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Ad Astra ex Lutum

Reader mode
Honestly feels like we need not focus on just one direction in case its outright wrong or like in early tank development leads to a dead end?
 
Okay, so here is my take on Milproc:

For subs its either Emire to get a competent product fast with no fuss, or Bun for the reduced crew-size and automation while gambling on development issues. Avalon's bid is both technically challenging with extremely meh benefits compared to what the other two are giving us. I think Emire and Bun are pretty much equivalent, with the question being do we want to focus on a next gen sub or accept a last gen+ sub and move on to another project; like VTOL for example.

Light vehicles, anything except Avalon, really. Milta leans towards mass mobilisarion, UNISA goes for the ultra-light frame and Sygner manages to give us some armour anyways while keeping within requirement. Notably, everyone already got prototypes done for it (part of our war mobilisation was to automatically fund promising prototypes) so thats not a step that can go wrong. I honestly like all three of these options. Theyre all good on the surface.

For drones, im leaning cheap. This is a thing where we can probably acknowledge the fact that we are the defenders, and due to the difficulties of putting ground troops on another planet I dont actually think that we'll face the same extreme AA net we did in the last war. As such cheap and expendable should be good enough. Half the reason to go for drones is that its cheap.

For space frigate I think that multirole is the way to go. For system defense I think its a toss-up between conventional frigate and heavy frigate; I agree with Ricky that we dont really need to follow the idea of frigates having to be small, however there is something to be said for having redundancy via frigate swarm. However, the extra capabilities of a heavy frigate is almost certainly worth it, and if we have to fight an attritional war in space, assuming we have a developed space industry, we might be more limited by experienced crews than hulls.

The clincher here is the potential for turning the Heavy Frigate into an FTL capable ship with minimal extra development. Yes, its almost certainly not gonna be a very good FTL ship. However, this gives us something we are currently completely lacking: force projection. If we can get combat ships somewhere we can do combat missions there. Its as simple as that, and its effectively "free" when it comes to development. Therefor I have to choose heavy frigate here.

Also the reason why multirole is better is because everything else is a gamble. Sure, multirole might very well be a dead end and nor very good, but reliably subpar is better than gambling on a system that just doesnt work.
 
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[X]Plan Quality, War
-[X]Bun Naval Group:
-[X]UNISA:
-[X]Conventional Straight Wing:
-[X]Heavy Frigate:
-[X]Informally Implement:

[X]Plan Quality, Police
-[X]Bun Naval Group:
-[X]Sygner Automotive Group:
-[X]Conventional Straight Wing:
-[X]Heavy Frigate:
-[X]Informally Implement:

[X]Plan Quantity
-[X]Emire Boat Company:
-[X]Milta Automotive Works:
-[X]Conventional Straight Wing:
-[X]Heavy Frigate:
-[X]Informally Implement:

Here are my plans. The names are slightly misleading; plan quality more about ease of development, not necessarily numbers. The difference between War and Police is purely in the Light Vehicle bid. War goes for UNISA's ultra-light mass production bid; we didnt go for a bullet resistant vehicle for a good reason. Sygner's uparmoring is unlikely to help against alien laser weaponry, meaning its just a more expensive product with no real gain. However, against insurgents Sygner's bid is really, really good. We have *some* insurgents at least, so its possibly a worthwhile tradeoff to have a dual purpose vehicle, especially since right now its main job would be fighting against the insurgents.
 
[X]Plan Quality, War
-[X]Bun Naval Group:
-[X]UNISA:
-[X]Conventional Straight Wing:
-[X]Heavy Frigate:
-[X]Informally Implement:
 
[X]Plan Quality, Lower Slips
-[X]Bun Naval Group:
-[X]Sygner Automotive Group:
-[X]Conventional Straight Wing:
-[X]Conventional Frigate:
-[X]Informally Implement:

Variant plan I just tossed together right now, based around the idea that I'm not particularly concerned with force projection outside of our own system yet. I don't think we've found anywhere nearby that we'd actually want to set up shop in except the Lirrir, and we wouldn't be us sending a warship there to start with instead of a second go-around at the FTL explorer we tried to make.

That and we already committed more construction slips then we already have to the miners, so we're likely going to need to pay to set up even more for these. Which isn't a bad thing in a vacuum, but given that we've got "Significant Budget Loss" to juggle in addition to the cost of constructing the new yards, plus chance of cost overruns on both the fancy new sub when we've had about 4 decades to lose construction experience, and that brand new 800B stealth VTOL fighter, I don't have any reason to believe we'll have the budget slack to open as many new slips as we would like. So a smaller less massive ship that we could construct in greater numbers out of the same number of slips would be nice.

Based this off the Sygner variant, as while in war I don't expect that protection to do anything against a direct hit by an energy beam, even in an actual war with those I could imagine there being plenty of use for basic shrapnel protection still.
 
Vote Called for
[X]Plan Quality, Police
-[X]Bun Naval Group:
-[X]Sygner Automotive Group:
-[X]Conventional Straight Wing:
-[X]Heavy Frigate:
-[X]Informally Implement:

Rolling Dice (Project Dice will only show up in the results turn)
Blackstar threw 4 100-faced dice. Reason: Project Dice Total: 118
5 5 27 27 49 49 37 37
Blackstar threw 2 100-faced dice. Reason: Event Dice Total: 126
40 40 86 86
Blackstar threw 8 100-faced dice. Reason: Political Destabilization Total: 411
22 22 2 2 30 30 7 7 82 82 92 92 81 81 95 95
 
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Budget Turn 2 Allocations(40AE): Failure of the 7th Plan
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    • Budget Turn 2 Allocations(40AE): Failure of the 7th Plan


    The Expected Military Budget(40-45 AE): 2675B Or
    3.5T Or Government Contribution (+100B Or/y until 45 AE)
    1T Or Mobilization (+400B Or/y until 45 AE)
    300B Or Industrial Revenue
    150B Or Mining Revenues
    -50B Or Program Maintenance
    -725B Or Carryover
    -750B Or = 500k x 1.5M Or Personnel Costs
    -750B Or = 1500B x 0.5 Or Operational Costs
    Government Support: 58


    Mobilization News:


    Mobilization and the 7th Industrial Plan have both proven to be a failure to most extent. Money has been issued to accelerate the economy along with considerable production expansion but there is only so much that can be done. Immediate impacts have been primarily inflationary with the price of goods increasing to compensate for the increased money being spent. Much of this has been pocketed by the managers and executives but the government has so far refused to try shareholders for treason, instead mandating that a value of three times their profits be paid back to the state. This has left the state with slightly more money but negligible economic progress towards mobilization as the economy cannot expand military production to meet demands outside specific goods.

    The discovery of the alien enemy has seen something of a scramble on the political scene with the Green party stepping back from its platform and radically altering the plan to focus on increasing production. All of the new industries are being built to green standards but the promise of a total modernization of polluting industries and a ten-year approach to net zero are little but pretty words. Outside of the most radical of the supporters, the political center has mostly backed the policy as it does not matter how damaged the planet is if we are all too dead to care. Militarization and civilian drills to mobilize militia units have already informally started under local military districts. The forces involved are little but reservists given rifles and limited training but if every window, bush, and building returns fire against the invader it can buy time for the rest of the army to do something.

    The specifics of the mobilization have still yielded some results in one of the few available bright notes as increased production of IFVs is meeting the ambitious target and Lumos is providing enough ATGMs. Older equipment has already had something of a partial mobilization with the oldest of wartime and pre-war era AFVs brought back into emergency service with updated off-the-shelf civilian systems pushed into them to build up some remnant of an armored strength. Basic civilian thermal cameras and radios aren't expected to be useful in an over fifty-year-old tank hull but a mobile bunker is still a mobile bunker. The orbital command itself has seen something of a resurgence with groundside production climbing rapidly to supply the orbits as the quantities needed are small and the launch ramp hardware is effectively a printed pressure-fed rocket fueled through local electrolysis.

