet assets.  This means overwhelming them with aerospace forces is a distinct possibility.

   With their current focus of constructing only a single type of WarShip, they are aligned to be able to boost the overall size of their fleet quickly over the next few years.  This will allow them to put their current fleet to better use, allowing Lola-IVs to provide a strong picketing force while freeing up their battle cruisers and battleships for more offensive use.  It is these we must expect to face when they decide to resume their offensive.

Rasalhague Dominion (Clan Ghost Bear)
Capital:  Alshain
Leader:  Khan Ragnar Magnusson, b. 3036 (72 years in 3108)
Strength: 18 WarShips (13 combat ships, 2 support ships, 3 yard ships)

   Of all the clans, the Ghost Bear are the strangest with regards to their fleet orientation.  They have the most mature supply lines, and their fleet includes the massive Leviathan-class battleships.  But their overall fleet size is comparatively small, and they seem to allocate relatively few resources to the war fleet.  The recent introduction of a pair of Bergen-class destroyers shows that they are starting to reconsider that aspect, but it still seems to be slow going.  Of all the clans the Dominion makes the greatest use of assault-class DropShips, using them to fill in where other clans tend to use corvettes and having the manufacturing capability to produce them in numbers - it is very rare system that doesn’t have at least a star of these providing system escort duties and defense.

   The Ghost Bear fleet revolves around their trio of Leviathans, and given the current construction of another pair of Bergen-class destroyers indicates that the Dominion is looking towards standardizing their fleet into individual units, much like the Ravens and Nova Cats have done.  If I were to hazard a guess, these fleets would have a Leviathan as their centrepiece combined with a Conqueror-class battle cruiser escort and a pair of Bergens rounding out the unit.  The only thing the Dominion fleet seems to lack, is access to a relatively cheap picket ship, something that could be used in some of their more far flung regions - this role is currently being filled in what seems to be a stop-gap measure by using assault DropShips such as Vanirs and Aesirs, which function perfectly well against pirates and small-time raids, but would quickly be overwhelmed by determined attackers.

Raven Alliance (Clan Snow Raven)
Capital:  Alpheratz/Dante
Leader:  Khan Vir Sukhanov, b. 3080 (28 years in 3108)
Strength: 34 WarShips (24 combat ships, 8 support ships, 2 yard ships)

   Prior to the Raven-Cat-Dragon War, the Raven Alliance likely had both the largest and most effective combat fleet of all the clans.  Their missteps during the war lost them this status, and it seems that many crash programs have begun, many of which appear to revolve around their black navy.  Fitting for the clan focusing heavily on WarShip, their fleet is among the most diverse of the clans.  They have large numbers of support ships, including five of the massive Potemkin-class troop cruisers, and a pair of yard ships - including one of only two Newgrange-classes to survive to the present era.  Probably the largest difficulty the Raven fleet faces is that nearly half of their remaining combat ships were built using the fleet structure of the First SLDF, a paradigm that leaves many ships under gunned, under armoured, or both.

   As one of only two clans to have enough WarShips to properly sub-divide their fleet, the Ravens make due with a reorganized five combat fleets and a sixth support fleet.  Most of these have either a battleship or a carrier as the focal point of each fleet, but the variety of different WarShips in the Raven fleet leaves none of these fleets standardized.

   With the fleet assets the Ravens have, the apparent merging of the economies of the Alliance and Ravens, and the many crash programs their new Khan has begun will result in one of two possibilities regarding the Raven fleet.  Either the economy will grow exponentially - possibly rising near the heights of the Dominion - or, it will shatter the economy, with demand outstripping supply by such a margin that an economic crash the likes of which the Alliance hasn’t seen since the fall of the first Star League.  Recent evidence has come to light that the Alliance has constructed a new industrial hub deep inside their territory which has recently come online, including a new WarShip construction facility - it is telling to the secrecy of the Ravens that we are only now becoming aware of this.