NationStates Jolt Archive

[Azanian Economic Bloc]
http://www.nationstates.net/images/flags/zambia--80.jpg
[Map]
Solid Red is location of AEB primary base, shaded red is location of nations with AEB offices or facilities nations not controlled by AEB. (http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/2063/aebmap7kb.jpg)

[History/Geography]

AEB was founded as an investment of Multinational corporations in the early 21st Century. Seeking to exploit the rich mineral resources of a destabilized Africa, they formed this nation originally as a joint stock venture. Based on a 'shareholder democracy', the AEB quickly began to rise as a power in the mining industry. Before long, AEB was awarded contracts to African nations for military, energy, and infrastructure projects.

As the years progressed, the AEB began a project to create a massive 'base' in the Indian Ocean, a floating fortress of commerce and trade. Located on the equator several hundred miles offshore of Kenya, AEB finally had a homeland. Soon it became a major hub of trade, and it's location also made it convenient for retreiving the cargo glidepods of their expanding orbital refinery operation (new materials were mere easily refined in zero-g).

[Economy]

The AEB has a massive gambling industry, set up by corporations which use it to support their ventures in other areas. Described by Westerners as 'Las Vegas and Monaco with a dash of Atlantis', the AEB has used copious funds from gambling to support its emergence into the (PMT/FT) realm of space-based projects. Azania has a powerful resources and materials industry, another reason why it has chosen to go to space.

[Major Corporations]

Soly Materials Corporation
The biggest mining corporation in Azania, Soly is extremely powerful, but also constantly under threat by rivals. It backed the winning design for the Hermes One (by Goebbler Aerospace), but has been losing ground as the primarily Denel/Azania United designed Hermes Two series is put into service, which is backed by rival corporations.

TransAfrica
A huge conglomerate, TransAfrica is extremely diversified, but is attempting to ursurp SMC as the leading resources group in Azania. TransAfrica also dabbles in energy (it leads the market in nuclear power), biotech, security, and through a partnership with Denel/Azania United, aerospace and defense.

LLV Corporation
Primarily a biotech corporation, LLV is the main provider of gene-modified crops and pharmaceuticals that has helped pull Africa and other third-world regions out of poverty. Through deals with other corporations involving healthcare, LLV has lucrative profits, and generally keeps its hands the cleanest out of all the other corporations.

Denel/Azania United
An aerospace-defense company, D/AU was formed in a mid 21st century merger. It deals in all types of armarments, though it his hoping to make gains against Goebbler and Siltec Dynamics in the industrial and civilian markets. TransAfrica is betting big on this, initiating several deals involving their energy divisions to finance a new line of automobiles.

Goebbler Aerospace
Primarily an aerospace company as the name implies, Goebbler is a big factor in the Hermes project due to its strong hold in spacecraft design. However, with the market for space defense opening up it is hoping it can defeat D/AU for weapons contracts.

Siltec Dynamics
An industrial and automotive company, Siltec is involved in many aspects of the Azanian economy, though rumor has it Siltec may start a defensive branch.

[Military/Defense]

The AEB and the corporations that control it maintain a small force of professional mercenaries and Private military contractors now loyal to the AEB. The AEB does not maintain any kind of heavy armed force. The most numerous force is the 'Asset Realization/Rapid Deployment Force'. Made up of VTOL based commandos, the AEBRDF is designed to respond quickly to threats against the AEB facilities across Mainland Africa. There is a small airforce, though efforts are being made to increase naval power.

[Technology]

The AEB has a primitive nanotechnolgy industry (enough to refine materials for customers), developed as part of its materials mining. Genetic manipulation is low key, mostly in the fields of crop enhancement to sell to African nations to feed their populations. Powered exoskeletons (think powered armor, not giant robots) are common for miners and the elite AEBRDF. Low-level AI is present, primarily for managing automated factories. The AEB hopes to field a manned spacecraft to prospect the Asteroid belt for mining activities.

Examples:

[A45 Combat Armor]
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/9373/armor1xz.png
Used in limited numbers by the AEBRDF, the A45 is a multithousand piece of equipment. The A45's primary armor consists of ONNEX Battleceramic, while all flexible joints are liquid armor soaked 'Dragonskin' Carbon Boron sheets. The A45 is designed with African desert in mind: everything is heavily dust shielded, and personal environment systems are a standard. Soldiers inside use Enhanced Optic, IR/Thermal and Night Vision sensors to ensure battlefield awareness. The back of the suit contains an 'arm' with a sensor suite attached to it, for looking around corners. Also included are enhanced acoustic sensors. The suit is powered by electromotors and hydraulics, fueled by a bank of hydrogen and rechargeable batteries.