    The best news available is that the massive glut of labor has started to go to good ends, for all that the economy has been sluggish to move it has started moving. Shell production is increasing slowly. Production of new military electronics is increasing and mobilization is steadily going through the economy. More and more are brought into jobs in the defense complex bringing out armaments to the front. As long as the army can get five more years the original mobilization plan can be fulfilled in full supplying enough equipment for an expanded force, allowing larger scale exercises and the military to be moved into something befitting a wartime force rather than the current peacetime garrison. The establishment of new industries is monopolizing the best personnel and machinery from the civilian economy, but the strain is inevitable given the demands of national defense.


    New Technologies:


    3D Electronics: Layering on a single integrated die was already practiced to a limited extent but with the latest lithographic techniques density of packaging can be further improved to allow for three-dimensional features. Thermal transfer limits still are the same as any other advanced silicon computer along with the inherent issues of electron tunneling but effective 1.2nm gates can be printed in a three-dimensional matrix. These are then underclocked to improve thermal stability, providing on-die performance gains without needing new technologies or a jump toward new types of computational hardware. (Computing) (New 40 AE)

    Immature Carbon Electronics: Following a parallel solution of maintaining conventional electronics despite significant issues in electron tunneling the use of carbon rather than silicon has been considered at points. A carbon circuit has inherently far fewer issues than silicon ones and can be developed to an even smaller feature size with far less leakage. Current techniques allow for the manufacturing of gates down to a 45nm feature size, significantly improving the performance of non-silicon computers even if the tech is still a curiosity. (Computing) (New 40 AE)

    CNT Filament Radiators: The use of carbon nanotubes as radiator surfaces has been proposed several times but issues exist in inter-tube connections along with the intensive thermal environment. If long chain tubes can be synthesized and placed on large rollers, centrifugal forces can keep the radiator array extended without much issue all while radiating a massive amount of heat. Even in an optimized configuration, new systems are expected to be heavier than contemporary liquid metal droplet radiators but they can be operated at theoretically hotter temperatures while being far more resistant to damage. (Transmission) (New 40 AE)

    Currie Point Radiators: Taking an alternative track and basing the design off several proposals made for lower temperature circuits something of a novel concept radiator has been proposed. Rather than using large emissive structures of liquid metal the curie point of several materials can be taken advantage of. This way iron or cobalt can be ejected and then re-magnetized and returned as it cools to under 1000K, providing a significant radiative effect. Such a technique will not work for systems made to operate far outside 1300K but for civilian power systems, this is more than sufficient. (Transmission) (New 40 AE)

    Ultracapacitors: The limitations of conventional capacitance are still notable but have been overcome through a new generation of designs. Even though the specific power of newer systems is only a fifth of electrolytic capacitors, new ultracapacitors have over one hundred times greater specific energy. The cells are hybrid capacitors based on a nitrogen-doped graphene nanocomposite with ZnCo2​O4 ​that can be produced at some cost. The system itself is unlikely to replace batteries to any extent but the performance on offer has opened the way to several highly energetic systems. (Energy Storage) (New 40 AE)

    Macro-Structural Polymers: Biological mechanisms for twisting the exact localization of structures along with the pre-production of dead tissue have long been coded for. Taking advantage of the more primitive systems left to us by nature most trees can be brought to productive ends. The production of ultrahard wooden items competitive with some lighter plastics can be made without too much issue. Better yet ultrahard microstructures can be built into them allowing materials to be grown that significantly outperform their contemporaries on a similar weight allotment. The use cases for such ultralight materials are limited by their flammability and the limits of biological systems but they still offer a useful capability. (Production Methods) (New 40 AE)


    Combined Programs(PR to get more funding, optionally select one)

    []Planetary Defense: It is the duty of the military to defend Danann and to that extent, the construction of defenses along with a sprint towards the weaponization of any means we have available will be pursued. The development of a full complex system of orbital defense down to what to arm marines in case of lighter raids as were conducted on the Lirrir and a full-scale fleet combatant must be considered. This would formally build out a modern fleet capable of defending Danann in the orbits, even if it is likely to be swept aside by any opponent the propaganda victory alone is immense. (Close In Orbital Defense Systems, Standardization of Orbital Troops, and Militarized Orbital Destroyer) (600B Or Provided) (Political Support Gain)

    []Accelerated Industrialization: We will not win any war in the near future with superior technical weapon systems or some ideal of high technology. Any war will be won by the sheer quantity of mass that can be assembled into adequate weapon systems and sent at the enemy. To that extent the BFP along with several members of the PPP and PPM are willing to extend significant funding to accelerate orbital industrial buildup. More hulls will provide more mass to throw at the enemy and further industrialization will benefit everyone especially as the army becomes more budget autonomous. (Orbital Manufacturing Plants, Accelerate Lunar Mining, and Outer Planet Colonization Required) (600B Or Provided)

    []Orbital Technologies Development: There is a significant group of PPM members and optimists who are convinced that advanced technologies that can be fielded today will be sufficient to deter an alien aggressor. They are almost certainly incorrect but significant sums of funding are on offer for the accelerated development of the techniques with several in the PPM believing them to be key for the further development of the species. The other parties of course do not agree but they are unlikely to have a negative impact. (Ultrapure Crystal Growth, Long Strand CNT Production, and Ignition Facilities Required) (400B Or Provided) (Reduces Prevent Conventional Expansion Penalties)


    Budget Allocation:


    Recruitment Levels: (Pick One)

    []Prevent Conventional Expansion: Keeping the army as it is deeply unpopular even amongst the civilian government as the force is in no way equipped to fight anything approaching a corps-level landing much less expected operations. Keeping the size down will have to be justified with intensive development programs to keep the military on pace with newer technologies and the issuance of new equipment as without expansion sufficient reserves are not expected to be available. The military will technically expand in that orbital fleet forces will be expanded but all non-specialized groundside formations will instead be entirely converted to the Type 36 IFV to enhance capability. (Significant Political Support Loss) (Severe internal Disagreement outside the Conventional Mechanization Approach)

    []Use the Volunteers(Light): There is a deluge of volunteers attempting to flee from poor economic conditions and it would be a disgrace to not at least take them into the army. The production of new light vehicles along with the further mobilization of old formations will buy time for more advanced equipment to be produced. The general size of the force would effectively climb to approximately 900k serving in primary combat arms along with a further quantity of conscripts serving on stations. By keeping the new forces to lighter formations the impact on an enemy invasion can be enhanced as the rapid transport of units into the landing zones will be critical for disrupting logistical commitments. (600B Or Cost) (900k Military) (Minor Internal Disagreements)

    []Use the Volunteers(Heavy): Reforming four new combined arms armies, three tank armies, two motorized armies, and four amphibious corps are expected to balance out the general force with few issues. The tank armies are expected to be shell formations with the infantry equipped but with little provisioning for the essential armor. The current formations will further have two combined arms armies separated into four tank armies in preparation for the issuance of armored vehicles into the army. This will involve the production of tens of thousands of IFV but if nothing else UNISA has so far managed to scale production without excessive issues. Airborne forces will have to be built up once adequate material is available but the format will be more than suited to such a buildup. (1400B Or Cost) (900k Military) (Will require a tank program) (Minor Internal Disagreements)

