Prototype on blue water.
RCB-32 Paraya-Class Riverrine and Fast Assault Craft
Displacement: 16,000 kg empty, 19,000 standard, 24,000 kg full load.
Length: 17 meters overall, 15 meters waterline.
Beam: 5 meters
Draught: 1 meter
Propulsion: 2 x 730 hp gas turbine or 1 1400 hp gas turbine, 2 water jets.
Range: 300 nautical miles at 30 knots.
Compliment: 1 Officer and 3 Enlisted, 21 amphibious troops with full equipment.
Armament:
3 x MA-340 Reil Heavy Machine Guns. (Can be modified to use other Machine Guns, recoilless weaponry, or automatic grenade launchers)
1 x LAMA AC1 Vallum 30mm compact autocannon
4 x Mines or 6 x Depth Charges or 1 x 2 tube Mercury ATGM
Modular facility for one 4 missile tube of either the MA14-LP or SALY28 SAM
Abstract
A fast moving, high powered riverrine vessel and fast assault craft, the RCB-32 Payara-class riverrine craft is a step forward in riverrine warfare. Capable of defending rivers and coasts from a wide variety of threats while also being more than capable of transporting forces deep into enemy territory and providing tactical combat aid. The Paraya is an exceptionally fast and agile boat that can execute extremely sharp turns at high speed, decelerate from top speed to a full stop in 2.8 boat lengths, and adjust both its pitch and roll angle while under way. Its light weight, shallow draught, and twin water jets allow it to operate at speeds of up to 40 knots in shallow coastal waters.
Background
The Grand Theocratic Empire is a nation of two halves. The upper half, traditional home to a few Marshite enclaves and the majority of former Cultist lands, is Mushania. It is a giant, blasted badland of radioactive ruin with few sources of water to be found inland. The southern part of the Empire, however, is a verdant jungle. It is Pushania, and it is home to some of the largest and most powerful rivers in the world. Rivers in Mushania centered around Marshite zones of influence. Due to the nature of their control of geography and the facts of the Long War, Marshite forces always understood the value of riverrine warfare. It was treated with a higher priority than the blue water naval actions were for much of the Long War, leading to dozens of designs throughout the years that focused on that aspect of warfare.
With the Long War ended, the era of river combat seemed to come to an end- albeit briefly. The Marshite Civil War demanded more combat than ever in the rivers of Pushania and they ran red and black with blood and oil. Late in the war, the Progressives developed the RCB-32 to become the premiere combat vessel in the rivers. First deployed in the failed operation to take Yurasaki, the Paraya nonetheless performed remarkably well in an amphibious invasion of a major city several thousand miles inland. Post-war, the Paraya became the main riverrine vessel of the Marshite nation and soon undertook additional roles in drug interdiction and anti-smuggling operations. It soon was adopted by special forces and Holy Warriors alike for its many grand benefits.
Construction
The hull and body of the RCB-32 Paraya is composed of Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al (aka Ti-10-2-3). This Titanium alloy is normally used on airframes, but offers one of the best mixes of strength vs. toughness. It is a near beta alloy, developed primarily for high-strength applications in the 1241 MPa (180ksi) range. The alloy also possesses the best hot-die forgeability of any commercial titanium alloy, and is suitable for near net-shape forging applications and isothermal forging. Ti-10-2-3 also offers high strength/toughness combinations and is deep-hardenable. This is the same lightweight yet powerful alloy used on the Bloodhound and other armored vehicles, and in this instance the natural resistance to corrosion that titanium has plays a big role in keeping the RCB in play.
The ship is designed to offer sea-keeping, speed, efficiency and safety in different operating conditions.
The vessel can accommodate 21 fully armed soldiers and load up to 4.5t of cargo. A splinter protected wheelhouse module accommodates two operator seats and a middle jump seat within a compact aircraft-style cockpit. Here is where the commander of the RCB, the Driver, and the Unmanned Weapons Officer- generally in control of the missiles or other unmanned weapons. Notably, the Commander generally also operates as communications.
The jump seat can swing into and out of place. The aft 25% of the hull is configurable and can act as either a floating command post with additional communication gear or as a gunboat with options for the positioning of the armament. It is here that the decision to arm the vessel with the Mercury, mines, or depth charges is made. The three manned turrets, generally armed with the MA-340 Reil, all have separate passageways into the troop compartment. The LAMA AC1 Vallum 30mm compact medium autocannon is placed in a modified acropolis turret near the front of the RCB-32.
Armaments
The Paraya is a powerfully armed riverrine combat vessel. It has a dual mission of supporting infantry on the ground and clearing the skies and rivers of the Theocracy and allied states, while being capable of operating against limited blue water and coastal threats. In keeping with this ideal, it is armed equally against anti-infantry, vehicle, air, and ship threats.
