Mara Lithaen

The Imperium has long since left the Federation, having only stopped one (1) division in OKC for a quick refuel, before heading to Texas.

Mara watched her flatscreen bitterly, watching the fall of an ally, nursing a glass of red wine. Muttering curses in all style and number of languages, the Empress switched it off in disgust after a half hour of watching the coverage, and picked up the red phone next to her bed, for it was late at night in the Imperium. She called the Lady General, aboard one of the City Movers headed for Hawaii. "Captain DeWitte, please patch me through to the Lady General Whitelighter." A minute passed. "Yes, milady?" the tired-sounding General said into the phone. No doubt she'd been asleep as well. "Jane, I need you to turn those ships about and head home. The war is over." "Ma'am?" "Vicidalia surrendered. You'll catch enough about it in your briefs in the morning. Tell the captain to come about and get some rest, please." "If you say, Your Highness." --- The Imperium's forces began their retreat, engineers working furiously to construct the airfield the transports would land on to take them home, every ADS in-country now focused on the four square miles they'd cleared from the virgin jungle, a snarl of patrolling fighters making it a very, very stupid mistake to attack the site. --- [quote]"The Imperium withdraws its' forces from Vicidalia but does not recognize and will not communicate with the forces of the false Vicidalian government." Under-minister of Foreign Affairs Leah MacNulty, speaking for the Empress.[/quote]

[quote]OOC: Mara, would you be so kind as to provide casualties? There seem to be none in your post, despite an attack on your troops as seen in the 'Air combat' part of my previous post. I won't be able to reply to your moves until that is done and factored into your previous post. [/quote] Didn't even see it until now. Oops. IC: The forty MLRS vehicles - dropped with the airborne on a barely-usable strip before combat was joined - sped away from their launch sites as soon as their racks were flushed, leaving guidance to the satellites above; vanishing before counterbattery fire could be calculated. Nevertheless, two were lost to stray shells meant for Vicidalians. Mobile synthetic-aperture AESA platforms kept constantly on the move, while Phalanx-equipped Avenger systems watched over them in close proximity. The E-4 AWACS accompanying the 35th through 50th patrolled the friendly airspace with its radome's power turned as high as the aircraft's generators would let it go, intending to defeat sophisticated stealth through brute force, even as the battle controllers inside the craft directed THAAD and Patriot fire towards their stealthy prey. A few unluckies, advancing under the orders of finding radar installations, managed to be over half-concealed, silent-running SLAMRAAM positions at the moment of discovery, and got to deal with a volley of radar-guided missiles from the earth even as F-22s and -23s, some of the most stealthy fighters on the planet, came into visual range of their opposites, having never been in patrol mode but always driving forward to engage the Lunar air force, a flying, seperated spearhead of stealthed composites and aluminum. The F-22s and -23s that were guarding the true power of the strike - the 55th through 60th Strike Air's F/B-22s and -23s - broke to assault the Lunar fighters at knife-fighting range, using their paired internal GAU-8 20mm vulcan cannons and their internally-carried pods of StarStreak IIs to their advantage, breaking their stealth only long enough to fire the missile pods at visual range, where the laser finder on the pod could visually lock on to the Sabers, making their stealth all but useless against the 3 hypersonic mini-missiles each larger missile contained. The 35th lost four F-23s, the 38th 7, and the 36th lost nearly all of its' -22s due to an unfortunate gout of U-600 missiles right as their stealth was broken to attack. The Fortieth, Forty-first, and Forty second - 72 planes - guarded the precious AWACS. The Forty-Fourth and Forty-Fifth were dispersed into fighting pairs, their EF-23s making targeting life hell for enemy missiles and planes alike with their internally-stowed long-version ECM pods and internal e-war systems. CV-90120 light tanks traipsed through the jungle, hedgebreakers letting them go through many obstacles, and they formed an armored spearhead, driving around the south end of the attacking Lunar forces to attack from the flank, trailing CV-9040 infantry and mortar vehicles, some of the -9040s armed with anti-air Bofors and Starstreak pods while others were armed with 30mm Bushmaster and Javelin pods, others still armed with dual 120mm mortars. Nearly a dozen Avengers followed behind and among them, watching the air for missile traces, enemy helicopters, and enemy air power. The 55th thru 60th Strike Air broke when their guards did, forming up into pairs to attack the ground-based radar lashing their sensors, carrying AGM-87E AARGM missiles to seek and destroy enemy radar and radar emitters - planes, tanks, SAMs, and ADS. CBU-87 Combined Effects Munitions blanketed the jungle floor below them with mines and bomblets of all stripes, anti-tank, -personnel and -materiel intermixing to destroy the advancing Lunars and then close the path they followed.