    []Two Hundred Division Scheme: Our largest advantage is inherent to the reserve system and the ability to marshal domestic forces as long as infrastructure and population are insufficiently degraded. Compounding this will involve the formation of near-pure infantry formations with motorized transportation and negligible lighter vehicles for more modern styles of deployment. The volunteer forces will be moved to more specialized and complex units while the conscripts will be integrated under separated NCOs into rapid redeployment infantry formations. Most are expected to be of negligible use outside of emplaced positions and questionable as a militia but there is little else that can be done. Better for every soldier to die with a rifle in their hands than cowering in some shoddily built bunker waiting for the inevitable end. (1800B Or Cost) (2400k Military) (Moderate Internal Disagreements) (Allows Expanded Conscription)


    Wage Structures: (Pick One)

    []Expand Conscription: Anyone that is of conscriptable age that cannot prove otherwise productive employment or education in one month can be brought into army service and pushed through training. The civilians will complain but the reserve needs to be reconstructed and giving the idle youth something to do that will form a long-term career is the least that can be done. The soldiers will of course complain as many of the personnel are substituted out for cheaper forces and benefits for noncontract soldiers are reduced to sustenance wages but the army must fund procurement and training more than it needs to fund luxury goods for the conscripts. (0.75M Or Cost per Soldier)

    []Reduce Benefits: The current economic situation has driven far more volunteers to the military than ever previously expected. Instead of continuing to spend as much money on attracting soldiers, benefits can be cut back along with reducing recruitment bonuses. Most of the changes are expected to impact the enlisted rather than officer pay scales, keeping essential technical personnel funded but ensuring that the average enlisted gets a wage but few benefits. Recruitment will likely fall across the next few years but as long as the politicians cannot fix the economy it may even be possible to continue having a high rate of volunteers. (1M Or Cost per Soldier)

    []Maintain the Current Standard: Keeping the current pay scale will keep disruption down and ensure that the high rate of volunteers will be maintained. The benefits for non-officer tracks are expected to be not exceptional but a few will still sign up for them. The compromise option will further keep with older standards, avoiding anyone getting strange ideas of their pay getting cut or anything changing. The next few years are expected to get even more volunteers of high quality allowing the army to be far more selective with those taken or continuing the general expansion of forces. (1.5M Or Cost per Soldier) (Current Policy)

    []Improve Benefits: It is cheaper to fund benefits for technical personnel who would otherwise have to work in other sectors of the economy than to focus on chasing civilian sector wages. The high-quality technical personnel capable of operating the latest technical systems will take more funding than is currently available. This will lead to far more volunteers and more importantly better quality volunteers than previously expected allowing minimum standards to be considerably raised. Further, as many of the benefits will be contingent on testing into advanced or specialized positions the competition for such posts will strongly increase improving the general state of the army. (2M Or Cost per Soldier)


    Space Infrastructure(Pick up to Three Options):


    []Light Shipyards: With the arguably over-expansion of the mining fleet and the saturation of both existing and not yet constructed shipyards a program needs to be started to expand orbital build capacity. These yards will be built as integrated stations with the workers living on-site for the construction of ships. In space production and processing of resources will be able to supply much of the protection and cruder systems on the ships even if significant numbers of components will have to be launched from Danann. Further, expanding the capacity will allow an increase in smaller and section-built auxiliary craft to help the fleet operate. (200B Or) (Adds Two Small Yards) (Can Be Taken Multiple Times)

    []Medium Shipyards: With a commitment to a heavy frigate design and the current rapid construction of FTL-capable shipping building heavier shipyards are going to be required to compensate for an increased demand for hulls. The shipyards themselves are expected to be direct copies of those currently holding the FTL test craft with an expected capacity to construct monolithic ships of approximately ten kilotons for current layouts. Even larger expansions of the docks will take an increase in either orbital production or launch capacity as there are only so many personnel and ships that can be currently supported. (500B Or) (Adds Two Medium Yards) (Can Be Taken Multiple Times)

    []Large Shipyards: As current estimations for FTL-equipped ships favor the construction of larger vessels for the sake of faster-than-light efficiency, it is theorized that for any auxiliary application, larger ships will be the most efficient. The next generation of drive is expected to improve field density significantly along with more minor refinements to energy efficiency allowing the effectively most expensive component of ships to go far further than it would otherwise. For combat applications cross-bracing a massive ship will have issues but it could still be done assuming several prospective material science breakthroughs pan out. (1000B Or) (Adds Two Large Yards)

    []Orbital Manufacturing Plants: Orbital industrial production has most readily taken advantage of printers and the latest techniques in general production. By separating design and manufacturing teams and using additive manufacturing far more broadly a large quantity of components can be made in orbit from resources mined in orbit. Workers on site will be focused on production rather than development all while far cheaper terrestrial engineering workers keep systems going through remote-operated platforms. At the current rate of ship production dedicated programs to increase throughput are expected to offer rapid returns paying for the expansion in less than a decade. (500B Or) (250B Or Industrial Return) (Reduces Orbital Costs)

    []Ultrapure Crystal Growth: We cannot have a single hope of keeping up with the alien enemy technologically but several options can be pursued to narrow the gap. The manufacture of large-scale synthetic diamondoids is viable and scientifically if not technically proven. The establishment of a dedicated cylinder with considerable industrial infrastructure inside of it. The military applications of an ultrahard high-temperature ceramic are practically limitless but production limitations will likely leave it as a specialty component for some time. Some civilian applications have also been raised in limited high-temperature environments where a strong corrosion resistance is necessary. (400B Or) (50B Or Industrial Return) (Diamondoid Options(Laser Upgrades/Selective Armor Upgrades/Rocket Upgrades))

    []Long Strand CNT Production: With the development of a new generation of combat-viable radiators along with the resolution of several manufacturing difficulties mass-scale production of carbon nanotubes can be started. The plans specializing in the longest uniform tubes will have to be conducted in zero gravity, forcing the construction of a two-part industrial facility. The workforce itself will be housed in an attached cylinder with the plant itself located in a direct rotation connection to the facility. The long sheets themselves are unlikely to be economical in anything but specialty applications but their use in radiators promises an end to the considerable vulnerabilities exhibited by droplet radiator systems. (300B Or) (100B Or Industrial Return) (CNT Options)

    []Accelerate Lunar Mining: The massive water ice on the inner moon along with the surplus of lighter metals with large deposits of native aluminum and titanium represents an unparalleled industrial base. Low gravity excavation favors far bigger machinery than would be terrestrially usable and local infrastructure is entirely able to take advantage of lower weights. Building out dedicated rail-transit lines on what would be an unreasonably wide gauge to mining sites along with landing the motors for dedicated machinery will greatly increase output. With heavier and precious metals supplied from the belt while lighter isotopes and water supplied from the moon orbital industry can boom all without excessive launches from a gravity well. (400B Or) (200B Or Mining Return)

    []Triple Launch-Ramp Barrels: Rather than increasing orbital industrialization at a massive cost, domestic industry can be leveraged to increase launch mass to orbit. Building a parallel series of barrels for the launch ramp promises to increase launch capacity massively as more and more cargos are shot into orbit. There are still limitations in that there are no methods to make the launch survivable for personnel, but smaller craft can easily be packed full of passengers headed out for their five-year service. The energy issues of climbing out of the atmosphere are not expected to ever really lessen, but local fusion power has already been planned to provide enough energy for the local factories and the ramp itself. (400B Or) (Allows More Than Three Options)

