Length: 184 m & 116 m.
Width: 30.21 m & 17.07 m.
Displacement: 48,459 tons & 10,742 tons fully loaded.
Capacity:
- 6,800 tons or 126 (6x2.44 m) - 54 (12.19x2.44 m) containers above deck; 38,558 tons or 1,450 (6x2.44 m) - 725 (12.19x2.44 m) containers above deck.
- 3,400 tons in two holds bellow deck - either dry cargo, converted refrigeration units, or converted liquid tanks; 26,145 tons in four holds bellow deck - either dry cargo, converted refrigeration units, or converted liquid tanks.
- 2 IS&E M2006 Diesel Engines.
- 2 shafts.
- 2 Controllable Pitch-Propulsors.
Complement: Up to 50 crew, including 25 marines; up to 85 crew, including 45 marines.
Electronics:
- Eisen-Schloss Combat Networking (MEER Command & Control).
- LDS-HMSS-2B/2 (hull mounted passive sonar system).
- Civilian Grade Communications Equipment (civilian short and long range systems).
- Civilian Instruments (transponder, data collector, echo locator, etc.).
- IFF ES/A/N/F (friend-or-foe/transponder system).
- NET-S System (CESM/COMINT).
- JSEW-4D/2 Electronic Warfare Suite (main system disguised as civilian communications equipment).
- SADS-1A (civilian grade anti-drone jamming system).
- GPS Navigation System.
- Inertial Navigation System.
- X-MARINE Civilian X-Band Marine Radar.
- Mk. 103/C Dual-Barreled 40 mm Automatic Cannons/CIWS'.
- Remote Missile Stations (21-15 missiles per mount).
- Type 870 CIWS, 30mm gatling cannon & RMS (21-15 missiles).
- Rotating Vertical Countermeasure System (RVCS, 20 barrels).
- Any manned or unmanned medium and heavy machine guns. Manned and unmanned automatic cannons ranging from 20 mm to 40 mm.
- Mk. 41 or 51 cells (10-16 cells per 6x2.44 m container - doubled for 12.19x2.44 m containers).
- Launch/Storage unit for drone aircraft (folding or rotary wing).
- Other concealed containers include concealed workspaces, equipment mounts, additional crew quarters, armories, and prisoner holding cells.
- ABS Grade EQ47 Steel construction.
- 2" thick KEVLAR plates over superstructure areas.
- 1” thick KEVLAR plates to additional vital areas.
Background
The Engelhai Class is a class of advanced armed merchant ships (otherwise known as Q-Ships) designed in a joint project between Wolf Armaments' Shipyard Branch and Imperial Shipyards & Electrics' Shipyard Division. Its namesake, the Engelhai, is an angelshark known to inhabit coastal waters around TECT. Engelhai are nocturnal ambush predators that bury themselves in sediment and wait for passing prey, which are mostly benthic bony fishes, skates, and invertebrates; their stealthy behavior and ambush tactics are the embodiment of what the Engelhai Class aims to achieve in design. Extensive fishing related activities (including bycatch) have left much of the Engelhai population virtually extinct in routinely fished zones along TECT's coastlines; the few areas that remain untouched by commercial fishing where populations exist are strained further by the angleshark's slow reproductive cycle, forcing the Interior Ministry to label the Engelhai "critically endangered".
In an effort to domesticate naval production, Emperor Charles II demanded that Wolf Armaments begin focusing on developing shipyard operations; he specifically wanted to domestically produce native designed warships and cut reliance on foreign companies. The Emperor convinced Congress to ease business regulations and he also approved many buyouts to boost Wolf Armaments' push into the shipyard industry; these actions greatly assisted Wolf Armaments by creating less restrictions on purchasing property, acquiring materials, and acquiring research grants. Wolf Armaments boosted its development by taking over small shipyard companies and other marine manufacturing facilities - which helped it acquire shipyards to use and learn from as well as new employees with years of experience in the field of marine construction. At the same time, Colonial Shipyards Inc. agreed to a merger into Wolf Armaments - the deal brought the Empire's largest warship manufacturing company, which produced the vast majority of domestically constructed military vessels that licenses had been purchased from overseas companies, into the much larger Arms manufacturing corporation. This huge industry merger immediately made Wolf Armaments the number one company in the shipyard industry for military vessels, allowing it to finally begin work on designing native military vessels, naval warfare technology, and begin competing with similar shipyard businesses around the world.
