Planetary invasion force

[McPerth]

In my 2300AD experimenting, this is an attempt to adapt the ships shown in this thread from MgT1E to MgT 2300AD. Of course, many things change on this different setting.

As most my designs for MgT have been German, I'll keep with it. Needless to say, this is striclty IM2300TU variant.

German TL 12 Troop Transport:

Item	-	-	Tons	MLv
Hull: 5000 ton	hull	100	5000	250
-	structure	100	-	-
Configuration	Standard	-	-	-
Stutterwarp	Warp Efficiency	2.32	5.2	15.6
New Military S	Tactical	5	-	-
Power Plant	Fusion U	-	350	80
Radiators	Radiators U	-	35	1.75
Bridge	-	-	80	64
Computer	Model 6	Rating 30	-	20
Software	Stutterwarp Control B	Rating 10	-	0.2
-	Library	-	-	0
-	Fire Control/4	Rating 20	-	8
-	Self Repair/2	Rating 20	-	10
Electronics/sensors	Very Advanced	DM +2	5	4
-	Enhanced Signals Processing	DM +4	2	8
-	Grav Sensors	-	4	4
Staterooms	Crew	50	200	5
-	Troops Barracks	1300	2600	65
Other FIxtures	Autodoc	2	1	0.05
-	Sick Bay	6 staterooms	24	0.6
-	Armoury	130	260	65
-	Clamps for a 400 ton ship	1	10	2
-	Landing ship	1	400	56.22
-	Recreation Facilities	-	135	0.675
-	Workshop	1	8	4
-	Repair Drones	-	50	10
Artificial Gravity	Double hull	35 m radius	671.6	47
Weapons mount 1	Standard Turret	Type 17 DC	1	1.8
Weapons mount 2	Standard Turret	Type 17 DC	1	1.8
Weapons mount 3	Standard Turret	Type 17 DC	1	1.8
Weapons mount 4	Standard Turret	Type 17 DC	1	1.8
Weapons mount 5	Standard Turret	Type 17 DC	1	1.8
Weapons mount 6	Standard Turret	Type 17 DC	1	1.8
Weapons mount 7	Standard Turret	Type 17 DC	1	1.8
Weapons mount 8	Standard Turret	Type 17 DC	1	1.8
Cargo	-	-	151	0
Totals	-	-	5000	737

Appearance:

The ship consists of a large not spinning core, about 14 m in diameter and 120 in length, from where 8 (in two pairs at 90º of each other) 45 meter pylons each joining with a cylinder about 70 meter long 282 m in circumference and 2.4 m in height.

In the central core there are the fusion power plan, the stutterwarp drive, the cargo area, 8 PD turrets, the spinning mechanism, the sensors suite, the reapair drones storage and (attached on one end of it) the Landing Ship.

In the spinning cylinder there are the crew and troops living (rooms and recreation) area, sick bay (including the autodocs), armories and the bridge. It spins at about 2 RPM, giving a simulated gravity of 0.2 Gs. Comfort is +2 for the crew and +1 for the troops. The pylons have interior ladders by which the troops reach the central core and board the landing ship as needed.

Details:

Crew is 15 bridge, 10 engineering, 16 gunners and 1 steward, 2 medics and 5 flight (the crew of the lander plus 2 maintenance for it), all in individual staterooms. Weaponry is purely defensive, never expected to engage in space combat.

The ship can carry up to 1300 troops in double occupancy rooms and some initial suplies for them. The usual carry is 2 x 625 men battalions (each 5 x 125 men companies) and an armored platoon of 12 LkPz-IX (MgT2300AD main book, page 182) with their 24 crewmembers. This leaves 26 unoccupied places, usually reserved to specialists needed as mission requires, and only for 43 tons of supplies, so needing additional ships to carry them if operations are expected to last.

Cost in quantity is MLv 663.3

 

[McPerth]

German TL 12 Command and Support ship:

Item	-	-	Tons	MLv
Hull: 5000 ton	hull	100	5000	250
-	structure	100	-	-
Configuration	Standard	-	-	-
Stutterwarp	Warp Efficiency	2.32	5.2	15.6
New Military S	Tactical	5	-	-
Power Plant	Fusion U	-	350	80
Radiators	Radiators U	-	35	1.75
Bridge	-	-	80	64
Computer	Model 6	Rating 30	-	20
Software	Stutterwarp Control B	Rating 10	-	0.2
-	Library	-	-	0
-	Fire Control/4	Rating 20	-	8
-	Self Repair/2	Rating 20	-	10
Electronics/sensors	Very Advanced	DM +2	5	4
-	Enhanced Signals Processing	DM +4	2	8
-	Grav Sensors	-	4	4
Staterooms	Crew	50	200	5
-	Flight crew	100	200	5
Other FIxtures	Autodoc	2	1	0.05
-	Sick Bay	6 staterooms	24	0.6
-	Armoury	3	6	1.5
-	Brieffing room	1	4	0.5
-	Clamps for a 400 ton ship	4	40	8
-	400 ton ship hangar	1	520	104
-	Landing ships (1 in hangar, 4 in clamps)	5	1600	288.5
-	Clamps for 10 ton craft	20	20	105
-	10 ton craft hangar	4	52	10.4
-	Interface fighters (4 in hangars, 20 in clamps)	24	200	484.8
-	Recreation Facilities	-	15	0.075
-	Workshop	1	8	4
-	Repair Drones	-	50	10
Artificial Gravity	Spin Capsules	45 m radius	210.4	14.73
Weapons mount 1	Standard Turret	Type 17 DC	1	1.8
Weapons mount 2	Standard Turret	Type 17 DC	1	1.8
Weapons mount 3	Standard Turret	Type 17 DC	1	1.8
Weapons mount 4	Standard Turret	Type 17 DC	1	1.8
Weapons mount 5	Standard Turret	Type 17 DC	1	1.8
Weapons mount 6	Standard Turret	Type 17 DC	1	1.8
Weapons mount 7	Standard Turret	Type 17 DC	1	1.8
Weapons mount 8	Standard Turret	Type 17 DC	1	1.8
Cargo	-	-	1499	0
Totals	-	-	5000	1416

Appearance:

The ship is like a box about 100 meters long, 25 meters wide and 16 meters high, from where the 4 spinning capsules protrude. On the ends of the tubes are the hangars, the fighters’ in the aft and the landing ship’s in the rear. Attached along the ship there are the 4 landing ships and 20 fighters remaining.

Details:

The ship serves as command for invasions, and its landing ships and fighters as support for it. It also carries supplies and probably vehicles for the invading troops.

Crew is 15 bridge, 10 engineering, 16 gunnery, 5 stewards and 4 medics, all in single occupancy rooms. Flight crew is 4 per landing ship, 1 per fighter and 56 maintenance and support, all in double occupancy. As in the troop transport, weaponry is purely defensive, as it is not expected to engage in combat.

The spin habitat in the capsules include the living quarters (staterooms and recreational areas), bridge, sick bay (including the autodocs), armories and briefing room. Spinning at 2 RPM gives it a simulated gravity of 0.2 Gs. Comfort is +2 for the ship crew and +1 for flight crew.

Price included all the subcraft (5 landing ships and 24 interface fighters). Being right now (2300AD) a unique ship, there’s no cost for quantity building, but it’s expected to be MLv 1352.

 

[McPerth]

German TL 12 Landing Ship:

Item	-	-	Tons	MLv
400 ton hull	hull	8	400	8
-	structure	8	-	-
Streamlining	Hybrid	-	4	4
-	VTOL	-	40	6
Armor	Composite	6 points	20	4
-	Heat shielding	-	-	4
Stutterwarp	Warp Efficiency	0.92	0.55	1.66
New Military A	tactical	2	-	-
Reaction Drive	Air-breathing thruster D	2 G thrust	8.4	19.2
Power Plant	MHD E (new military)	-	0.64	0.23
Radiators	E	-	0.064	0.0032
Cockpit	4 crewmembers	-	6	2
Computer	Model 1	Rating 5	-	0.03
Software	Maneuver	-	-	-
-	Stutterwarp Control/A	Rating 5	-	0.1
Electronics/sensors	Standard	-4 DM	0	0
Fuel	reaction	5 hours	60	-
-	Power Plant	10 hours	0.65	-
Accomodations	Acceleration couches	500	250	15
off/deff	2 x light UW lasers	-	1	0.02
Cargo	-	-	9.6	-
Totals	-	-	400	64.22

This ship is just a large shuttle to land troops in worlds with atmosphere. It has VTOL capacity and is heavily armored for its use in hot landing zones if needed (though it’s not expected to), and has capacity to carry up to 500 troops at once. Its 2 G capacity make it quite quick in most worlds.

The couches may be folded, allowing it to be used for cargo (250 tons capacity). It has a large rear hatch between the two thrusters to load the passengers or vehicles from the clamping doors in the larger ships, as well as 2 large doors (one at each side) to load large cargoes, mostly in the hangars and to quickly unload the troops.

It has been provided with a minimal stutterwarp capacity to allow the transport to remain at standoff distance, out of defenses’ range, but its short endurance precludes them to move interstellar distances.

Crew is 2 bridge and 2 gunners for its weaponry, thought mostly as defensive.