    []Military-Logistical System: With the need to move thousands of Seelie across the orbital belts and to productive positions in the orbital economy something more advanced than current chemical rockets is required. Moving to smaller-scale liquid core drives running on cheaply produced lunar methane is expected to revolutionize transit by saving on reaction mass and further developing the Danann industrial system. These shuttles will not be the most comfortable but they will finally lead to the production of dedicated auxiliary craft and the replacement of the current elements of the venerable orbital fleet. (300B Or) (Requires Two Free Small Slipways)

    []Close In Orbital Defense Systems: We do not expect to hold orbit for any meaningful timeframe in case of a full-scale enemy incursion but that does not mean we can surrender it for nothing. Setting up silos in some of the remaining debris-heavy areas and militarizing several habitats with a close-in brace of missiles will provide some capacity to respond to an enemy threat. Further, ensuring that the system can operate autonomously even in case of the effective destruction of the habitat will ensure that even the remaining bits of wreckage can continue to resist an invasion. The impact of such a system is debatable but some static defenses are better than none. (500B Or)

    []Outer Planet Colonization: Putting down a permanent colonial presence on Cethyria, the fifth world in the system, represents a major logistical commitment. The planet itself is far from any settlement outside of asteroid mining and does not promise a significant return. Initial colonization will still prove essential for supplying the asteroid miners with more exotic compounds that are limited to planetary production. The gravity well offers several advantages for the construction of an outer system naval base to prepare fleets near the main jump-point and serve as a hub of system defense. Our current drives are too low-performance to pose a threat, but starting the process of colonization can yield returns in decades as long as the species is not burned out of existence. (600B Or) (100B Or Mining Return)


    Groundside Infrastructure(Pick as many as desired):


    []Ignition Facilities: Building the facilities needed to test magnetic and inertial confinement fusion drives and spaceborne reactors is not expected to be cheap but the technology involved will be critical to wars of the future. Fission can only carry us so far into the orbitals and without a competitive fusion drive any orbital force can be run down and overwhelmed without so much as being able to close the distance for our more primitive weapon systems. Starting technical development will not be easy but there is a base of experience from civilian reactors that can be militarized in short order. (250B Or, 100B Or Maintenance) (Widens Tech Roll for Fusion, allows Drives to be Rolled) (Immediate Fusion Roll)

    []Comprehensive Crew Simulators: Training crews in space is expensive, time-consuming, and depends on access to hardware that currently does not exist. Developing ground-side simulators capable of modeling full-scale engagements from the command bridge along with smaller technical sections will be essential to improving crew quality. Current standards are practically non-existent and more borne from necessity rather than any comprehensive overview of the fleet. The war and exchange are long behind us but outside of the most technical personnel training is still coming down to effective apprenticeship systems. (200B Or, 50B Or Maintenance) (Improvement to Crew Quality)

    []Advanced Projects Agency: There is a total lack of funding going to the development of weapon systems over tangentially applicable technologies. The boundaries of science need to be driven as far as possible with intensive work started on the weaponization of current technologies. Most projects are bluntly expected to fail but even a few viable theoretical platforms can be rapidly repurposed for fleet service. (500B Or, 200B Or Maintenance) (Additional Tech Roll) (Changes Tech Odds)

    []Form the Genetic Warfare Division: Whatever alien we meet will likely be alive in a sense or operating within the bounds of some form of genetic system. The Lirrir still have something approaching conventional inheritance and it would be a surprise to see if the alien enemy significantly deviates. Establishing a dedicated division for the biological analysis of the enemy along with programs to start developing solutions on a population level can offer more effective deterrence than any number of bombs. If all else fails, having an engineered virus may save the species long enough to get the alien enemy to blink. (200B Or, 100B Or Maintenance)

    []Form the Intelligence Directorate: Signals intelligence has currently been conducted by military officers but there has been a lack of concrete organizational bodies in charge of organizing it. This can be fixed through the creation of a new directorate focusing on the analysis of signal data captured from the Lirrir along with any information the FTL ships can record of the surrounding environment. Ever since the Ros presidency government intelligence organizations have been suspect, but a military one should be far more acceptable. (250B Or, 50B Or Maintenance)

    []Expand Armaments Provisions: The armaments industry is not ready for the demands placed on it and it is currently in a dire struggle to expand. Supplies of shells will optimistically be available for the first few weeks of the invasion with supplies of missiles even more limited. Establishing standards of production now along with several new state enterprises for the production of ordinance will be essential to build up stocks at any reasonable pace for the defense of the planet. The number of jobs direct expansions to production offer are also not to be discounted as factories can be built in important electoral districts. (500B Or, 50B Or Maintenance)

    []Expand Army Disaster Relief: Current disaster relief units are not enough to manage the predicted outcome of a hypercane impact on a major urban center. It could be argued that there is nothing that would be enough but immediate mobilization units can at least stem the bleeding. Rapid air transportation of medical personnel and basic supplies can be provided without too many issues outside of the necessary organizational structures. The only question is one of scale as the sheer amount of rapidly allocated material needed to triage such a major disaster site is expected to be second only to a nuclear strike. (150B Or, 50B Or Maintenance) (Political Cost for not Taking)


    Infantry-Equipment Set:


    Type 23 Combined Equipment: Working with wartime lessons learned and an anemic budget allocation that was expected to go towards all troops, a rationalized system of infantry equipment was developed. Any concept of semi-powered systems or technical sophistication was abandoned in favor of a more conventional system of a plate carrier and uniform combination with a degree of weather resistance. Chemical and biological protection has been limited to a simple respirator rather than the enclosed wartime suits, providing some resistance in the unlikely event of a chemical attack. The old electronically integrated rifles have been brought under a unified 6.5x52mm round along the lines of an R-45 system with effective mountings for optics. Anti-tank firepower has also been consolidated into a series of high-velocity kinetic systems favoring light systems capable of being fired at volume to overwhelm currently non-existent protection systems.


    ATGM:

    Type 35 Anti-Tank System:     On the infantry end the Type-35 rocket system is an effective automated fire and forget that can fire on thermal or electro-optical signature acquisition from a polymer tube, coming in at a portable twenty-three-kilogram system loaded. Long-range and vehicle-based variations have been effectively constructed with the seventeen-kilogram terminal phase paired with a either thirteen or twenty-kilogram booster, providing long-range capability with an incorporated autonomous mode. Errant signature targeting remains a problem for the complex but all three are entering large-scale production to distribute anti-tank firepower. The forty-three-kilogram vehicle mount is to be standardized across the IFV force, providing a massive increase in long-range firepower.


    Wheeled Vehicles:

    Light Utility Vehicles:     Repurposed vehicles ranging from civilian trucks to modified sedans that have formed several key fire elements. Design standardization has been implemented to the point that several models have a standard set of plating and mounting hardware, but these are effectively pressed into service civilian vehicles. Most mount some variety of medium or heavy machine guns but heavier variants do exist with anti-tank missile systems and recoilless rifles. A light vehicle replacement is considered a priority as the current mass of systems is both unwieldy and impossible to maintain.

    Type 38 8x8: Developed as an all-field improvement over the original Type 14 truck the Type 38 mostly delivers on several improvements. Moving to a reinforced frame made of more advanced materials along with improvements in development has allowed the new truck to carry eight tons offroad and seventeen tons on the road. Hill traversal capacity is limited and the engine is notably underpowered but the truck does incorporate several lessons learned for safety design compared to all that came before it. Variations capable of carrying artillery pieces and operating as a basic bed for the mounting of anti-aircraft systems have already been proposed. The entire truck only has armor along the cabin against small arms, but that has been judged as sufficient.