Northern Imperium - Mara Lithaen

The Imperial artillery added their fury to the battle shortly thereafter, tracking the incoming shells with artillery radar, backplotting them to their sources. Then M-201 MLRS raised their snouts to the heavens, flinging M-30 guided rockets with their payloads of M85 submunitions towards the advancing troops, MGM-140A ATACMS missiles towards the artillery and MGM-140M mine-scatterers towards the heavens, seeking out the Lunar positions, the M30s and MGM-140As to destroy the positions and the mine-scatterers to render them unusable without a painstaking cleanup. Expending their onboard supplies, the M-201s unlocked their tracks and quickly retreated to their supply dumps. Meanwhile, the 35th through 50th Air Superiority squadrons rammed forward under the protection and guidance of the ground-based synthetic-aperture AESA radars and the massed Anti-Air emplacements on the ground below, from THAAD and Patriots to SLAMRAAM platforms, Avengers and truck-pulled Phalanx anti-air systems. The EF-23s of the 40th, 44th and 48th AS, a total of 72 planes, spat out active electronic jamming to blind and confuse the systems of the Lunar fighters. Each plane's jammers were networked with those of the rest of the flight group's, each scanning differently for the new frequency the Lunar craft were using as soon as they changed, and with 72 planes mounting 2 streamlined internal ECM pods apiece, 144 jammers were constantly assaulting the electronic senses of the Lunar forces. Meanwhile, the main-combat planes ripped in to their opposites, 288 planes in total. Volleying AMRAAM and Meteor II missiles, they closed with their enemies with short-ranged but lethal Starstreak Air-to-Air missiles, a variant on the original Starstreak SAM, along with their paired GAU-8 20mm cannons.

The Third and Fourth Line Divisions, the "jungle" divisions, loaded onto the MLT(Z) transport airships, the massive 300 meter long, 100 meter wide airships being loaded down with almost one hundred fifty tons of materiel or seven thousand troops each. Three M1A3s vanished into each massive maw, and a total of one hundred thirty four airships waited on the fields near Bethel AFB. [img]http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/2619/mltz.jpg[/img] Joining them were the Eleventh and Twelfth Guards Divisions, another twenty-five thousand of the Imperium's warriors vanishing into the massive airships as the Sixteenth through Twenty-Fifth Air Superiority squadrons' 240 F-22s and -23s took up station above them. One hundred and sixty hydrogen-cell-powered electric turbofans sprang to life about the periphery of the airships, eight per airship, raising the behemoths slowly into the air, gaining speed and lumbering off to Hawaii, eventually reaching 120 knots and topping out their speed. Their guardian fighters shepherded them there.

Jane smiled a bit."Godhood suits me not, dear Doctor. And yes, it is beautiful." she said, turning and leading her back towards the limousine, and she entered it, Wilhelmine close behind. "The job I have for you is creating our special forces group - our best soldiers will be modified with your gene therapies when they have been developed, and then encased in the finest armors that our people can make, turning them into demigods of war in their own right." Jane said. "Your test subjects will be our worst criminals - the ones we least care about dying due to complications, and the ones we'd be most happy to shoot if things get out of hand. How does the job suit you, so far?"

The next day, the transports returned to find airstrips built by the paratroopers ready for use, in a limited fashion due to their size. Skimming over the ground, parachutes pulled AN\TWQ-2/4 vehicles out, the air defense vehicles quickly driven away from the strip as heavy transports continued to arrive at near-stall speeds, dropping off THAAD and Imperial Patriot vehicles along with CV-90120 light tanks and -9040 IFVs, along with M-563 Hammer APCs and their modular weapons systems. The Air Defense vehicles were quickly set up up and down the "line", forming a sphere of protection over the entirety of the it, the skies watched dutifully by F-22s, F-23s and EF-23s along with troops armed with Stinger missiles until the ground systems were set up and Imperial Army Engineers showed up to set up a more powerful radar and build the airstrip into something landable, the task made difficult by the delta's terrain.