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/2455/gseries2sw.png

[G5 Battle Rifle]
The G5 is an advanced, lightweight assault weapon used by the AEB Security Forces. It is chambered in 7.5x60mm Coilgun ammunition. The weapon has a 2000 RPM burst fire, and a 300 RPM standard auto fire. The rifle is fed by a multi-stack, 100 round bullpup magazine and a power cell for 100 hypervelocity fires of the barrel coils. Larger magazines are availibile for a SAW role. For SAW style firing, the weapon can be clipped into a backpack power supply or a power armor. The weapon has a picanny rail system for various attachments. Extended barrel versions are availible for snipers. The G5 '45 Special' is a favorite version of the A45 suited troops, featuring armor compatbile sensor scopes, an extended barrel, and a larger magazine.

[G2 Battle Rifle]
The non-coilgun original for the G5, the G2 is lighter and shorter, but has similar RPM and features to the G5. The range and power is less than the high-powered coilgun, and a standard magazine carries 50 rounds of 7.5x60mm Combat Rifle rounds, all caseless. The G2 has a designated marksman and squad automatic variants.

[AEB Air Transports]

The AEB uses conventional jet aircraft, however, another favorite is the Ultraheavy airship. Since Azania itself is an artificial island, using these blimps is a cost and space saving measure. Airships can be anywhere from small 100 ton craft to 2000 ton monsters.

OOC: In other words, AEB operates in a late 21st Century+ timeline.

-More to come-

[Aerospacecraft of the AEB]
All images property of me.

--Commercial Vessels--

[The Hermes One]
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/9828/hermesone8xs.png
The Hermes One is designed as a multirole 'prospecting ship' for traveling throughout the solar system. Constructed from some earthside components and Lunar-extracted materials, the Hermes One runs on a nuclear-fusion based deuterium/helium-3 system (correct me if this is unrealistic as I'm a bit new to PMT/early FT propulsion), with extremely long range endurance. It cannot reach the speed of light.

The vessel is designed to be modular, with four-sectioned spine in the middle of the vessel. Each section can carry 4 cargo pods, or one 'wheel' of a centrifugal habitat. Most liquid supplies are carried in a frozen form, and extra storage is located rearwards towards the engine section. It can be transported to the ship's command center at the bow, or to the habitat areas through a Maglev system mounted inside the spine.

The vessel is not designed as a warship: indeed, it carries no weaponry. However, it carries an extensive array of sensors, as the asteroid field where will likely operate as a prospector is rife with dangerous objects. The vessel is similarly only armored to withstand debris impacts and hard radiation. Extendable solar panels can be used to generate energy to supplement the fusion reactor.

The vessel is highly automated, but a large human crew is still necessary. The Hermes One and other vessels it its series is roughly 325 meters in length, making it as large as the Earth's largest freighters.

The primary mission of the Hermes One will be to set up a system to bring asteroids into L4 or L5 for mining and extraction.

[Hermes 2 through ??]
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/1931/transport4lw.png
The new series of Hermes designs began planning after it was found that the Hermes series may need to serve more as a freighter for longer distance operations to the Belt, as well as transporting more machinery or even landing craft for traveling to other planets, the Hermes was redesigned. Keeping the engine system intact, designers opted for a larger habitat ring, with a wider cargo bay. As such, the Hermes Two series has roughly 20,000 cubic meters of cargo space, and masses, at full load, an estimated 70,000 tons +.

Some studies indicate that the Space Force has it's hands in the Hermes 2 Pie; they believe it will be made to be quickly turned into a military transport or possibly a fighter transport. Estimates say the Hermes 2 could carry more than a battalion of troops, with around 12 shuttle-sized landing craft.

[Lifter/Lander]
http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/6705/lifterlander3lz.png
The Lifter-Lander is a unique aircraft, designed to increase the productivity of Azanian Earth-Space Industry. The lifter landers constantly cycle between Earth and Space. They are relatively cheap, nothing more than engines and a reentry-armored cargo hold. They are massive ships, but are actually designed to land in the water around Azania. They can hold massive amounts of cargo, and are the primary method of transferring components to space that cannot be made there.

--Warships--

[SDD-1 Windhoek Class]
http://img279.imageshack.us/img279/4681/destroyer2oc.png
SDD-1 Windhoek with crew habitat extended, in Centrifuge over Earth.