    IFV/APC:

    Type-36 IFV:     A standardized 8x8 IFV built on a series of reliable technical concepts with novel engineering focused primarily on armor and protective systems. Improved HEA plating has been interspersed with ultrahard ceramics in a quasi-NERA array containing far more detailed ultra-hard elements with features. The shift towards materials lighter and stronger than conventional steels alone has ensured that protection is sufficient across the vehicle to resist conventional fire while the ceramics serve to break up threats from cumulative munitions. APS protection has also been extended with eight heavy charges and twenty-four light charges mounted across the turret. The armament is a combination of eight types 35 ATGM and an automated 24mm cannon effectively offering a direct continuation from older APCs. Amphibious capability on the vehicle has been maintained with space for eight dismounts creating several questions on optimal squad sizes. Mortar-carrying and artillery-carrying variants are already being considered though the lack of a power train precludes its use as a SPLAA.


    Tank:

    Type 38(Pre War) Tank:     The other component of the heavy armored system built around a 1500kW diesel engine combined with an electric drive. The tank is practically built around its central 152mm cannon and autoloader, feeding shells into the system at an acceptable rate with long rod penetrators of up to 1.6 meters capable of being loaded in two parts from hull-based cassettes. APS systems have been pioneered onto the tank with sixteen heavy charges and twelve light charges focused around the frontal aspect to degrade ordinance. Armor protection is not technically sufficient to resist an integrated penetrator from its gun, but that has been judged as sufficient. Automatic gun systems based on the Type 36 APC have been integrated with smart return fire capacity built-in with the 24mm Canon. Despite nearly a hundred operational vehicles the chassis has been used for everything from mobile laser anti-aircraft systems to IFVs in greater numbers.


    Fixed Wing Aircraft:

    Type 39 Aircraft:     The General Aerospace entrant that has been delivered to specification, if universally derided by pilots as the equivalent of operating a garbage truck. The plane is powered by two high-power 240kN turbofans with a capacity for climb-outs in most cargo regimes with only a single engine if necessary. Automatic landing has been incorporated onto the plane and a significant degree of redundancy has been incorporated as hundreds of the lessons learned in the old passenger industry are relearned. Over a thousand units are expected to be purchased for the army with variations designed for transportation, low-intensity missile transportation, and several further roles as general-purpose airframes. Even the civilian sector has started work on adapting a copy for the rapid transportation of mail, allowing GA to recoup its costs. Poor surface takeoffs limit the ability of the airframe to operate in a safe mode with increased cargo allocation but even that has been judged as sufficient.


    Medium Drones:

    None-Operational


    Light Drones:

    Improvised Surveillance Drones:     A massive number of diverse quadcopters and basic fixed-wing drones have been produced at a massive number of workshops as systems for surveillance. These have mostly been built with simple radio systems and radio control systems built around applications on civilians and some specialized tablets. Some variants have been modified with basic tandem charge warheads for suicide attacks. The lack of standardization has limited their use of improvised munitions making the commissioning of new systems a high priority.


    Naval Combat Ships:

    19xType 37 LCS(Pre War): The older generation of lighter littoral combat ships utilizing gas turbines instead of more complex nuclear power plants. Most were built primarily for patrol and anti-piracy duties rather than complex operational requirements in wartime leaving most of them intact in the aftermath. The hulls themselves are equipped with a universal VLS system containing one hundred and twenty tubes rated for anti-shipping missiles along with a series of radar systems and a dual electrochemical canon setup for closer range support duties. Radar integration is considered acceptable even if anti-stealth tracking leaves much to be desired as a platform. Carrying capacities of marines and personnel are the primary purpose of the ship, with the current remaining stocks of the class effectively serving as oversized police cutters.

    35xType 33 Frigate(Pre War): The lightest of the classes of ship in service in the thirties modernization program and one destined to act as a low profile low in the water universal combatant specialized in anti-aircraft work. A combined battery of sixty-four cells along with a light electrochemical gun makes up their primary armament. The main purpose of the vessels was the tracking and interception of anti-fleet missile systems while on a cheaper-to-build non-nuclear hull. More complex radar systems were pioneered on the class that would later go on every 30's era ship, allowing an unparalleled simultaneous over-the-horizon intercept capacity against sixteen targets in coordination with further data-linking radars along with data-link enabled lobs followed by terminal boost phase.


    Submarines:

    None-Operational


    Orbital Frigates:

    16xRiver-Class(Pre-War Type-35): Closer to a modified police ship than a true naval warship, the River class was originally designed as a vehicle to transport a platoon-sized element of marines between habitats. This was complemented by a limited degree of self-defense capability to police the orbitals along with enabling further orbital work. Drives were built around open cycle gas core reactors supplemented with MPDs for long-range maneuvers, giving each ship a healthy 50 km/s of delta V. With tensions increasing and ever-increasing conflicts with the northern colonial administration the 39 refit radically changed the role of the ships. A series of octagonal twelve-tube missile launches were incorporated into the frame by lengthening the ship along with an 8 MW pulsed laser system with a staggered series of lenses capable of engaging with three at any proper targeting angle. None of those helped in the retreat from lower orbit as guns ravaged the ships, but the few remaining examples have served as venerable shuttles after a total overhaul in 9AE. Reactor cores were replaced with new power ones and the crew section was further compressed to extend their capacities as troop ships, more than capable of supporting the transfer of three hundred men in an LDO-Lunar flight profile.


    Orbital Destroyers:

    6xDaring Class(Pre-War Type-32): More designed as a pleasure liner for important personnel in orbit along with a defended shuttle for crew transfers outward each Daring's practically the hallmark of a long gone age. Pioneering gas core systems in orbit along with massive travel drives the ships were meant to reach further than ever before in a state of unmatched luxury as tuned MPDs and massive power cores provided them with a usable delta-v of almost 180 km/s. In the 38 refit program, the previously peaceful ships were given a similar missile section to the Type-35 incorporating defensive systems and using the massive power system to mount massive high-temperature 12 MW lasers in a triplex configuration. Each ship can defend itself from anything short of a heavy missile attack, allowing unparalleled operational capacity while maintaining some luxuries. The 12AE refits only compounded on the class with the rationalization of quarters into a hot bunking system incorporating sectioned belonging storage and external mounts for additional crew or cargo. This has enabled a massive five hundred-man capacity along with tons of cargo, though life support resources are strained on such voyages.


    Spaceborne Auxiliary Ships:

    Debris Skiffs:     The massive series of different classes of light skiffs that patrolled the orbits looking for debris and salvage have no unified class or performance envelope. The most universal factor for them has been the lack of a nuclear drive and a simple long-burning hydrogen engine for propulsion. Most were effectively a printed airlock, a radar, and a series of propellant tanks, capable of assessing larger debris and preparing them for deorbiting work. Lacking any defensive weaponry or nuclear systems a number of these have even been operated by practically civilian concerns from stations, offering tours and overviews. Standardization of small skiffs for moving around the orbital system is still deeply in demand but it remains a niche application now that debris has mostly stopped being a major threat.

    8xType-22 Barge: Effectively an oversized gas core reactor attached to tanks of water and a system for mass on-site refining from carbonate asteroids the Type-22 miner is more of a tug than a true mining ship. Operations are conducted through the processing of several rocks until a reserve of water is built up, afterwards the ship approaches a metalloid rock or chunk, and its crew drills into it. Using highly efficient MPDs that are downgraded the ship steadily pushes the rock and itself into a slow intercept maneuver of Dannan, allowing the rock to then be mined in lower orbit. The two-year missions each Type-22 conducts are long and with a poor crew retention rate as the conditions on board are considered poor even compared to more rationalized ships, if only due to the length of missions. Iterations on the miners are already planned, even if they have not yet been implemented.