[quote]To: The Grand Principality of Vicidalia From: The Northern Imperium We have noted the Lunar Republic's invasion and have sent reinforcement in the form of our Tenth Line Parachute Division, with more to arrive within the week, activating our MDAP agreement. Godspeed, Christian Kehenna, Duke Bethel, Northern Imperium Foreign Minister[/quote] [b]Jump Day, Nellis AFB, Republic of California, Imperial Encampment[/b] "Alrigh', people!" shouted Jump Master Sergeant Jebediah Kerman."We've got a situation." He said, waving his platoon into their seats. "Our allies in Vicidalia have been attacked, and the Empress and the Lady General, in their infinite wisdom, have seen fit to reinforce them. The Tenth Line - us included - will be boarding transports to jump into Vicidalia and bolster them until our heavies can arrive by Horde boat." A series of cheers sounded off in the briefing room. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Finally some action, eh? Don't get too excited, this looks to be a Class A charlie-foxtrot. We're going to be moving five divisions in to Vicidalia within this next week, and more in the event we need them. We'll be joined by the Eleventh and Twelfth Guards, as well as the Third and Fourth Line Jungle divisions. " --- The next day was consumed by packing, cutting orders, and giving farewells to loved ones; emotional partings between mothers, fathers and their children, sons and daughters and their parents, brothers and sisters, spouses of all ages and genders. The first of the big C-17 transports lifted off of the runway at Nellis, and they didn't stop for nearly two hours as ten thousand troops minus materiel made best speed towards Vicidalia's lines. C-5 and Antonov transports loaded up their light vehicles and air-defense units, following the next day when the C-17s returned empty. --- Private First Class Elias Sturm stood as the red light came on in the cavernous bay of the C-17 heavy, the high-pitched whine of the escorting F-22s and -23s so close he could hear them over the sound of the C-17's own jets. The PFC checked the gear of his squadmate, Julius Wiggin, making absolutely sure everything was secure, even as Natasha Kozlova did the same for him. Complete, Elias looked up just in time for the light to turn green, and the huge bay doors opened into the night sky. "GO GO GO!" Jumpmaster Kerman shouted, pulling people towards the yawning opening, out into night as dark as space. The platoons shuffled forward, even the most nervous among them being pushed out by the people behind them, and so forth, with the most experienced bringing up the rear to do the pushing. Then it was Elias' turn. One step and suddenly he was weightless - falling - looking up at the dim green light of the bay receding before him just before the static line pulled his chute open, jerking him nastily upright, and he put his hands on the riser handles, steering himself to keep with his squad. It seemed to take forever, but a mere three minutes later he noticed the ground rising quickly before him, tucking his knees and rolling with the impact as he'd been trained. Hitting the release on his chute harness, he hoisted his kit bag onto his back, grabbing up his M-21, and went to join his squad at the rally point. --- Thousands of similar scenes played themselves out all over the stretch near the Orinoco Delta, right next to the Lunar border, and a division of armed Imperials began to search out the Vicidalians they were reinforcing, broadcasting over radio their presence to avoid friendly fire. [b] Ehestadt[/b] Jane Whitelighter frowned. "Someone attacked a Sisterhood nation?" she said quietly, eyes sparking with anger."We must fly at once."

The jet accelerated down the runway, and within ten minutes, reached the very edge of space at 80,000 feet. The jet engines shut down, scramjets kicking in and boosting them into hypersonic flight, reaching Imperium airspace in four hours. The jet closed off its scramjets, transferring back to normal turbojets, and descended on Illarion International like a massive, sleek bird of prey. A runway had been cleared for the special visitor, and General Whitelighter was waiting on the tarmac in a limousine when the HAHST arrived with Madame Signoret aboard. Exiting the limo as the plane's door opened, Jane waited at the bottom of the stairs for the scientist.

"That would be perfectly acceptable. And don't worry about the flight - we'll send a HAHST for you, and you will travel in style."

Jane grimaced at the scream, but kept any trace of it from showing in her voice."Doctor, you would of course receive the finest laboratory and equipment the Imperium can buy, along with a large budget to go with it, freedom in choosing your assistants, and test subjects. The job, the job is to create a super-soldier, whom we have code-named the Seraphim. Stronger, smarter, faster, more dextrous, harder to kill... all of those things. Our finest engineers will be working with you as well - our specialization in the Imperium, if we have one, seems more mechanical in nature. You would design in the Seraphims' physical capabilities - and our engineers would design equipment to make the best use of it. Simple enough, if a complex order. Are you interested?"

