Re: Smaller Nations' ship and fleet designs

Phillip Atcliffe wrote:
> 
> With OU troops now available, my mind inevitably drifts to a related
question:
> what about OU _starships_? And, for that matter, the ships of the
other smaller
> human powers -- the PAU, IC, IF, LLAR, FCT, RH, the Dutch, etc. What
do
> _they_ use for ships? Do they have their own, or do they get them from
the big
> 4?

> Of course, all that assumes that the little guys buy their ships
rather than build
> their own. What then, both in terms of FT stats and visually, might an
OU
> starship be like (no jokes about 'roos, kiwis and boomerangs, please
-- I think
> I've heard them all already)? Or a ship from any of the other small
human
> powers?

Good question. Here's a suggestion based on what's the situation at the
moment.

Australia has a mix of US DDGs and FFGs, and is now building a
German-designed FFG and a Swedish-designed Submarine.
The internals of the US boats ended up being quite different. Basically,
they had a Combat System more like the one on US CGNs than mere DDGs.
Similarly - and if they ever get it right - the Collins class sub should
have electronics vastly superior to US SSNs, about on a par with the
very latest Israeli and Swedish SSs. (I happen to have worked on the
above, so know what I'm talking about).

Translating this to FT terms....

Older and larger ships - Large Cruisers - COULD be based on the US/Brit
stuff. Just upgrade Bs to As, or upgrade shields. Perhaps add some NSL
parts to an otherwise standard model...

Smaller stuff would be European (NSL or FSE) and probably
stock-standard.
  
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