The Emperor greatly wanted to replace Triumvirate Enterprises, a longtime supplier to the Empire in naval vessels and technologies, as his country's supplier of naval ships and technology; his idea being that producing domestic vessels would eliminate dependency on foreign suppliers/designs, enrich naval and technological innovation, and secure manufacturing jobs for Commoners which before relied on the country paying license fees to build foreign designs - the benefit of exports in the naval sector would boost the country's GDP along with the combating of the Empire's unemployment rate. The country's military budget would also see savings due to the cheaper price tag of the ships and other expenses that had to be paid for construction and delivery. By 2004 Wolf Armaments was well established in ship manufacturing with shipyards, research facilities, and manufacturing plants around the country; it had taken over domestic production of military shipping and had even formed a powerful design committee for inventing new native warships. The same year Wolf Armament's Naval Design Committee began work on multiple designs. Initially, Wolf Armaments set out to design replacements for already ailing classes and required warship types. Destroyers, cruisers, frigates, and a variable amount of other smaller ships were becoming obsolete or were not designed with TECT preferences in mind. The already outdated battleships and stale variety of warships were beginning to threaten Commoner naval supremacy.
Imperial Shipyards & Electrics, historically one of TECT's largest shipbuilders, has primarily focused its business on constructing commercial ships and repair contracts with entities around the Empire; its other practices include shipboard electronics and sea/air technology development. Prior to Wolf Armaments' large takeover of the warship construction industry in the late 1990's and early 2000's, Imperial Shipyards & Electrics constructed many of the Imperial Navy's larger warships, including non-combatant ships like oiler and cargo vessels, and even combat vessels such as destroyers and a number of aircraft carriers. Once Wolf Armaments began taking over the industry, IS&E found itself receiving less government contracts overall; construction, repair, and most development contracts went to the new powerhouse that was now Wolf Armaments. The end of domestic production licenses of many foreign warships eventually killed IS&E's hopes for continuing shipbuilding for the Imperial Navy - especially since the few that remained went to Wolf Armaments to construct. When warships designed by Wolf Armaments became the standard for the Imperial Navy, outside companies like IS&E were left with few choices if they hoped to survive in the military shipyard business. Although Wolf Armaments did attempt to buyout IS&E in 2005, it failed to buyout IS&E shareholders or convince them to sell the company during negotiations. Imperial Shipyards & Electrics is now one of the largest shipbuilders in TECT; its shipyards construct many civilian/commercial craft and receive numerous repair contracts, even some from the government that continue to keep shipyards endlessly busy. IS&E's technology and electronics development continues to flourish as commercial clients rely on electronics produced by the company. The government still partners with IS&E for technology development contracts, and often sometimes for other military applications (such as onboard electronics for warships or radar technology).
The Engelhai Class was created through a joint development project between Wolf Armaments and Imperial Shipyards & Electrics. Development began in 2012 when Wolf Armaments approached IS&E with an offer to co-develop an "armed merchant vessel" capable of defeating most would-be attackers, with other applicable roles being deep undercover intelligence gathering in foreign waters and other incognito military roles. Both companies agreed to mutually beneficial terms and begun development of the ship class. Immediately, the joint development board uniformly split tasks up between the two rival shipbuilders, assigning whichever company's personnel specialized in associated fields. This meant Wolf Armaments would be responsible for providing the vessel's armaments, installing its more advanced military technologies, and helping to design the hull to accommodate general military applications. IS&E, for its part, would bring to the table its superior civilian vessel design experience, providing civilian grade electronics and technologies, and ensure the vessel's performance was fully optimized; IS&E was also responsible for ensuring the vessel appeared civilian, visibly and technologically. While Wolf Armaments would ensure the vessel was fit for its intended military applications, IS&E made sure the future vessel would run and appear like any modern cargo vessel. Engelhai would soon become the unofficial name of the future class of vessels for Wolf Armaments, who's lead project manager saw it a fitting name and quipped "it would become the Empire's leading ambush predator above sea." Alternatively, IS&E had officially labeled the future class as the "Inter-regional Commercial Merchant 2012" or "ICM-12" and would begin marketing it as the latest addition to its inter-regional cargo vessel fleet; this would mean that legally, the future vessel could be (and ended up being) patented under multiple names, including the "Engelhai Armed Merchant Vessel/Q-Ship", the "Inter-regional Commercial Merchant 2012/ICM-12", the "ICM-12 'Engelhai'", and any other similar combination of the two legal classifications.