    Automation:


    Improved AI Market Models: Beating out a capable Seelie at modeling in the stock market has already been done but current ML models can take behaviors a step further. By optimizing direct data streams and using a model of learned behavior and information analysis, correct market decisions can be made well in advance by the general public and most investment agents. The actual deployment of the technology has been limited to financial firms focused on optimizing the market with significant gains expected for the early adopters. At this point, people have mostly been removed from market activity with high data algorithms trained off interpreting behavior taking precedence.

    Enhanced Population-Facing Algorithms: Advancing population-facing machine learning models has only intensified with the state operation of social media interactions. It is still impossible to make a model that cannot be distinguished from a Seelie in all circumstances, but that is almost within reach. Basic chat-bots have been refined so that one can be used with a focused set of goals and a solid general comprehension of information. Further advances in ensuring that models that fail can indicate a low-confidence answer, allowing for an improved user perspective. (30 AE)

    Total Line Automation: Previous efforts at predictive logistics and advanced ordering programs have only developed further with improvements made to the autonomous operation of entire facilities. Current algorithms are insufficient to replace all staff but something as simple as balancing and troubleshooting basic parameter deviation has already been demonstrated with further gains expected on the direct testing level. There is little need for first-line employees when logistics can be conducted in an automated manner with a further simplification of most industries that require sterile standards. Continuous improvements are only expected to continue as more advanced algorithms can further reduce necessary labor. (35AE)

    Technical Generative AI: Continued improvement in machine learning along with engineering-specific developments have continued to enhance the automation of industries. Previous generations of generative AI have been limited to non-technical low-risk applications but it has steadily gone towards a capability to act as an immediate reference and design optimization tool. Training datasets are still limited and the machines are nowhere near perfect but as a first-line tool for rapid prototyping and a second-line tool for assessing projects it is invaluable. Automation can now replace most positions that produce novel intellectual labor for conventional design work, with just a few needed to check the AI and ensure consistency in training datasets. (35AE)


    Ballistics


    Economics


    Social Sciences


    Computing

    X-Ray Lithography Techniques: Next-generation lithography was judged as necessary to make the jump to 3nm gate widths, but even that has proven insufficient. New machines with X-ray light have been demonstrated on a laboratory scale, capable of making feature sizes smaller than previously considered possible with a lower number of errors from simplifications in the beam source. Effectively new machinery is now capable of making circuits on a previously thought-to-be impossible scale, eliminating lithographic challenges. The limitations of electron probability distributions are still notable, but they too can eventually be overcome.

    Basic Quantum Computing: Further achievements in computing have not come from shortening gate lengths or improving the density of conventional circuits but through the creation of dedicated quantum computing units. These processors can hold almost ten thousand qbits with some capacity for calculation, even if they are not relevant for most tasks that are better suited for conventional computing. Most of the units are useless outside of discrete applications in small data problems and low-level particle modeling, but the application alone is sufficient to drive investment in the field and push for improved models.


    Cybernetics/DNI

    Dual-Band NI: Downband neural interfacing has always been considered a massive challenge for control systems and is not practical as a system. Basic sensation feedback can now be delivered with a neural splice avoiding any invasive procedures, and even with a significant learning period basic interfaces can be developed. Further, the technology offers the chance to directly train a single nerve to operate a multi-faceted machine through learning simulations comparable to physical therapy. Some sterile implant programs have started for first adopters with an exclusive up-band-only mounting but the technology once matured can apply to any number of military applications. (30 AE)

    Basic Cybernetics: Continued advancements in both genetics and neural interfacing have brought forward a practical new era of implantation and dual-way linkages between neurons and computers. Using basic genetic modification to designate several metals as non-invasive to prevent an immune response along with advanced coatings, safe implants can be produced with few issues of rejection and minimal follow-on treatment. Direct neural control along with the direct splicing of nerves represents a further improvement in old techniques allowing theoretical direct control of larger machinery from a direct linkage. (35AE)


    Transmission

    Terahertz Networking: Taking advantage of previously untapped bands of electromagnetic propagation has defined the last generations of networking but it can be taken a step even further. Consolidating work and increasing transmitter power can only go so far in improving penetration, but for most environments, a simple receiver can be used. Propagation of signals in the range can allow for the transmission of data in gigabytes per second over the air, simplifying significant areas of infrastructure. Signal doublers and lesser bands are still needed for the penetration of obstacles, but the improvements from moving into higher ranges hold immense promise.



    Energy Storage

    MgLiS Batteries: A new revolution in the development of battery power has come from fundamental work on the development of next-generation battery chemistry. Combining the density of single-use aluminum-air cells with the rechargeability of lithium batteries, new magnesium-sulfur batteries with some lithium additives have been brought to commercial production. Voltage limitations and the need for finer electronics to take advantage of the lower voltage plateau have limited most implementations outside storage use to only 1000Wh/kg, but even that represents a massive improvement over previous chemistries. Current production costs are slightly greater than equivalent lithium ions, but as mass production takes off a cheap rechargeable battery capable of a massive number of cycles can be brought to every electronic device.

    Thermal Storage: Paired high-temperature molten storage with a high-efficiency high differential thermocouple offers a novel if mostly redundant cheap storage method. The effective price of the system is only dependent on its throughput in the thermocouple with the salts themselves forming a very cheap factor. Efficiency is poor and the actual capacity is mostly superseded by MgS battery compositions, but for several low-cost applications, it can be used. Some new batteries have been designed as a speaker system as massive volumes of salts are heated up to provide energy outside of the productive bands of renewable energy plants as entire lakes of salt are far cheaper than even the cheapest batteries. (30 AE)


    Fission

    Gas Core Reactors: In terrestrial applications, the maximum efficiency for a nuclear core operating in a conventional cycle has always been constrained by the Carnot equation. Working instead with a gaseous core and a partial system of harvesting using an MHD both thermodynamic efficiency and energy conversion efficiency can be nearly doubled. Electrical conversion efficiencies of nearly seventy percent have been achieved in theoretical test cases bringing orbital reactor core performance to larger-scale ground-side cores.

    Third Generation MHD Generators: Through combined improvements in harvesting methodologies for power and better systemic thermal isolation significant gains have been made in thermodynamic efficiencies of power production. These mostly involve a more refined MHD cycle with some secondary thermal harvesting, bringing waste heat output down to a far more manageable twenty percent of the generative process. This in no way gets rid of radiators and further efficiency improvements will be a massive technical challenge but they can still be undertaken. The far greater scale of new unit generation systems will make refits challenging but new vessels can be built to far improved margins of thermal control. (35AE)

    Non-Propulsive Dusty Plasma Reactor: Continued drives towards gaining efficiency and the modification of thrust systems have demonstrated significant further improvements to efficiency. By taking an ultra-light fissioning uranium plasma and confining it in a pinch between a dual-end MHD harvester an efficient method of power generation can be designed with few downsides. The power system will explicitly not be suitable for off-drive harvesting like previous generation gas-core MHD couplings but the gains from the new method will be massive. Thermal efficiencies in the order of eighty-five percent can be achieved with a hotter operating cycle, only limited by internal chamber materials, leading to more efficient radiative hot loops. (35AE)


    FTL

    FTL Tachyons: Combining a specialized method of particle physics, the interaction of W bosons in a strong magnetic and electrostatic field has managed to reliably produce several tachyons. These particles have managed to do a previously impossible interaction in conventional models of physics and effectively send a signal out instantaneously. Receiver infrastructure has only been built in another lab, but a basic signal was transmitted along with a narrow band data stream through a Morse-like system. Theoretically, larger and more capable systems have already been commissioned, but they are not expected to be smaller than dedicated buildings and will almost certainly be limited in data transmission. (An unscientific carve-out of relativity in the sense of a privileged special frame that is nonetheless for writing what I want to instead of the more speculative science approach I am taking with everything else.)