"Madame Signoret, this is General Jane Whitelighter of the Imperial Army. I have heard... rumors saying that you are among the best in the world at genetic modification. If this is true, the Imperium has work for you. Is it?" Jane spoke into the phone, pressing it against her shoulder as she tapped up a requisition form for another seven hundred ALASM missiles, a second monitor showing the top choices for the new special forces unit she was hoping to get started.

Lady General Jane Whitelighter sat behind her desk, studying the reports before her, glancing up at her screen occasionally. A new proposal from the Office of Future Warfare had come in - most of it was beyond her comprehension. Not for lack of intelligence, but for lack of reference points. Many terms were thrown around in the report she'd needed to have explained, but once they were, it was relatively simple. Every military in the world had their own "elite" forces - troops picked for their skill and experience to receive the best training and equipment that the country could provide, and then "stand ready to do violence on their behalf.". The Imperium, as yet, lacked one, but several promising candidates came up to be inducted into the new organization. There were other proposals, however... She picked up the blue phone on the edge of her desk. "Michael, get me a comm to the Commune's chief scientist."

[quote]To: South East Asian Defense Command, Spartans From: Northern Imperium Joint Forces GHQ Classified Absolutely.[/quote] To build and launch a workable, useful sky-borne battleship before the end of the year.

Jane raised her glass. "No problems from me - I'm looking forward to bringing the world to its' knees. To the Sisterhood!"

Jane gave a short, precise salute to the Princess, and followed her in, eyes taking in her surroundings, noting the architecture. A part of her mind appreciated it for the art form it was, while the other considered the best way to bring it crashing down out of instinct. "If you say so, Your Highness."

(ooc: bumpity people, come on and reply)

edit: NVM

The Lady General called the forces of the Imperium forward, through now-friendly lines, and they went forward into Oklahoma City, some returning to Nellis for replenishment, and some going to Texas to reinforce the Texans.

Lady General Jane Whitelighter, commander of the Imperial Army, arrived early on a windy morning, V-22 settling down just long enough for her to step off with her gear, the Temple visible in the distance. Throwing her gear onto the hooks on the clamshell chest plate of her armor, she walked until the sun was high in the sky, arriving the gates at about noon.

[quote]Quote To: The Northern Imperium, Office of Naval Warfare From: People's Union of Sweden - Commissariat of International Affairs and Trade - Strategic Division (CIAT-SD) Subject: RE:Ship Construction Salutations, We thank the Northern Imperium for their choosing of the People's Union of Sweden for undertaking the task of constructing this marvel of shipbuilding design, we consider your financing of this vessel to be completely acceptable. The construction of this new vessel shall go forward at Karlskrona AB - Stockholm Division's Akersberga Heavy Maritime Industries facility, and shall begin immediately when the tooling of the equipment needed for the vessel is ready. Preliminary estimates of completion of this vessel are within one calendar year of the vessels' laying out, with the final fitting out taking approximately two to three months. The only questions we have for the Northern Imperium, is over the fitting out of the vessel, and whether the Northern Imperium would like the vessel fitted out with an electro-magnetic aircraft launch systems, rather than a high-pressure steam aircraft catapult, and the fitting out of weapon and sensor systems. Of course we can leave the latter two up to you, should you wish to do the fitting out yourself, but basic computer systems will be installed, with basic navigational radar for delivery of the vessel. As we know that budgetary concerns can be problematic, if you wish to pay for the vessel in installments over a certain time frame, the Strategic Division will mediate a deal between you and Karlskrona AB. Other then that, thank you again for bringing your shipbuilding needs to Sweden and entrusting the lives of your sailors in our experienced hands. Best Regards, Erika Telligen Deputy Commissar CIAT-SD[/quote] [center]RE:Re:Ship Construction[/center] We would like it fitted with an electro-magnetic launch system; as for sensors we have a full [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN/SPY-3"]AN/SPY-3 AESA[/url] system and [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSDS"]SSDS[/url] waiting to be placed on the ship.. We will do the weapons-fitting ourselves, as our Bethel Armory has a long and successful history in weapons production. As to payment, we are willing to pay for the entirety of the construction in advance, with the understanding that the vessel will be built and ready for fitting one year and one month (at the latest) from today. Thank you for your cooperation, and the best of luck, Jenna Williams, Admiral, Imperial Navy, Head of the Office of Naval Warfare & Procurement