A previously unfinished hull of a planned cargo vessel was used to construct the working prototype of the Engelhai. The half finished hull was an abandoned medium cargo vessel design IS&E had developed decades prior in order to serve as a new line of smaller, less expensive inter-regional cargo vessels; it was abandoned during the late 1980's in favor of developing much larger vessels capable of more efficient cargo capacities. IS&E essentially modernized the design and both Wolf Armaments and IS&E cooperatively took active roles in developing the new vessel from its bare skeleton. By mid 2013, the prototype "Engelhai" had already been semi-completed and undergoing multiple phases of testing, including sea worthiness trials, weight/cargo tests which aimed to increase cargo efficiency to meet weight limits, crew rundowns of basic ship operations to gather valued crew input used for improvements, equipment and component stress tests, and armament efficiency trials. Final trials, including mock intelligence gathering and cargo delivery missions with and without simulated attacks were passed by late October 2013. Between IS&E's extensive civilian industry assistance and Wolf Armaments militarization expertise, Engelhai was able to efficiently meet internal deadlines and was thus submitted to the Imperial Navy on time for further naval trials. After a short trial and refurbishing phase, Engelhai the design was cleared for service with the Imperial Navy, which reportedly ordered upward to fifty in its first of many standing orders. IS&E had successfully marketed the vessel in native markets as being counter-piracy and highly efficient cargo transportation across regional oceans, and thus won the interest of many shipping buyers at home; IS&E's public financial report in 2014 listed sales for the ICM-12 as being over a thousand units sold to a number of native shipping companies, requiring the company to invest in new facilities and adding more jobs to meet the still rising demand. The unprecedented sale surge is theorized to be the result of shipping companies replacing their older, smaller vessels for new modern vessels. A new surge in demand resulting from foreign sales now that the Engelhai is available internationally through both companies is expected.
Design
Engelhai was designed with two markets in mind, with the first being civilian buyers. Commercial shipping/oil companies who desired shipping vessels built with the intention of fortifying them against pirate threats the world over; with this key design focus, shipping companies can pay less and lose no sleep to fears of pirates or protesters taking over their ships. The second market is for militaries around the world. Besides being a support ship that could lug cargo and fuel to and from places, Engelhai has a multitude of military applications designed for modern naval warfare. As a Q-ship by design, it was perfect bait for pirates, submarines, and aircraft that wished to go after their enemy's supply chains - a supposedly easy target to eliminate. A navy could deploy a number of Engelhai's to known pirate infested waters in the hope that it ensnares pirates to take the bait; eventually, pirates learn one way or another that attacking passing civilian cargo/oil ships becomes a more dangerous proposition, thus dissuading them from continuing their acts of piracy. Although not a safe proposition, submarines or aircraft seeing an easy target could also find themselves on the wrong end of the barrel too if they aren't careful. If an unsuspecting plane or vessel overconfident in its chances approaches, or makes itself known, and an armed Engelhai can deliver a potent first strike or counter-attack before the enemy realizes they've walked into a trap. Of course, using the variable selection of Camouflaged Container Units, a military user may opt to use the Engelhai as a disguised launch site for surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, cruise missiles, and other munitions/vehicles. Another keen military role for the Engelhai in navies is to gather intelligence on opponents in foreign waters; sail through coastal or other territorial waters, or drop anchor at a dock for a legitimate cargo transport job, and an Engelhai can gather a plethora of MASINT, SIGINT, and TECHINT information.
Beginning with the Engelhai's construction, Engelhai uses an ABS Grade EQ47 Steel, which is sectioned off into three distinct areas. These areas are the main crew area (the superstructure and its bellow deck space), the cargo holds (under the main deck), and the above deck area. ABS Grade EQ47 Steel was chosen as a material because it was durable, strong, and one of the more prominent grades of civilian steel used for modern ship building; using steel and framework similarly used with warships could hint off the ship's true identity, thus military grade steel was not chosen for the Engelhai. The hull is reinforced using a two layer design that emphasizes efficient/faster travel and a strong focus in countering patches of ice, coated in a smart paint that reduces water resistance and combats ice, and is discreetly armored for protection against enemy action or natural threats. Depending on which variant used, the Engelhai's holds are split into either two cargo holds storing three thousand, four hundred tons, or four cargo holds storing over twenty-six thousand tons. These bellow deck cargo holds can be converted to store just about any material needed, including bulk packaging/crates, vehicles, standard shipping containers, dry material like bales of hay and lumber, frozen material in refrigerated units (or bulk refrigerated storage using a modified refrigeration hold), and liquids using large storage tanks and pipes. Access to the holds include multiple doorways for personnel above deck, large hatches for cranes above each hold, and bellow deck passageways to and from each end of the ship. Above deck, standard container units may stack as high as six units or as short as three units depending on the ship variant. The width length of container units stored above deck is typically either six units at smallest, or twenty-five at largest depending on ship variant. Engelhai's oiler variant, which is optimized to hold and deliver liquid products, can deliver almost twenty-nine thousand barrels of crude oil at its smallest size (enough for one thousand, four hundred and thirty-six gallons of gasoline), and two hundred and twenty-one thousand barrels at its largest size (or just over eleven thousand gallons of gasoline).