The main armament of the RCB is the MA-340 Reil heavy machine gun. Capable of firing 15.5x115mm Marshite Caseless Armor Piercing rounds. Lighter than any comparable heavy machine gun while still having a task oriented design, the MA-340 is capable of blowing through any body armor design on the market or on the drawing board of any world power. It can reliably penetrate light armor and can damage medium armor, while working effectively as an anti-air mount. One MA-340 is on a RWS mount, with two crew members manning turrets on the back. There are paths to the internal troop transport or cargo so infantry can man these turrets. Owing to the Riverborne Marines and RCB Crew receiving generally the same training, there is no loss of effectiveness should a Marine man the turret so a crew member may commit himself to other duties.
Weight: 17 kg standard, 18.2 kg with bipod, 24 kg with tripod mount
Length: 1700 mm
Length of barrel: 1310 mm
Ammunition: 15.5x115 mm MCAP
Action: Recoil operated
Muzzle Velocity: 1000 m/s
Range: 2400 effective range, 7000m maximum.
Feed: Single or Dual belt
Rate of fire: 450 rounds/min
Sights: Iron, BALCOTH, alternates accepted on rail.
The base heavy weapon for the RCB is the LAMA AC1 Vallum 30mm compact medium autocannon, which is placed in a modified acropolis turret near the front of the RCB-32. The AC1 fires 30 x 200mm caseless telescoping depleted uranium rounds. The AC1 is chain-operated, externally powered by a 6 HP motor which, and as with the PAK2 and LY106, uses a system of sprockets, grooves and clutches to not only feed, load and fire rounds, but also allows the operator to switch ammunition types, by selecting from which of the four ammunition drums to draw rounds from. Available ammunition types include APFSDS-T, HEI-T, HEDP-T, Illum and practice rounds. Each AC1 equipped vehicle carries a small selection of 50mm Supershot Mark II ammunition for use against vehicles rated against the 30mm.
Much of the weapon system is titanium, which, while expensive, is considerably lighter than its steel volume/strength equivalent, thus allowing for the weapon's mounting to be considerably lighter. The now-lighter elements of the receiver assembly do not adversely affect the weapon's recoil characteristics, firmly entrenced in the Acropolis. A high-efficiency muzzle brake and long recoil mechanism (30mm) also lower the felt recoil signature, and provide for more efficient firing characteristics. As with all weapons on the platform, the AC1 is linked to native Fire Control and Battlespace Networks, and can prosper from attendant fire data and ballistic calculation. Acropolis is built into seawater resistant elements in the hull, allowing the gun to poke out with 120 degree field of view in the front arc of the RCB.
The barrel is 35 calibres long, putting it 1.7m from the end of the receiver, and is chrome-lined to improve durability, and allow for the provision of higher-pressure propellant charges, with tungsten-carbide facing along the steel-forged barrel to increase heat tolerance and felt recoil.
Fourrates of fire are able to be selected: semi-automatic, low-rate automatic, high-rate automatic, and five-round burst which allow single-shot, 120rpm (approx.) and 240 rpm (approx.) and burst fire capability.
The AC1 is designed to provide the RCB-32 series with effective, reliable, and lightweight firepower for engagement and defeat of light and medium threats including helicopters, heavy riverrine vehicles, APCs, entrenched enemy positions, and other infantry support targets. While not as potent as the LY106, AC1 is capable of being used on lighter vehicles such as the RCB.
On top of the vehicle exists modular facilities for MA-14LP or SALY28 SAM missiles, a tube of four each.
The MA-14LP is a long range anti-vehicle missile with good armor penetrating capabilities, used to engage armored targets at range in infantry support roles.
Missile Weight: 11kg (21kg)
Launch Control Unit Weight: 5kg
Battery Weight: 1kg
Tripod Weight (optional): 3kg
Length: 1200mm
Diameter: 150mm
Finspan: 250mm
Warhead: Tandem charge, 50mm Copper precursor, 147mm Gold main
Penetration: ~1,600-1,950mm RHAe (depending on ERA)
Range: 200m to 3,000m (200m to 8,000m)
Velocity: 200m/s
Guidance: EO/IIR, SALH, and Radar and Laser SACLOS
The other setup is the SALY28 SAM. The missiles have a bicalibre body in tandem configuration, separable smokeless booster and sustainer with separation mechanism. The sustainer contains the warhead and contact and proximity fuses. The fragmentation rod warhead weighs 18kg. The missile weighs 70kg at launch and has a maximum speed of 1,150m/s. Range is from 1km to 15km.
The SALY28 missiles feature semi-active radar homing, which can switch to active if the signal from the firing or illuminating vehicle is interrupted. Further, SALY28, as with many missiles, is also designed to switch between radar detection and home-on-jamming as circumstances require. The inbuilt computer has the additional option of using infra-red tracking in the terminal stages of the flight envelope.