[size="7"][center]Northern Imperium Imperial Air Force[/center][/size] [img]http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/6291/test4q.jpg[/img] Key Persons: Marshal of the Air Force: Lord Marshal Adrian O'Malley Master/Mistress of the Academy: General Brittany McCrimmon Head of the Armaments Review Board: Major General Alice Trenton Number of Squadrons: 60 Aircraft p. Squadron: 24 1-4th Squadrons: AWACS 5-15th Squadrons: Strike Air (AC-130U and FB-22/23) 16th-45th Squadrons: Air Superiority (F-22/23) 46th-49th Squadrons: Bomber (B-2, F/B-22, Next-Gen Bomber) 50th-60th Squadrons: Strike Air (AC-130U and FB-22/23) The IAF is divided into three sections, with a fourth section planned for the future, and will be announced when it is. The first three are as follows: Transport Command, Air Combat Command, and the Strategic Command. [size="6"]Transport Command[/size] Transport Command is responsible for moving the Imperium's forces and supplies quickly around the globe, and utilizes a number of aircraft. Among them are.... [quote][img]http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/2619/mltz.jpg[/img] [size="5"][b]Illarion Aerospace CZ-7777 City Mover[/b][/size] (formerly the MLT(Z)) Crew: 12(Pilot, co-pilot, load master, cargo handlers, navigator, sensor operator) Weight unloaded: 18143.6948 (40,000 lbs) Weight loaded: 154221.4058 (340,000 lbs) Length: 300m (984.25 ft) Width: 300m (328.083333 ft) Height: 100m (328.083333 ft) Manufacturer: Illarion Aerospace, LTD. Average unit cost: $39.3 million Powerplant: 8 Kerlin HTF(H)-131-100 hydrogen-fuel-cell powered turbofans (Lift) 4 Imperial Electric HF-400-25 hydrogen-fuel-cell powered turbofans (Thrust) Top Speed: 120 nautical miles per hour The City Mover developed out of a growing need to move mass numbers of troops and materiel quickly across huge distances without requiring hundreds and thousands of cargo plane flights or large numbers of slow, inefficient naval ships. It fills a number of roles besides, including hospital ship and a planned fire-support variant (though these ships are meant to stay far behind enemy lines, away from missiles and guns, so that variant is pointless).[/quote] The Antonov-225 , the premier heavy-lift aircraft of the IAF. [img]http://www.thetoptenblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/antonov-an-225.jpg[/img] The C-5 Galaxy, the next-largest transport. [img]http://www.codacomsystems.com/AMARC/PictureDatabase/C005/AACM0013_670174_C5A_AMARC_E.jpg[/img] The B767 MesoTanker, the workhorse refueling plane of the IAF. [img]http://defense-update.com/images_large3/newgen_tanker1.jpg[/img] And many more, particularly for moving troops around outside of warzones. [size="6"]Air Combat Command[/size] The Air Combat Command is responsible for, you guessed it, aerial combat. Here's the hardware that makes it happen. [size="5"]Experimentals[/size] [size="5"]Fighters[/size] [quote][img]http://aviationintel.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/YF-23A-2.png[/img] [size="5"][b]Mackenna-Shayfield F(B)-23 Black/Strike Widow[/b][/size] [size="4"][b]General characteristics[/b][/size] Crew: 1 (pilot) Length: 67 ft 5 in (20.60 m) Wingspan: 43 ft 7 in (13.30 m) Height: 13 ft 11 in (4.30 m) Wing area: 900 ft² (88 m²) Empty weight: 29,000 lb (13,100 kg) Loaded weight: 51,320 lb (23,327 kg) Max takeoff weight: 62,000 lb (29,000 kg) Powerplant: 2 × Imperial Electric YF1220 or Kerlin XF238 turbofan, 35,000 lbf (156 kN) each Radar Range: 250km [size="4"][b]Performance[/b][/size] Maximum speed: Mach 2.4+ (1,650+ mph, 2,655+ km/h) at altitude Cruise speed: Mach 1.9 (1,060 mph, 1,706 km/h) supercruise at altitude Range: over 2,790 mi (over 4,500 km) Combat radius: 750–800 nmi (865–920 mi, 1,380–1480 km) Service ceiling: 65,000 ft (19,800 m) Wing loading: 54 lb/ft² (265 kg/m²) Thrust/weight: 1.36 Turning radius (at altitude and maximum speed): 1.2 nautical miles, full 180 degree turn Combat Turning radius (at altitude and standard combat speed, 650 mph): .5 miles, full 180 degree turn [size="5"][b]Armament[/b][/size] Internal: 1 × Imperial Electric 25mm (0.984 in) GAU-12/U Vulcan cannon 6 × AIM-120 AMRAAM or AIM-7 Sparrow medium-range air-to-air missiles or Meteor II MRAAM or AMM-12Y Joint Tandem Missiles or GBU-84 500lb Laser/Satellite Guided Bombs or Any payload under 2000 pounds per rack 2 × AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles 1 x ITS-2 Integrated Targeting System - Anti air/ground laser/satellite/optical/thermal sensor/targeting module, useful for guiding munitions to their targets. [/quote] [quote][img]http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/3666/baydoors.jpg[/img] [size="5"][b]ARES F-22[/b][/size] [size="4"][b]General characteristics[/b][/size] Crew: 1 Length: 62 ft 1 in (18.90 m) Wingspan: 44 ft 6 in (13.56 m) Height: 16 ft 8 in (5.08 m) Wing area: 840 ft² (78.04 