Cost in quantity is MLv 57.8

 

[McPerth]

German TL 12 interface fighter:

Item	-	-	Tons	MLv
10 ton hull	hull	0	10	1
-	structure	1	-	-
Streamlining	Hybrid lifting body	-	0.1	0.1
-	STOL capable	-	0.2	1
Armor	Composite	6 points	0.5	0.5
-	Heat shielding	-	-	0.1
-	Stealth	-	-	1
Stutterwarp	Warp Eficiency	1.23	0.29	0.86
New Military sC	tactical	2	-	-
Reaction Drive	Air-breathing thruster	2 G thrust	0.8	1.6
Power Plant	new military MHD sG	-	0.8	2.8
Radiators	sG	-	0.08	0.004
Cockpit	1 crewmember	holographic controls	1.5	0.05
Computer	Model 4	Rating 20	-	5
Software	Fire control/3	rating 15	-	6
-	Stuterwarp control/A	rating 5	-	0.1
-	maneuver	-	-	-
Electronics/sensors	Basic Civilian	DM -2	1	0.05
Fuel	reaction	6 hours	2.4	-
-	Power Plant	12 hours	0.0592	-
Weapons mount 1	fixed mount	EAA1000 laser	0.1	2.5
Fire Control	UTES	-	1	0.6
Weapon Mount 2	Light UW laser	-	1	0.01
Totals	-	-	10	22.4

This small fighter is mostly built as an air superiority and close support craft for interface landing troops. Its main use is thought to be atmospheric, the warp capacity being only to allow the command ship to remain at standoff distance out of defenses’ range (though it can have a limited space combat use in a pitch). Its STOL capacity allows it to act from small airports (or spaceports) too, as those the landing engineers can build in short time.

It’s single seated, the weaponry being mostly automatic (hence the potent computer and fire control software).

Cost built in quantity is MLv 20.4

 

[McPerth]

Background and history:

While much has been written and theorized about planetary assaults, fact is that by 2300 AD not a single one such operation have ever been performed, so making every writing about it a purely theoretical assay, and keeping most military analysts waiting for the first such operation to occur, so that lessons can be taken on it.

This has leaded to several theories about how to perform them, from the use of jump capsules to landing in interface shuttles, each with its merits and flaws, and, off course, all of them untested and unproven.

As Germany unified, some of former Bavarian colonies had to make their choices about joining unified Germany of bid for Independence and keeping as “independent Bavarian”. While most kept as German, Freihafen declared its independence, Heidelsheimat has not yet decided what to do and there was a war with the French colony in Alderhorst and tensions in Beta Canum, leading the German military planners to the conclusion a quick response force was needed for intervention in any colony where it could be needed (akin the US Space Marines).

The result of this was the creation of the Raumfallschirmjäger (Space paratroopers) Korps and its supporting transport fleet.

Raumfallschirmjäger:

Being one of the best trained troops ever fielded by Germany, they are organized in 10 light infantry battalions, paired in 5 Kampfgruppen, each with an attached armored platoon and assigned to a troop transport ship. If ever used in full, they would be more or less equivalent to a division sized force, though they would lack the usual divisional artillery and support assets.

All those troops are trained in paratroop and commando actions, as well as in operations in a wide variety of environments. The unit is quite tail light, depending on other units support for long operations.

Each battalion is organized in 5 companies, each of them of 125 men. Four of those companies are light infantry, each with 3 x 40 men platoons and a small 5 men HQ fire team, while the 5th company is the HQ and support, with HQ, support weapons and support platoons.


Their transport fleet is composed by 5 troop transport and 1 command and support ships, with their attached 10 landing ships (1 per transport ship and 5 in the command and support one) and 24 interface fighters (in the command and support ship).

Operational doctrine:

The Raumfallschirmjäger Korps is thought to be used as an interstellar quick reaction corps. Its deployment would be either by Kampfgrupe or as a whole unit as needed.

In most cases they are expected to be able to land in a friendly spaceport or airport, using the landers as interface transport from the ships to ground.

In case of an invasion having to be performed, they are expected to be used en masse as a whole unit, and their current doctrine would be to use the landers to take the four light infantry companies into atmospheric space, where they would perform a paratroop assault (probably using HALO from high atmosphere, so that the landing ships could return quicker to take more troops or supplies), if possible on lightly defended zones not far from the main targets and using the fighters as air support, be it to achieve air superiority or as close support with their lasers.

Once the landing zone could be relatively secured, the same landers would be used to land the armored platoons, supplies and second wave troops, as well as to evacuate wounded, acting as VTOL shuttles until an airfield could be taken or improvised.

Of course, this would need for other fleet elements to have achieved orbital supremacy first, as well as other ships to carry the supplies needed and second wave troops, as well as fuel for subsequent landings.

And never forget this has never been tried in 2300 AD, so any such operation would be a high stakes gamble, where the unexpected must be expected.