While in LOS to the firing vehicle, the SALY28 may be given the abort command, which will self-destruct the missile, in the advent of a misfire or misidentified target.
Range: 1,000m - 15,000m
Altitude: 3,000m - 9,000m
Guidance System: SARH, ARH, IR
Weight With Container: 95kg
Launch Weight: 70kg
Container Diameter: 180mm
Length in Container: 3.4m
Warhead Type: Fragmentation rod
Warhead Weight: 18kg
Maximum Speed: 1,150m/s
Time of Flight to 10km Range: 14 seconds
The last weaponry options depend on one of three different setups. The RCB can lay mines, in which the mine system trails less than a meter behind the RCB and is let go at certain points from the dispenser. Mines are activates two minutes after they have been laid, prevent early cookoffs and casualties.
Depth charges are placed on two three charge tubes on either side of the RCB. Used for hunting submarines in coastal waters, they have found useful operational purpose in hunting down small teams of hidden special forces swimming in rivers as well.
The front of the Paraya can be modified to hold one 2 missile tube that uses the Mercury Multipurpose Missile. The missile is broadly similar to the Russian “Germes” series of long-range ATGMs, however it is equipped with a tandem HEAP warhead rather than a pure HE-F warhead. The primary difference is a longer booster stage, which is 50 cm longer than that of the Germes, allowing the rocket to be conformal with the 220mm launch tube of the Manticore and other MLRS launchers, while receiving a slight range boost.
The Mercury comes stock from the factory with a GPS/CANASS guidance, as well as Millimeter-Wave RADAR fire-and-forget guidance system, which can be partly programmed from the launch unit before launch. The missile body is partly pre-fragmented in the front, allowing it to function as shrapnel. This allows the Mercury to engage fortifications, light maritime vessels, light vehicles, medium and heavy battle tanks, artillery batteries, and even (though this is naturally suboptimal) infantry and the open. Low-flying aircraft can also be attacked withMercury.
The Mercury can be launched from either its own 24-tube launch vehicle, from standard 220mm MLRS, or from a variety of air and naval platform. It can receive information from a battery’s target designation RADAR, UAVs, or other units.
The Mercury uses a multi-mode laser, millimeter-wave RADAR, GPS-coupled-IMU, and passive IR seeker as we all as datalink-based guidance system.
As a result, the ‘Mercury’ is capable of engaging, at long range, tanks, IFVs, fortifications, low-flying aircraft, infantry in the open, and light maritime vessels. The RCB-32 Paraya's version of the Mercury comes in two varieties. The normal HEAP warhead allows it to take apart armored targets. The specialist thermobaric missile is used against soft targets.
Penetration: (Optimal conditions) 1170mm RHAe after ERA
Length: 4m
Wingspan: 240mm extended, 220mm folded
Width (booster stage) 210 mm
Width (attack stage) 130mm
Range: 120km
Weight: 157 kg
Max speed: 1000 meters/second
Average speed: 500 meters/second
Propulsion
The RCB faced many key decisions, notably one of which was how to best keep it mobile. After many trials, the decision was made to use two 780 horsepower high efficiency gas turbines and two high powered Marshite Industrial Naval Facility Tskia (MINFT) water jets. The decision to go gas turbine came down to the less noisy presentation of gas turbine engines and its high performance nature. Downsides in lower efficiency at low speeds and high consumption were obviously important, but the area of operations that the Paraya operates in means it will rarely find itself distanced from capable supply lines. In that way, performance was considered better than efficiency.
A result of the gas turbines on such a small craft is that it can boil water in its wake. A squadron of Parayas can thus create an eerie scene as they travel down a river in larger groups- steam rising up into the sky.
MINFT Water Jets allow high speed turns, allowing the powerful riverrine vessel to undertake sharp turns in confined space.
Electronics, Countermeasures
SACHERI is the most advanced computer system employed thus with Marshite territory, and while designed for the mainland ground foces, continues in service in many other platforms. It incorporates a vast array of intellugence and communication systems and makes it functionally a single operating system, creating a networked information battlespace. This allows the RCB to connect to the vast battlespace network and get up to the nanosecond information about the geography of the area, movements of the enemy, type of enemy, nuber of enemy, targeting information, automatic command and control communication and relay systems, and other efforts to give the RCB all the information it needs.
For naval vessels, SACHERI has an array of sonar and other detection equipment. Often accompanied by a UARV Kestrel from the attached Marine platoon, the RCB is able to penetrate space around with unceasing clarity and vigilance. It not only receives data from SACHERI but adds its own data to it. During blue water naval operations, a small RCB-32 can spot at otherwise impossible ranges an enemy capital ship and allow forces with greater firepower to engage and destroy the capital vessel with undeniably otherworldly accuracy and speed. This is also coupled with an UL 5000K ECM suite, MIRADOR electro-optical sensors, and the HOLY AVENGER Information Passive-Active Counter-Missile System.