The superstructure area, located in the aft section of the ship, contains most of the crew's workspace and their living quarters. This area contains the bridge, Combat Information Center (CIC), cafeteria/mess hall, two floors dedicated to living quarters, the engine room, and other adjacent facilities. Starting from the top on down, the bridge is the primary workplace for the captain and other officers in charge of spearheading the ship's operations. Officers, such as the helmsman, navigator, and the flag officer on bridge duty work in the small space located on the highest floor in the structure. Unlike most modern TECT warships, Engelhai is tailored mostly for civilian operation and is marketed extensively to foreign customers, thus the bridge and CIC are in two different locations - which is also more traditional for warships around the world. The Combat Information Center, otherwise known as the CIC, is on the adjacent floor bellow the bridge where it is easily connected to the bridge via wiring and other communication lines. Engelhai's CIC is centered around a flag officer who leads CIC operations, which include monitoring intelligence gathering equipment, controlling all combat operations (such firing and ordering action to be taken), and is the command center for the ship's entire military infrastructure. Civilian customers who don't require many of the military level electronic warfare equipment may simply have them stripped from their purchase and a civilian version of the CIC will be installed instead (all of which contains equipment used for basic ship operations, such as radio, navigation, weather, and security stations). The next two floors down are crew quarters that hold approximately forty crew for the smaller variants, and seventy for the larger variants. Mostly used for sleeping and personal storage, these crew quarters consist primarily of narrow rows of bunk rooms made up of four bunks per room. While each room has its privacy from others, each bunk is typically shared between two or three crewman/marines if maximizing manpower on the ship - meaning each room could partially house twelve people if needed. Each bunk contains two beds, three storage drawers, and a privacy curtain to assist in sleeping; small things, such as power outlets and a shared locker are the few luxuries crew get in their "Bunk Hotels." On the first of the two floors is the captains personal room and typically bunks reserved for crew officers only unless open space is made. Beneath the two living quarters floors is bellow deck space, which includes an engineering room just under the superstructure, the engine room above the propellers, the laundry room adjacent to the engine room, and workspace for cargo/engineering to be conducted next the first hold. Above it all is the smokestack, two lifeboats ready for launch, two observation posts, electrical equipment on the roof/first tower, and the first crows nest.
Engelhai's cargo area is split into two sections: bellow deck (holds) and top deck. Top deck, for the most part, include tie down points for shipping containers with hatches left clear for each hold to utilize; for oiler variants, the top deck is left mostly bare with exception to some space for shipping containers the vessel may wish to deliver - the bottom holds, on the other hand, are entirely dedicated to liquid storage. Three to six ship mounted cranes can be installed on the Engelhai to assist in offloading cargo, or moving them from bottom holds to top deck; these cranes take up deck space however, so operators may choose to not include them for the additional space offered for shipping containers. For oilers, a tower using a crane system and long stretches of hoses conducts the liquid transfer of material from the holds; there is one of such towers for the smaller variant and two for the larger. Both oilers use an observation post above the cargo holds to manage transfers of material, this allocates the crew's work better without costing too much to modify the original ship's design structure. Above the post on the roof is another observation point for security purposes. The cargo hold consists of large rooms separated by walls and flanked by narrow hallways for crew and forklifts to travel down. Engelhai's cargo holds can easily be configured to hold refrigerated materials if desired and can store away several to several dozen additional shipping containers worth of material. Above deck there is a passageway on each half of the ship where crew can freely travel and access the holds from either side of the ship when needed. These passageways lead to the bow of the ship where the final tower/crows nest is located. Bellow the tower are the ship's two anchors, the ship's passive sonar bulb at the bottom, and a set of two bow thrusters (two per side) just short of the sonar bulb.
Armament & Countermeasures
Although appearing as any typical cargo or oiler ship, Engelhai is one of the stealthiest ship designs to come out of Wolf Armaments. Stealth does not always attribute to being invisible to radar, sonar, or actual eyesight. While warships need to reduce their size and their radar signatures to hide from modern detection methods, Engelhai chooses to attain stealth by blending into civilian merchant shipping common throughout the world's oceans. Just like how its namesake blends into the ocean floor to fool prey, the Engelhai class blends in with today's modern merchant navies. Although keen-eyed experts may identify some oddities after close observation, these oddities can easily be played off as anti-pirate in nature and shouldn't warrant further interrogation by onlookers. Although easily capable of fooling any dimwitted pirate or protest raiders, Engelhai is also capable of fooling the navies and air forces of other nations into not suspecting its true identity. All that is needed is a capable crew and a determined operator to operate such a vessel optimally. Of course Engelhai isn't meant for only being stealthy; it can fill many roles, including actual military service as a support ship, intelligence gathering as mentioned previously, anti-pirating operations to hunt down/bait pirate scum, other stealth needed military operations, or serve as any civilian company's oiler/cargo ship with enhanced anti-pirate technology/design.
