Asuka Class Small Scale Stealth Carrier
ฤหีาฟ ฉสฟหห ฆทฟสำ ฆแฟสำ ฆะำฟสะ้ ฉฟพพรำพ
In the early 1990's, the Denengrad Naval Self Defence Force (DNSDF) realized that a Global Conflict with the Atarian Allied Nations (AAN) forces was a real possibility. Control of the sea-lanes would be of critical importance to allow the Peace Keeping Navy (PKN) the capability of shipping war material from Tarisan to its Denengrad and Vincin allies. As the current Sunborn class carriers, even under wartime conditions, would take nearly four years to complete, a new design was necessary to speed up the rate of carrier production to replace ships which would inevitably be lost in combat. In an effort to save on production costs the DNSDF and TNF (Tarsian Naval Force) entered into a joint program which would take the best characteristics of the Sunborn class and place them on a new class of carriers which could be massed produced.
The resultant Asuka class carrier has the same basic flight deck, elevator, and catapult locations as the older Sunborn class carriers; however, its modular design allows much of the fabrication of the ship to be carried out off site.
The Asuka class does feature a new nuclear propulsion plant which leverages from the previous three generations of shipborne nuclear technologies and is rated for 50 years (or the lifetime of the ship) without the need for refuelling. In addition to the reactors a new electrical system was added to the Asuka class of carriers. The newer system is completely redundant and will require reduced maintenance over the previous generation.
The joint Peace Keeping Navy design was approved in July 1999 with two sister ships laid down simultaneously, DNSDF Panjia in the Stream Base shipyards in Denengrad and the TNF Resilient by Effective Engineering Solutions Tarsian. Difficulties resulting in the construction of the TNF’s first nuclear propelled carrier pushed the commissioning of the Resilient back nearly 12 months after the Panjia. However, the design proved so successful that other PKN members, mainly Vincin, expressed an interest in obtaining the new carrier design. The technology was quickly transferred to the VCN International Shipyard in Vincin and they began construction on the Pandora’s Box 14 months prior to the commencement of the Atarian War.
As the prospect of a conflict with AAN forces became evident the number of new carriers laid increased at a feverish rate. Once the conflict broke out in early 2007 the PKN had four ships in commission with three under construction in Denengrad, two in Tarsian, and one in Vincin. Throughout the four year conflict, both the Sunborn and Asuka class carriers participated in nearly every major battle with the AAN forces. A total of 15 Asuka carriers were produced during the war (7 for the DNSDF, 5 for TNF, and 3 for Vincin) and 8 were lost during the course of the war. Of all of these losses only DNSDF Hammerfall and the VMDF Sterling were sunk as a result of airborne attacks. The other six Asuka carriers were lost as a result of torpedo or submarine launched cruise missiles.
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The Asuka is everything you could want for small scale strike attacks while using stealth technology. Manufactured at our "Stream Base" The Asuka class is a force to be reckoned with, despite its rather small size compared to other carriers. Its lack in size however does work to its advantage. It is able to operate independently in enemy waters, its advanced construct and design means it can bounce back 90% of sonar pings, as well as 84% or radar scans, please bear in mind though, she is by no means invisible. It is lacking in fire power, but does have a battery of anti-ship missiles. Its main weapons are of our customary defensive nature, featuring a staggering amount of CIWS (Close In Weapon Systems) do deal with enemy aircraft and missiles. A fine addition to any navy!
The Asuka is the latest design in Axe and Hammer carriers. They are built to operate alone and without support for extended periods of time in hostile situations, but naturally we recommend a submarine escort or several surface ships, but rest assured the Asuka can and will hold her own. Each ship is designed slightly differently from the one before it, a slight change in the angle of surfaces so that two Asuka’s will never have the same radar profile .