    FTL-Jump Drive(Theoretical): Through the prompt generation of exotic materials something of a temporary cross-dimensional linkage can be generated. Previous experiments with tachyons have significantly expanded the understanding of particle physics allowing for some glimpses into a possible even space where far larger objects can be sent in a theoretically faster-than-light trajectory. Current ideas of particle generation arrays are unstable at best and experience intense interference from gravitons effectively limiting techniques to areas of the system under less than 1e-4 m/s^2 of acceleration with even less preferred. Actual points where a transition can be induced are even fewer with four calculated to exist in the Dannan system but outside of testing with small objects, it is impossible to know if the model is applicable. Targeting is also assumed to be a major challenge with few known solutions outside of directing the field at the point of initiation, necessitating a massive amount of further testing. (30 AE) (More unscientific carve outs from relativity)

    FTL Jump Point Theory: The discrete detection of pockets of so-called jump-optimal space has proceeded logically from previous theories with the refit of a daring class destroyer to assessing pods. Initial guesses that the points would exist outside the orbit of the fifth planet and limitations of gravity have been confirmed though there is a curious phenomenon involved with most jump points in that some are significantly "deeper" dimensionally than others. It is believed that a jump conducted from a deeper point would both be easier and less intensive, leaving other areas of the system as more secondary. Confirmation of further points in the outer system will take time, but current mathematical understandings of jump space do indicate that there should be a few around the gas giant. (35AE)


    Fusion

    Optimal Band DT: Further improvements on the conventional fusion fuel cycle and a sustained temperature of 80 KeV can now be attained and maintained without a significant technical burden for reactors of the old scale. This effectively optimizes interaction cross-sections of the fuel, raising the reaction rate while maintaining a similar degree of plasma density. Improvements in the magnets involved have trickled down to smaller-scale reactors with the expectation that a positive 1 GWe reactor could be constructed. The largest improvements however come in the larger cores as once the optimal plasma temperatures are reached the reaction rate increases by almost five-fold making the largest cores economical for truly mass power-production applications. (35AE)


    Biosciences

    Genome Engineering: Taking a second look at the genome outside of the initial clumsy attempts by the old regime has yielded massive and rapid gains as transgenic applications have only grown in extent. Work towards tailoring physiological processes along with the specific location of genes responsible for appearance has effectively allowed an unlimited degree of modification. The forefront of the current breakthrough is a co-opting of internal systems of self-correction, allowing a specialized viral payload to infect large parts of the body along with the systems themselves with any remaining cells fixed to the new genetic package. Modifications ranging from more than tripling muscle mass set points to effective morphological control can be conducted, but most depend significantly on the degree of laws passed around them.

    Self Healing Concrete: Targeted genetic engineering work on previous programs has come to the fore with the integration of organisms in conventional concrete pours. These engineered organisms are built to produce calcite to fill any hole left in the concrete from micro-fractures or thermal stress. While the material itself will still steadily get weaker due to the limitations of biological systems, the ability to fix most micro-fractures will massively extend all lifespans. Further, as the integration of organisms is practically a cheap step of end-state processing, it can be done for almost nothing, allowing all modern grades of concrete to have limited self-repair for no real loss in initial durability.

    Hibernation Systems: Induction of a hibernation adjacent sleep-like state for long-duration orbital journeys has always been desirable but limitations in life support equipment have rendered it problematic. Rather than a total freezing of biological processes a sorta long duration low-calorie use sleep can be induced on a crew for long journeys performed by automated systems. Some degradation and risk are still expected from the process as it is refined but such sleepers can be kept at a minimal life support burden. Retrofits of the system onto ships have been delayed by the lack of automated systems capable of managing complex reactor parameters but several proposals have already been made for dual-setup craft. (30 AE)


    Materials Science

    High Entropy Alloys(Early): Developmental work on computational models of more complex crystalline structures has produced results practically as soon as sufficient computing power is applied. Breaking away from conventional understandings of bi-component alloys or base metals with mix-ins, the use of a massive number of mixed metals has allowed conventional material science to be revolutionized. Significant gains in basic structural alloys can be conducted in specialized smelting environments at a reasonable cost, even if many of the highest-performance materials capable of entering the realm of super-hard ceramics are limited by supplies of scandium and tantalum. Corresponding breakthroughs in additive manufacturing techniques have only improved performance, producing parts cheaply and with qualities well above conventional material science.

    Engineering Plastics: Work in the biological sciences on easy-to-produce materials has rapidly enabled the creation of biological systems capable of making short-chain polymers. Limitations in internal chemistries and the needs of organisms to process feedstock from the atmosphere have made the process inefficient compared to the energy committed, but for low-quality biologically derived plastics, this is a revolution. Incredible cheap plastic can be brought into bulk construction roles as fillers, improving structural design and further lowering costs for low-quality biodegradable material.

    Synthetic Diamondoids(low yield): Nothing prevents the production and shaping of a large block of diamondoid materials through innovative semi-conventional production methods along with improvements in deposition techniques. The only remaining question is if the expense of a diamondoid is useful in any good or product as the ultra-hardness can be almost replicated by more conventional and cheaper ultra-hard ceramics. Theoretical requirements involving only carbon are a positive factor but even those do not make the technology viable. (30 AE)

    CNT Mass Production: Improvements have been made in non-biological processes for the production of long-chain carbon nano-tubes effectively making biological methods obsolete. Large-scale macro-catalytics have developed significantly on older techniques with scalable production of new materials. The changeover has forced the rapid adoption of new methods along with the increase of the chemical industry as simpler methods are steadily pushed aside. After some reconfiguration, it is expected that CNT incorporation can become a common factor for several industrial applications. (35AE)


    Doctrine

    Autonomous Drone Warfare: New theories of automation have not failed to reach the battlefield with concepts around a general increase in semi-automatic and automatic combat platforms favored. ECCM has only improved over time with many asking why it is necessary to risk Seelie lives in warfare when a single soldier can manage a dozen autonomous platforms. Development of doctrinal and technical concepts will involve committed testing of new platforms and new procurement goals limiting what can be done, but several visionary manuals have been written on the topic. (30 AE)


    Missiles/Small Craft

    Fission Drive Miniaturization: Technical work towards miniaturizing a liquid core fission drive has been possible if consistently problematic. Ensuring that effectively spinning fission fuel can have enough room for operation and adequate separation from the propellant is still a major technical challenge. Theoretical work towards slightly lowering temperatures and increasing mass flow while accepting emissions has been pushed forward but even that is theoretical. Effective launch profiles for rockets less than fifty tons can be made even if current costs make it prohibitive for anything disposable.


    Orbital Industry

    Early Spaceship ISRU: Procedures for the in-space refinement of metals have rapidly been developed to further exportation and increase yields. Next-generation mining techniques in the form of total asteroid capture followed by pulverization and liquefaction under mild centrifugal forces have yielded significant gains in refinement and on-site processing. The next generation of mining ships is expected to entirely incorporate new methods, effectively breaking off chunks of asteroids before capturing them and refining them internally. Water off-gas can be directly utilized for propulsion and life support while more solid elements are left for further refinement, allowing lighter nuclear drives to easily provide sufficient transit reserve.


    Particle Sciences

    MPD Improvements: With the start of construction for new ships, previously experimental techniques in the construction of magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters have effectively gone mainstream. Increasing the charge of the surface and allowing for a tentative protective coat in the flow has massively improved thruster durability for longer burns all while supplying more power. The already fairly efficient drives have been further thermally improved with the integration of superconducting materials on all non-contact components, reducing heat burdens and further power to weight.