Key to Engelhai's military capabilities are three unique traits: Counter-pirating design features throughout the entirety of the ship, Camouflaged Container Units (CCU's), and a well trained crew with marines as security. Without any of these present, Engelhai's cover could be compromised and thus lead to it becoming ineffective in combat. The first of these traits, counter-piracy features and designs, include two crows nests for optimal visibility (of which serve as fighting positions for marines), additional "observation decks" (up to three depending on ship variant) that act as fighting positions for marines which provide them better visibility and protection, numerous concealed mounting positions for machine guns and automatic grenade launchers, civilian grade electronics for detection and tracking of potential enemy activity, and civilian grade anti-drone technology meant to deny pirates overhead observation of ship/crew operations. These civilian grade defenses don't entirely deter pirate attacks because they're not designed to. They do, however, provide ample warning for Engelhai crew so that they may ambush or combat would-be pirate attackers with the maximum firepower they've been allotted. This is because Engelhai invites pirates to their demise rather than deterring them from attacking. Most onlookers will not recognize many of the details described above, viewing the observation decks as harmless and the crows nests as additional lookout posts; they will likely not realize these are fighting positions with enough armor to resist heavy machine gun fire, and that the equipment they see is standard civilian grade electronics used for communication and navigation. It is suggest that any operator should house the mentioned quantity of marines for the most optimal use of these design features and provide an adequate level of security for their vessel.
Camouflaged Container Units, or CCU's for short, are disguised multipurpose container units designed to appear exactly like standard shipping containers. These containers come in almost every standard size, color, and are typically covered in graffiti or have advertisements/logos on them to add add authenticity to their disguise; these containers have fooled inspection teams in the past from both afar (helicopter and patrol planes for example) and those who've come closer (those who've come aboard or were within a few meters of the ship), meaning most scummy pirates will lack the ability to detect fake containers without actually searching inside the container itself. If a user properly utilizes cargo procedures (creating a legitimate looking paper trail and having the container unit's paperwork filled out), port authorities will also not suspect something's amiss unless they search inside the container. Uses for CCU's are endless and include but are not limited to: Firing positions (featuring an armored rolling shutter door and lower armored belt for protection) for marines, machine gun and automatic grenade launcher positions, roofless unit for portable mortar systems (utilizing dual-swing doors), weapon station for deck weapons like automatic cannons and their remote control stations if needed, UAV helicopter launch/storage site (for smaller designs only, dual-swing doors for roof), unit with integrated Rotating Vertical Countermeasure Systems (RVCS, units with automatic side-doors that open to allow for munitions to launch and then close back up), vertical launch system units for standard Mk. 41 & 51 cells as well as specialized tubes for surface-to-air missiles and surface-to-surface/anti-ship missiles, additional sleeping quarters for marines, additional workspace for control stations, concealed equipment units, actual storage space, and much more. Each CCU is designed to adequately pair with its intended use, including doors that open from top-to-bottom, doors that partially open the units, or doors that expose the roof, all with standard or automatic doors; even small details such as automatic doors for VLS units are not overlooked. To further improve CCU's, all units are made weather proof (including an NBC system), noise reducing, and armored just enough so they aren't immediately noticeable by outsiders; although this improves the conditions inside the unit, it only reduces/insulates thermal energy and a CCU will never pass standard port container scans that use gamma-rays/x-rays - so do not attempt to use CCUs as smuggling devices. Each unit can operate alone with basic power needs being provided by batteries stored inside necessary units; depending on the unit's power consumption, batteries can typically last between months to years and can be recharged during inconspicuous periods using the engineer room's industrial outlets, or at home port - swapping with new batteries is the preferable short-term option, however.
As pirate tactics and strategies evolve, so too does the civilian and military world. Cargo vessels are no longer just prone to gun-totting pirates with hooks and ladders, they are now prone to electronic interference, cyber warfare, electronic warfare, and more recently drone warfare. Reported on recently in the Empire, a civilian cargo vessel passing through international waters close to Cornellia told of pirates using new methods to conduct piracy. In one instance the crew told officials that small quad-copter drones had been spotted hovering over or near their vessel, tailing it as it passed through dangerous waters. Another story they reported on told the tale of a crude oil vessel that had its GPS and communications jammed; the ship that day had come under attack by pirates but after a brief firefight with private military personnel guarding the vessel, the pirates gave up and fled the scene. It's scenes like this that worry industry leaders and thus Engelhai was designed to fight against. To counter drone threats, Imperial Shipyards & Electrics developed the Stationary Anti-Drone System, or SADS. SADS utilizes a ship's steady power generation to power small antennas (six to be exact) that disrupt the signal connection of civilian model drones operating out to about five hundred meters; disrupting the signal between the drone and its operator is a keen way to counter smaller civilian model drones. Disrupting civilian model drones involves jamming the 2.483 GHz frequency, a wireless frequency used by many industrial, entertainment, science, and other fields for countless products and services - this would include all civilian model drones. Jamming the connection between the operator and their drone will cause a loss of control of the drone, this typically ends with the drone crashing immediately or it becomes completely immobilized (meaning it's reduced to hovering) until control is restored or its battery runs out; SADS knocks out all control operators have of drones, including steering, video connection, and any other device(s) being carried by the drone. SADS is also effective against other devices that utilize 2.483 GHz, including microwaves, wireless radios/phones, wireless networks, video devices, wireless microphones, Bluetooth devices, and other similar devices. Of course this can be applied to warships too, but any warship designed for combat duty would have electronic warfare systems already capable of doing this. The reason Engelhai has such a system is so it can avoid using its own electronic warfare module to combat expected pirate threats, such a module produces electronic radiation similar to warships and thus would destroy Engelhai's cover.