Cargo Capacity
The vessel can accommodate 21 fully armed soldiers and load up to 4.5 tons of cargo at the same time. Owing to the Riverrine Marine's standard protocol, this constitutes a full platoon plus ammunition and supplies for post-landing operations. Without the armed Marines, the Paraya can carry 7.5 tons of cargo.
The mid-section of the boat serves as the troop compartment, accommodating soldiers along and their equipment. Immediately below the cockpit, is a bulkhead that is divided by a passageway extending to a bow ramp landing area. The unique drop bow system allows rapid deployment of troops and quick extraction of casualties ashore.
Crew Amenities
The same seats used in the Chattle series of automobiles are used in the Paraya, giving world class comfort and back support to every crew member. There is a small 2X2 area for food and drinks; there is a an area for hot foods that are ready to eat out of the bag and for drinks. Though small, this offers the crew enough food and drink besides their rations to improve troop morale. Since Paraya operations are not usually long lasting, long-term care for the crew depends on the mission. The passenger and cargo compartment can be outfitted with additional food stations and even shift-resistant bedding.
The T1 connection used for SACHERI can separately be used to surf the internet, check their e-mail, and make online phone calls. SACHERI also keeps a constant temperature of 65 degrees, keeping the crew comfortable. The system can be set to any temperature if needs be.
Paraya's Operations
The Paraya in its short time has had several notable events attached to it's name. While the majority of its operations are relatively standard coastal defense, patrols on rivers, and anti-drug, smuggling, special forces, and intelligence operations, the RCB has made a name both in Holy Marsh and internationally based on several events.
- Invasion of Yurasaki
A battlegroup of forty Paraya's attack the city of Yurasaki from the river, catching the city offguard. Yurasaki was two thousand, one hundred miles inland and saw some river combat but nothing of this scale. Progressive forces from outside the city planned to push in while riverborne marines captured the bridges that spanned the river-straddling city. Parayas are able to obliterate opposing riverborne forces and defeat multiple air and armored threats in the area as riverborne marines attack the bridges. The Paraya task force is able to engage and defeat local forces in support of the marines and leaves as ammunition runs out, avoiding the river based counter attack. Sadly, the Progressive attack onto the city is repulsed and the Marines are left stranded. The RCB-32s rearm and refuel and return, taking heavy losses as the Hardliners counter attack but managing to extricate many Marine survivors.
- Nordernte River Campaign
The Republic of Akila was overwhelmed by the Celestial Empire, the borders of which were the long and wide Nordernte River. The Celestial Empire attempted to launch an amphibious invasion across the river using older landing craft and were met by a rude welcome by the Parayas of the Repiublic's navy. Their heavy machine guns were able to tear holes through the thin armor, the AC1 detonating many landing craft, and the missiles of the Paraya leaving many others burning wrecks. The Celestial pressed on and after a week of slaughter took the river crossing, only after the Parayas ran out of ammunition and fuel for combat. The river combat led to over a million Celestial dead, a not insignificant amount due to the Parayas.
- Operation Reaver Seas
Marshite Marines discover a slaver fleet not far from a joint training operation with Lamonian forces. Multiple options were discussed, but the speed of the Dark Waters Incorporated fleet and their willingness to kill slaves to prevent the loss of valuable cargo due to capture- a lower write off for the dead- meant that most large scale operations had to be put aside. The decision was made in less than thirty minutes by the commanders of low-scale tactical units involved in the training to use four Parayas to drop off two platoons of Marshite Marines and two platoons of Lamonian Marines. After they captured the vessels, a larger naval task force could be summoned to protect them. Aided by poor weather, the Parayas snuck up on the four main slaver vessels.
Each Marine platoon successfully infiltrated the vessel and commenced an active boarding and capture operation against each vessel. The DWI escort noticed this and launched its own heavily armed LCACs to respond, but six were destroyed by the Parayas. The escort started to pepper the main vessels with heavy gun fire in an effort to sink them, but multiple Mercury missiles impacted against the bridge and the heaviest guns of the escort. The marines succeeded in capturing all four slaver vessels at a loss of six marines dead and twenty wounded total. In all, 3,400 slaves were freed and well over two hundred DWI security and crew were killed, with thrice that captured when the main task force arrived.
Export
The RCB-32 Paraya is a superb riverrine and coastal patrol vessel, and can work effectively as a fast attack craft. The wide set of roles it can fulfill, the quality of its armament and specifications, and the ease of its use in the hands of trained professionals, marks it as a unique and powerful tool of war.
The RCB-32 Paraya costs $9 million standard NS dollars. DPRs cost $9 billion.
The RCB-32 Paraya is sold through the Covenant Arms.