    Bomb Pumped X-ray Lasers: Utilizing the fission fragments of a warhead to pump a laser has historically been attempted to consistent yet mediocre results, but with the integration of better lensing material and a slightly more coherent media far better results have been produced. The lasers are still hard to focus and carry forward a minuscule amount of power even compared to a shaped nuclear charge, but they have a far longer range and exist outside of conventional atmospheric limitations. Fissile material use for each laser-specialized warhead is expected to be heavy due to the negligible impact a second stage has on device design, limiting any approach to use a dirty single stage.

    Particle Beam Theories: Nothing prevents the mass scaling of the particle accelerator into a viable orbital weapon system capable of breaking the previous expectations of warship design. Massive linear accelerator designs can be made to accelerate a mass of particles to near relativistic speeds allowing for a massive impulse of radiation to be delivered to any target regardless of previous armoring attempts. The scattering will effectively limit the ranges and the massive capacitor banks required for the generation of the beam have made the system at its lightest a thousand-ton intensely magnetic tube, but it can be developed to a sufficient point to cram into a warship. (35 AE)


    Production Methods

    Advanced Additive Manufacturing: The largest gains in additive manufacturing techniques have not come from the methodologies themselves but from the materials fed into them and their integration into general industries. The manufacturing of specific specialty parts and the ability to rapidly prototype has remained from previous generations of manufacturing, what has changed however has been improvements in feedstock and deposition methods. Utilization of mixed powders has been a near-universal factor with finer grinding and materials that maintain hardness with a minimum degree of hardening prioritized. Using mixed powder high entropy alloy parts can be made to a higher standard than possible with other methods, integrating techniques as mainstream manufacturing methods on a previously unheard-of scale.

    Biological-Epoxies: Complete production chains for biosynthetic epoxies and resins have been developed with only some requirements remaining for molding. The material is not as cheap as conventional regenerative cement construction but it is better insulating and far more portable for logistically challenging areas. Molding is still necessary making the process not truly automated but some proponents of prefabricated resin paneling made in a factory as a light alternative to prefabricated panels especially for external insulation applications. (35 AE)

    12-Hour Moratorium Vote by Plan
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Quick mathpost (not that the math is hard lol but hey just to make it a bit more readable at a glance):
    - Bun Naval Group: 5 (!!!) + 25 = 30
    - Sygner Automotive Group: 27 + 10 = 37
    - Conventional Straight Wing: 49 + 10 = 59
    - Heavy Frigate: 37 + 15 = 52

    And an updated vendetta list:
    - Avalon Industrial Trust: sued us for not picking their garbage IFV
    - Sygner Automotive Group: sued us because their truck didn't work (also their light vehicle might not work either, we'll see)
    - Bun Naval Group: the sub doesn't work either! why does Ricky have to do everything himself!
     
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    Blackstar said:
    []Triple Launch-Ramp Barrels: Rather than increasing orbital industrialization at a massive cost, domestic industry can be leveraged to increase launch mass to orbit. Building a parallel series of barrels for the launch ramp promises to increase launch capacity massively as more and more cargos are shot into orbit. There are still limitations in that there are no methods to make the launch survivable for personnel, but smaller craft can easily be packed full of passengers headed out for their five-year service. The energy issues of climbing out of the atmosphere are not expected to ever really lessen, but local fusion power has already been planned to provide enough energy for the local factories and the ramp itself. (400B Or) (Allows More Than Three Options)
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Does this option allow for more than three options taken this planning period, or does the ramp take 5 years to come online and only apply next Plan?
     
    Here's a breakdown of the three bonus money "Combined Program" options. I did this in notepad so there's a definite risk of errors.

    []Planetary Defense: It is the duty of the military to defend Danann and to that extent, the construction of defenses along with a sprint towards the weaponization of any means we have available will be pursued. The development of a full complex system of orbital defense down to what to arm marines in case of lighter raids as were conducted on the Lirrir and a full-scale fleet combatant must be considered. This would formally build out a modern fleet capable of defending Danann in the orbits, even if it is likely to be swept aside by any opponent the propaganda victory alone is immense. (Close In Orbital Defense Systems, Standardization of Orbital Troops, and Militarized Orbital Destroyer) (600B Or Provided) (Political Support Gain)

    - Close In Orbital Defense Systems 500B
    - Militarized Orbital Destroyer 500B expected
    - Standardization of Orbital Troops 40B expected

    Two remaining orbital picks
    Remaining cost after savings 440B
    No returns
    Near useless static defenses, but political benefits
    I'm not positive how many programs we have open/opening up - I assume at least the two slots for the required options?

    []Accelerated Industrialization: We will not win any war in the near future with superior technical weapon systems or some ideal of high technology. Any war will be won by the sheer quantity of mass that can be assembled into adequate weapon systems and sent at the enemy. To that extent the BFP along with several members of the PPP and PPM are willing to extend significant funding to accelerate orbital industrial buildup. More hulls will provide more mass to throw at the enemy and further industrialization will benefit everyone especially as the army becomes more budget autonomous. (Orbital Manufacturing Plants, Accelerate Lunar Mining, and Outer Planet Colonization Required) (600B Or Provided)

    - Orbital Manufacturing Plants 500B (250B return, reduced orbital costs)
    - Accelerate Lunar Mining 400B (200B return)
    - Outer Planet Colonization 600B (100B return)

    No remaining orbital picks without 400B launch barrel
    Remaining cost after savings 900B
    Anticipated return 550B EDIT1: Pays off the combined cost in the second year, or year 3 not including the free 600B
    Reduced orbital costs, unknown value

    []Orbital Technologies Development: There is a significant group of PPM members and optimists who are convinced that advanced technologies that can be fielded today will be sufficient to deter an alien aggressor. They are almost certainly incorrect but significant sums of funding are on offer for the accelerated development of the techniques with several in the PPM believing them to be key for the further development of the species. The other parties of course do not agree but they are unlikely to have a negative impact. (Ultrapure Crystal Growth, Long Strand CNT Production, and Ignition Facilities Required) (400B Or Provided) (Reduces Prevent Conventional Expansion Penalties)

    - Potentially saves a minimum of 600B + 900k military from the reduced penalties
    - Ultrapure Crystal Growth 400B (50B return, diamondoid for lasers/armor/rockets)
    - Long Strand CNT Production 300B (100B return, CNT options - better radiators with military applications)
    - Ignition Facilities 250B, 100B maintenance (more fusion tech roll, adds drives to roll, immediate roll)

    One remaining orbital pick
    Remaining cost after savings 550B
    Anticipated return 50B after maintenance cost EDIT1: Pays off the combined cost in the eleventh year, or year 19 not including the free 400B
    Potential savings from avoiding expansion

    --------------------

    Personally I like the industrial option best - reduced costs and money are always nice. Longer term it sounds like we'll want the outer planet colony for logistics and for a fleet base that's not in orbit, but given we're just now laying down our first post-war frigates it doesn't seem time sensitive.

    That said, with the tech program we have an open orbital slot so while it would be expensive we could potentially get our orbital manufacturing up as well. If we're comfortable with the potential (reduced) hit for avoiding conventional expansion, the savings there pays for it and might leave us enough money to justify making our existing military happy.
     
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    We need to build at least one small shipyard just to be capable of actually meeting the huge mining fleet target we set, so if we do the orbital industries promise we'll also need the launch ramp + small shipyard which adds another 600B to the price tag. Although that happens to be exactly what the promise gives us, so I suppose one can think of it like taking the industry promise giving us a "free" shipyard and launch ramp while we spend the main budget on spamming mines and factories?
     
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