Communications & Electronics
Housed on the roof, the majority of the communications equipment (the IFF system, antennas, and radio tools for example) are accompanied by the NET System and the JSEW-4D/2 Electronic Warfare Suite. The IFF system is a dual identification and interrogator device that is both a transponder and interrogator; this device works with an associated antenna and displays the vessel in multiple modes as its international identification credentials - this includes the ship's name, class type, nation of origin, and other source identification information. Because of the Engelhai's design nature, operators may choose to use fabricated information for its civilian transponder in order to masquerade as commonplace civilian vessels. As an interrogator the IFF utilizes radar to seek out transponder information on various modes that sea/aircraft use - usually, if the transponder is switched on, the ship will see transponder data associated with a radar return if possible - if the transponder is switched off, however, only the radar return information will be received if at all. Hostile ships or aircraft may turn off their transponders so that they will go unnoticed and will not be able to be tracked easily by long range and medium ranged radars - jamming the radar signal using an electronic warfare device can also skirt by proper identification and not provide a radar return. Or in the most likely scenario, the IFF system of the enemy ship is set to a mode that ignores foreign interrogator systems, meaning their own systems will respond to allied ships, but not systems belonging to outsiders, or they're incapable of responding to a foreign interrogator system because of their different designs; most IFF systems have this type of setting if they're multifunctioning, or the vehicle in question has two types of IFFs onboard - an IFF system for international traffic (a civilian model) and one for their military traffic (used to identify allies/friendlies). Also resting on the Engelhai is the NET System. NET, named after fishing nets, is a communications electronic surveillance measuring (ESM) device that serves as part of the Engelhai's electronic warfare suite. Its exterior systems are disguised to appear like ordinary civilian equipment, preventing most actors of suspecting the exterior systems of being warship modules based on sight alone. ESM systems essentially listen and/or probe for all forms of communications, intercepting said transmissions for intelligence gathering. NET is made up of devices that link to a single antenna - its function is to gather COMINT (SIGINT) and CESM data, radar transferred signals, and other data interceptions which are recorded and analyzed by C&C crewmen. The NET system has powerful passive audio monitoring that is capable of tracking such data far beyond a ship's radar range; NET is capable of hoping frequencies easily as well as filtering said frequencies in order to analyze intercepted data in real time. In addition to the communications surveillance abilities of the Engelhai, the vessel posses the latest electronic warfare suite developed by Wolf Armaments for warships - the JSEW-4D/2 Electronic Warfare Suite. This electronic warfare module is made up of multiple devices that warn the ship if it is being targeted and jams enemy borne systems. Included are radar tracking warnings, usually based from aircraft or ships, active radar homing from anti-ship missiles, and the ability to jam radar and radio signals in a moderately wide area. The /2 upgrade from the 4D adds additional communications countermeasures, anti-drone countermeasures, and electronic radiation analysis tools designed to improve the Suite's response to threats it faces.
Throughout its recent history until it was absorbed by Wolf Armaments, Colonial Shipyards experimented with electronic equipment it had developed for the Imperial Navy after using current foreign models as examples - this also includes weapons, combat systems, and other technology the company was developing before it was bought by Wolf Armaments in 2004. Many of these systems got needed boosts or were totally reinvented to serve today's Imperial Navy. At the center of all this innovation was the MEER Command & Control System, which is named after the Commoner Angel of the Sea and is the naval version of the Eisen-Schloss Combat Networking System used by land and air forces of the TECT Armed Forces. MEER C&C focuses on complete connection and communication between crewman, equipment, and weapon systems around the warship, fleet, and the host navy's central command infrastructure. This unique system is paved with protection measures that ensure safety from EMP attacks, electronic warfare, and boosts security of the system's connection to other linked devices/vessels/vehicles; this includes a hull that resists such energy, shielded wiring and electronics, and protected back-up equipment if material is destroyed. Engelhai, using the MEER, has boosted reaction times on remote controlled/automatic weapon systems, detection and countermeasure actions, and lightning speed data/information transfer/processing; this overall capability raises the Engelhai's survivability, reaction times, and crew/equipment performances. This fast management system ensures Engelhai can quickly receive, transfer, and organize data from a wide array of support assets.