The Asuka is designed with STOL and VTOL aircraft in mind but is still capable of accepting and launching carrier adapted convention aircraft. A rear portion of the flight deck is given over to landing and take-off of VTOL aircraft, that section of the deck being clad in heat absorbent tiles. This means that the Asuka can also act a quick turnaround for VTOL aircraft wishing to re-fuel and rearm in the shortest possible time. Due to the limited space of the flight deck this area is also a designated helicopter landing point. To aid flight deck congestion the Asuka has been outfitted with four aircraft elevators allowing landing and returning aircraft to have access to two elevators, this also means that all four can be employed to raise launching aircraft to the flight deck in the shorted time possible
Type - Advanced Small Scale Stealth Carrier.
Scale - Capital Class.
Length - 256m
Displacement - 38,400t
Crew - 1600
Consumables - 1 year
Speed - 40 knots
Radar - 500 km
Bridge - Double Levelled
Aircraft Lifts – 4
Catapults – 4
Docking Bay - 1
Capacity - 10 fighters, 4 multiroler’s, 1 transport helicopter and 1 support aircraft.
Power plant - 2 A&H Nuclear micro-piles. 4 steam turbines
Price per unit - $4,300,000,000
The Asuka class is powered by two Axe and Hammer micro nuclear reactors housed in separate containment spheres, each reactor powers two steam turbines that in turn power two propellers. The maximum output of the reactors is 210-MW. The Asuka can cruise at a speed of forty knots thanks to these two power units as well as her bulbous bow. Greater speed can be achieved, but only for short periods of time.
The four propellers of this class are mounted in new “pod propeller” housings that eliminate the need for a rudder of any kind. Each pod is capable of full rotation allowing the carrier to make evasive manoeuvres and turn almost on a penny when at low speed. The Pod design also makes the docking procedure much quicker and safer.
Armaments
14 X 36mm CIWS
Location - Forward, Aft, Port and Starboard
Range - 1800m
Magazine - 1,500 each gun
Rate of Fire – 4,200 Rounds per minuet
The above image depicts the arcs of fire of all CIWS guns at close range, should a missile or shell be engaged while within the red circle there is a high chance of explosion and shrapnel damage. The large blind spot on the port side of the ship is due to the island CIWS guns being unable to engage sea skimming missiles due to the flight deck obstructing the fire path. It is imperative that all incoming threats be destroyed before entering the absolute defence sphere.
All CIWS systems on the Asuka class are concealed behind bulkheads and within custom built housings to aid in the ships stealth profile. One of the min things you will notice is that six CIWS guns are placed directly behind the main Island of the carrier with three facing starboard and three to port. These six guns are tasked with defending the island from incoming missiles and ballistic shells. The three port guns look directly over the flight deck as such will not fire if they detect aircraft on the deck, this safety feature can be removed however, but Axe and Hammer defence takes no responsibility for friendly fire incidents while not running immediate IFF deck signature recognition.
The other eight guns are mounted in pairs; double overage is our standard operation procedure. As such you will find four CIWS mounted forward both port and starboard in pairs for forward defence. With a mirror image of defence at the rear of the ship
A typical CIWS gun shows within it's housing and deployed for defense
Anti-ship Missile System
Location - Amidships Starboard.
Range - 20km
Magazine - 12 missiles
Rate of Fire - Nil. Multiple launches.
Each VLS system consists of a number of cells, which can hold one or more missiles ready for firing. Typically, each cell can hold a number of different types of missiles, allowing the ship flexibility to load the best set for any given mission. Further, when new missiles are developed, they are typically fitted to the existing VLS systems of that nation, allowing existing ships to use new types of missiles without expensive rework. When the command is given, the missile flies straight up long enough to clear the cell and the ship, and then turns on course.
A VLS system can be either hot launch, where the missile ignites in the cell, or cold launch, where the missile is expelled by gas produced by a gas generator which is not part of the missile itself, and then the missile ignites. "Cold" means relatively cold compared with rocket engine exhaust. A hot launch system does not require an ejection mechanism, but does require some way of disposing of the missile's exhaust and heat as it leaves the cell. If the missile ignites in a cell without an ejection mechanism, the cell must withstand the tremendous heat generated without igniting the missiles in the adjacent cells.