m²) Airfoil: NACA 64A?05.92 root, NACA 64A?04.29 tip Empty weight: 43,430 lb (19,700 kg) Loaded weight: 64,460 lb (29,300 kg) Max takeoff weight: 83,500 lb (38,000 kg) Powerplant: 2 × Kerlin XF238-PW-100 Pitch Thrust vectoring turbofans Dry thrust: 23,500 lb (104 kN) each Thrust with afterburner: 35,000+ lb (156+ kN) each Fuel capacity: 18,000 lb (8,200 kg) internally, or 26,000 lb (11,900 kg) with two external fuel tanks [size="4"][b]Performance[/b][/size] Maximum speed: At altitude: Mach 2.25 (1,500 mph, 2,410 km/h) [estimated] Supercruise: Mach 1.82 (1,220 mph, 1,963 km/h) Range: >1,600 nmi (1,840 mi, 2,960 km) with 2 external fuel tanks Combat radius: 410 nmi (with 100 nmi in supercruise)(471 mi, 759 km) Ferry range: 2,000 mi (1,738 nmi, 3,219 km) Service ceiling: 65,000 ft (19,812 m) Wing loading: 77 lb/ft² (375 kg/m²) Thrust/weight: 1.09 (1.26 with loaded weight & 50% fuel) Maximum design g-load: -3.0/+9.0 g [size="4"][b]Armament[/b][/size] Guns: 2× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A2 Vulcan 6-barreled gatling cannons in wing roots, 480 rounds ea., concealed under sliding doors until guns are activated. Air to air loadout: 6× AIM-120 AMRAAM 2× AIM-9 Sidewinder Air to ground loadout: 2× AIM-120 AMRAAM and 2× AIM-9 Sidewinder for self-protection, and one of the following: 2× 1,000 lb (450 kg) JDAM or 8× 250 lb (110 kg) GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs or 4× 500lb (220 kg) GBU-44/B Viper Strike standoff glide bombs Hardpoints: 4× under-wing pylon stations can be fitted to carry 600 US gallon drop tanks or weapons, each with a capacity of 5,000 lb (2,268 kg). [size="4"][b]Avionics[/b][/size] RWR (Radar warning receiver): 250 nmi (463 km) or more Radar: 125–150 miles (200–240 km) against 1 m2 (11 sq ft) targets (estimated range) Chemring MJU-39/40 flares for protection against IR missiles [/quote] [size="5"]Bombers[/size] [size="5"]Ground-Attack[/size] [quote][img]http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/namco-bandai/acecombat/acecombatassaulthorizon/ACAH_AC-130U_005.jpg[/img] [size="5"]Mackenna-Shayfield AC-130U Spectre II Gunship[/size] [size="4"]General characteristics[/size] Crew: 13 Officers: 5 (pilot, copilot, navigator, fire control officer, electronic warfare officer) Enlisted: 8 (flight engineer, TV operator, infrared detection set operator, loadmaster, four aerial gunners) Length: 97 ft 9 in (29.8 m) Wingspan: 132 ft 7 in (40.4 m) Height: 38 ft 6 in (11.7 m) Wing area: 1745.5 ft² (162.2 m²) Loaded weight: 122,400 lb (55,520 kg) Max takeoff weight: 155,000 lb (69,750 kg) Powerplant: 4 × Imperial Electric T112-B-30 turboprops, 4,910 shp (3,700 kW) each [size="4"]Performance[/size] Maximum speed: 260 knots (300 mph, 480 km/h) Range: 2,200 nm (2,530 mi, 4,070 km) Service ceiling: 30,000 ft (9,100 m) [size="4"]Armament[/size] AC-130U Spooky II 1× Imperial Electric 25 mm (0.984 in) GAU-12/U Equalizer 5-barreled gatling cannon 1× 40 mm (1.58 in) L/60 Bethel Armory cannon 1× 105 mm (4.13 in) M102 howitzer 8× GBU-44/B Viper Strike standoff glide bombs, wing attached. [/quote] [size="5"]Electronic Support Aircraft[/size] [quote][img]http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/7558/awacsw.jpg[/img] [size="4"]Aerocon E-4 AWACS[/size] [size="4"] General characteristics[/size] Crew: Flight crew: 4 Mission crew: 13–19 Length: 152 ft 11 in (46.61 m) Wingspan: 145 ft 9 in (44.42 m) Height: 41 ft 4 in (12.6 m) Wing area: 3,050 ft² (283.4 m²) Empty weight: 185,000 lb (73,480 kg) Loaded weight: 344,000 lb (with aerial refueling) (156,400 kg) Max takeoff weight: 347,000 lb (156,150 kg) Powerplant: 4 × Kerlin TF43-PW-120A turbofan, 21,500 lbf (93 kN) each Pulse-Doppler Radar Range: 250 nmi vs. low-level targets, 400 nmi vs mid-high level targets [size="4"]Performance[/size] Maximum speed: 530 mph (855 km/h, 461 knots) Range: 4,000 nmi (7,400 km) (8 hr) Service ceiling: 41,000 ft (12,500 m) [/quote] [b]Missiles:[/b] Starstreak-B Canister Missile: Production history Designed: 2140 Manufacturer: IAE Systems Bristol Bay Produced: November 2146 Number built: (non-disclosed) Variants: See Variants Specifications: (Starstreak-B High Velocity Missile) Weight: 18.82 kg Length: 1.5 m Diameter: 15 cm Effective range: 0.2–8 km Warhead: Three explosive sub-munitions Warhead weight: 1 kg Detonation mechanism: Impact Delay, Proximity Engine: First stage: Royal Ordnance 'Brambling' cast double-based propellant blip rocket motor. Second stage: Royal Ordnance 'Titus' cast double-based propellant Speed: Mach 4 at second stage burnout Guidance system: Fire/Forget Dogfighting Canister: Designed: 2150 Produced: 2150- Manufacturer: IAE Systems Bristol Bay Specifications: (Starstreak-B High Velocity Missile) Weight: 65.87 Length: 2.5 m Diameter: 40cm Max boost range before shell separation: 4km Warhead: 3 Starstreak-B missiles, 3 submunitions each - 9 submunitions total.