MEER links detection and countermeasure systems to each other, which allows Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS) to track, path-find, and engage incoming threats much faster at an automatic rate; this connection also allows weapons to be assigned targets according to perceived danger in order of most dangerous to targets that can wait, lets weapons work together to protect the ship, and is capable of eliminating hostile targets above sea, on sea, or bellow the sea.This action process is completed using the ship's many sensors that gather information, track the situation, and engages actions to solve them; for example, an air threat is detected using the radar and is tracked while an air-to-air missile is launched - according to its own tracking capabilities, the missile can follow data being transmitted to it from the vessel or can pick up the threat on its own until impact, destroying the threat. Another example would be a surface ship threat via a mass attack by smaller boats; in this situation MEER targets all boats and ranks the threats and proceeds to eliminate them all in a speedy, yet controlled manner - although the rankings can change according to new threats (missile or rocket launches) or if a boat presents a newer threat level and is boosted on the list. The connection with the weapons systems allows MEER to take out threats with high accuracy and lighting fast speeds more so then crew can in certain high stress situations. MEER is able to track and engage over two-hundred targets ranging from submarines, small water craft, missile or rockets, and fighter jets. Engelhai excels at sharing this information data to allies if need be, allow for speedy transfers of firing data, radar return signals, and a wide arrange of communications.
Communications are coupled with a high capacity digital communication switchboard, which interconnects the voice and data communication channels providing a high level of international communications from room-to-room or an open conference line for ship-wide broadcasts; this ease of communication can be received via text, sound, video, or all the above, making international communications easier. External communication takes the form of various radio, short-wave channels, and land-based networks. Standard packages include link 11, link 16, link 22, Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS), and JSAT tactical data links, allowing full interoperability with any navy or civilian fleet in the world. Internet and intranet ports are available in each of the crew members quarters and can be found in other areas including relaxation facilities and command posts which operate separately to the closed-circuit consoles to ensure on-board systems are not compromised by an internet connection. Download speed is rated at 40 mbps, although this rate can drop in rougher seas or if the connection and/or internet dish is damaged. MEER uses Cloud computing concepts to pool the resources between friendly vessels when engaging the enemy, which allows multiple friendly vessels to operate as a single entity in the identification and destruction of inbound enemy threats - this further enhances the vessel's survivability by working with other warships to protect itself and allied ships. This link also transmits tactical data between allied vessels so that tactical maps and data can be displayed, Area of Operation maps can be shared, and critical communication can be made. Of course many of these communication and MEER features operationally must be limited because some are military by nature. Having electronic noise similar to warships increases suspicion, thus outbound and inbound radiation must be passive or silent in some circumstances if they can be interpreted as military grade.
Sensors
Sensor technology on the Engelhai is sensitive in that it must be civilian grade or untraceable. Having too powerful a radar system, or even active sonar would nullify the Engelhai's attempt at maintaining a civilian cover. Thus the reasons why most of the sensor systems on the Engelhai are either civilian products developed by IS&E or are passive by design, meaning they do not emit traceable radiation or signals. So while there are military grade equipment present on the Engelhai, most of the standard rudimentary instruments and equipment used for day-to-day operation are common place civilian grade products; this would include some of the communication equipment described earlier, the navigational equipment about to be discussed here, and even some of the safety instruments the Engelhai is listed to have.