To: The Government of The People's Republic of Sweden, Commissariat of International Affairs and Trade - Strategic Division From: The Northern Imperium, Office of Naval Warfare [center]Subject: Ship Construction[/center] Greetings, We wish to commission one of your large shipyards to build a supercarrier for the expanding Imperial Navy. The design specs are as follows for the [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_R._Ford_class_aircraft_carrier"]Devastation-class[/url], to cost a sum total of $9 billion Imperial with a built-in 30% overrun allowance.

[b]Financial[/b] "The Air Force entered a new item into its budget line today for the next year's appropriation, code-named 'FCV-X Imperator'. No news yet on to what this project entails. At the same time, all branches of the military subsidized the LLASM's continuing development and the delivery of the first three dozen weapons..." "The third 'city-tower' in Illarion has entered the final stage of its' production, the project costing an estimated $7 billion Imperial Dollars so far and expected to finish out at $10 billion ID. Each tower is built to house, entertain, and provide working and learning space for thirty-five thousand men, women and children. Each city-tower is flanked by farm towers, skyscrapers that cover four square acres and rise fifty stories, growing food hydroponically, which feed the city-tower and the city about it." [b]Scientific[/b] "The end of the five-year Sustainable Energy Conversion Program (SECOP) has arrived, and met with great success on all fronts in converting the Imperium to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, sea, nuclear, hydrogen, and the first (admittedly failed) attempts at starting to create fusion power. A Ministry of Energy report shows that up to 60% of commercial and a roughly similar percentage of private vehicles have been either converted or bought, running purely off of electricity or hydrogen-cell technology.