At the forefront of the Engelhai's sensor suite is IS&E's "X-MARINE" civilian x-band radar system. X-MARINE is a multirole civilian ship-based radar system developed by IS&E in different models with the intention of outfitting any vessel with a radar system from the X-MARINE series. Each model comes with differing antenna sizes and power output which can be more suitable for certain ship sizes than others, making some models perfect for small fishing vessels and others excellent for larger cargo vessels like the Engelhai; Engelhai itself uses a militarized variant of either the medium or large variant depending on the ship variant (twelve kilowatts for medium model on the one hundred and sixteen meter variant, and twenty-four kilowatts for the large model on the one hundred and eighty-four meter variant) with both boasting respectable detection and clarity ranges. X-MARINE's long pulses have an impressive maximum clear detection range of over two hundred kilometers and a minimum of twenty meters. Naturally X-MARINE, being civilian grade, depends more on elevation and distance for target clarity than military designed radars; the difference between the two types are the antenna sizes/designs and the energy output levels, of which military radars clearly outperform civilian radars like X-MARINE. Of the many operating modes X-MARINE has, different radar modes include those designed to highlight weather patterns/cells, bird flocks, other surface vessels, aircraft, land formations, and general overlapping detection modes designed for military and civilian target tracking (for the Engelhai's variants only, civilian models only sport civilian modes). Clarity between about forty to eighty kilometers is characterized as being the most optimal while longer ranges are typically used for detecting weather patterns and identifiable aircraft - elevation, like with all radars, will account for maximum detection range. Confirmed targets are tracked with such clarity that X-MARINE can display everything from bearings, speed if they're moving, trails indicating their pathway, provided transponder information, and target identification if it can be authenticated. While the normal X-MARINE variants can track up to thirty targets at once, Engelhai's upgraded system can track up to eighty targets and connects to MEER for target identification/tracking when given the command to. While not as powerful and accurate as military radars found on some warships, X-MARINE is one of the most powerful civilian grade radars sold in the Empire and suits the Engelhai's various incognito needs/requirements.
For detecting underwater threats, the Engelhai uses an LDS-HMSS-2B/2. The LDS-HMSS-2B/2 is a hull-mounted, passive sonar system mounted on the Engelhai's front hull; it is passive in nature and is designed to detect and track underwater noises that originate from submarines, mines, and torpedoes. Originally conceived as a multipurpose system for smaller warships (a sonar with active and passive modes), the LDS-HMSS-2 was never mounted to any prototypes because it was originally designed for a frigate concept design Wolf Armaments never fully completed. Years later, a smaller model of the LDS-HMSS-2 was later brought back into development and improved for use on the Engelhai and any potential frigate class Wolf Armaments may consider pursuing in the future (some are still on the drawing books as of 2013). HMSS-2B was eventually converted to "/2" and used to outfit the Engelhai as a passive-only system, not a multifunctioning one. Improvements made during the last conversion included shielding from ship related noises (including the addition of a rubber dome over the sonar system), upgrades that were said to improve detection capabilities along with tracking ability, and the miniaturization of more components to reduce the size of the overall system (important for disguising the dome in case it were to be seen). Engelhai's civilian sonar systems include a multipurpose civilian system mounted on the belly of the ship used for measuring depth and scanning for near objects to avoid collision. An underwater communication sonar system also located on the belly of the ship is used for communicating with submarines (typically transmitting messages given from friendly submarines) or controlling unmanned underwater vehicles.
Propulsion & Power
Both propulsion and power are produced by two IS&E M2006 Diesel Engines. These engines produce power directly the motors that turn the shafts which then turn the Engelhai's propellers. Electricity produced by the shaft motion and from the engine's overabundant power production is stored in adjacent batteries, then sent to switchboards, and finally distributed to other areas of the ship when called upon; this would include providing power to turn the propellers, fulfill the Bridge's and CIC's extensive power demands, and power other daily necessities (such as lights and power outlets). Designed with fuel efficiency in mind, IS&E diligently crafted the M2006 to conserve fuel by requiring less fuel to operate at standard parameters; this balanced out the Engelhai's higher electrical needs that most civilian ships didn't have and tampered down maintenance issues that occur on less efficient engines. Engelhai's dual propeller/shaft design, as well as the efficient design of the propellers themselves, also reduced the power needed to turn propel the ship while also protecting the propeller blades from potential damage. Depending on the variant, Engelhai can travel as fast as fifteen kilometers an hour (one hundred and sixteen meters) or eighteen kilometers an hour (one hundred and eighty-four meters). Engelhai is the smallest of a series of IS&E designed cargo ships designed for ocean crossing where Commoner ships are expected to travel vast distances on what supplies it could carry; this is mostly due to the fact that TECT is separated from other major landmasses by large regional oceans that must be crossed if it is to reach its global neighbors. Insels State (to the southeast) and the Commonwealth of New Celisia (to the west) are often first stops for such shipping because they are the closest landmasses from the Mainland that are under imperial control and thus make excellent launching/receiving points. Although supplies may differ per crew/operator, there is generally enough fuel and living supplies to last almost a month out at sea. A backup electrical generator and battery system are present on-board and are designed to provide enough power to the ship should both engines fail so that the ship does not end up stranded out at sea.
Export
Engelhai is by nature a product designed to be exported to many national and business entities looking to utilize it as they see fit - whether it's a business looking for a safe and efficient cargo vessel to use, or a navy hoping to use it for its operational demands. For the one hundred and sixteen meter variant (both cargo and oiler) it will cost $14 Million NSD per ship. One hundred and eighty-four meter ship variant (both cargo and oiler) will cost $30 Million NSD. Domestic Production Rights are currently not available for for this product. All orders must be placed in the Wolf Armaments main storefront page.