[Design/Accomodations]

The SDD-1 Windhoek is classified as a Destroyer, a multirole vessel serving the AEB Space Force. It is roughly 140 meters long, massing about 10,000 tons on Earth Gravity (estimated, of course. The SDD-1 wouldn't last two seconds in atmosphere!), making it much smaller than the noncombat ships. The reasoning behind this is complex. The AEB cannot afford to operate many ships, and thus speed is of necessity when responding to a combat situation. Furthermore, as a warship it is necessary that the SDD-1 remain manuverable (in zero gravity, less inertia can be beneficial), and much of the massive cargo and passenger space on noncombat vessels like the Hermes is unecessary. The SDD-1 does not maintain a full centrifugal habitat, capable of .3 Earth Gravity at full spin. During combat, these four habitats enclose towards the hull, minimizing profile. Then all crew can be called to combat stations. Inside the ship, the way things are arranged is much different. It seems more like a skyscraper, so that during acceleration gravity is pulling you towards the ground rather than hitting you sideways. Overall, this is much more efficient in combat. In addition to that, the crew all have G-webs for work during manuvering, and special adhesive garments for working during zero or microgravity. There are small cargo bays rearward capable of storing unmanned vehicles or for deploying satellites.

[Sensors]

The SDD-1 relies primarily on its massive phased RADAR arrays, capable of acting in both active, passive, and semi-active (LPI/NPI modes). These have the longest range of detection against objects like missiles and ships. Also included is LIDAR, which is much more effective as a system for targeting once an enemy is acquired via other sensors. Other sensors include thermal cameras, and a specialized electromagnetic array. This can detect the trails of fusion-engines or reactors, as well as ion propulsion from some distance away, as well as nearby masses of magnetically reactive material (good for detection of incoming missiles or KE weapons).

[Powerplant]

The SDD-1 has a pair of fusion reactors that power nuclear fusion engines, with significant stores of deuterium and helium-3. These are the primary tools for acceleration. For adjustment of course and manuvering, smaller thrusters are mounted throughout the length of the ship. For accumulating extra power for more minor systems, solar panels can be unfurled from the rear of the ship.

[Armor]

The SDD-1 uses a heavy composite of space-mined metals, radiation shielding, thermally absorbent armor, and high-KE resistant material to defend itself from a variety of attacks. The SDD-1 does not mount shielding in the conventional sense, instead it relies on EM fields that can scramble the electronics of incoming missiles or slow down low-velocity projectiles. These are only activated when necessary as they increase sensor profile exceptionally. Also included are a variety of antimissile systems (see Weapons). Heavy radiation shielding for use against solar flares also doubles as help against directed energy weapons.

[Weapons]

The primary weapons of the SDD-1 are its missiles. It mounts 12 tubes for Long-Range, antiship missiles along the forward section (missiles to be described sometime later), and 60 tubes for Short-Medium range light interceptor missiles or anti-fighter missiles, along with extra reloads for these smaller weapons.

Also useful against ships are the Mk109 Hypervelocity railguns. Capable of hurling slugs at over 9 km/s at full charge, there are six Mk109 turrets around the ship, each with its own fire control.

Smaller Mk36 Defensive Turrets are placed around the vessel, 8 in all. Each mounts a smaller, faster firing railgun and a High Energy laser for use against fighters and missiles, as well as lightly armored targets.

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/326/destroyer25zh.png
The SDD-1 with centrifugal habitats retracted, ready for battle.

[Rooivalk Heavy Fighter]
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/9563/rooi8tr.png
The Rooivalk or 'Red Falcon' is a heavy fighter, designed for engaging gunboats and sometimes freighters or capital ships. The primary feature of the Rooivalk is its massive central hardpoint, which can carry up to 4 LRFMs (Long Range Fighter Missiles, equivalent to a Medium Range Missile on a Windhoek or other AEB combat ship), or, as pictured, a Mk55 Railgun. Combined with these two hardpoints on the central mount, the Rooivalk has three more hardpoints in pays, one on each side and one in the central bay beyond the external, as well as the possibility of them being used on the wings (the Rooivalk cannot transit with weapons or euipment on the wings). The wings, in space, serve the Rooivalk as manuvering thrusters, helping it turn more quickly. In atmosphere, they actually make it a useful combat support fighter. Due to the Rooivalk's high payload and its ability to sweep its wings outward for a low stall speed, the Rooivalk has even found use as a tank buster in some cases, and it is expected it would help in spaceborne attack. Each standard hardpoint has up to 5,000 pounds of weapons load, though the central hardpoint has a much higher capacity.

Max speed in space is limited only by acceleration. The fighter can accelerate up to 7 G, but is usually kept at 5-6 G. In the atmosphere, its max speed in the lower parts of the atmosphere is around Mach 2, generally, but once its wings are folded back and it reaches high altitude, it can hit up to Mach 8, and then once outside the atmosphere it can reach escape velocity. The fighter uses an aerospike/scramjet engine and a hydrogen rocket for space. Fuel is shared, though the fighter must 'scoop' oxygen before traveling into space. It has a crew of 2.

[Geesvalk Aerospace Superiority Fighter]
http://img304.imageshack.us/img304/3107/aero27ne.png

The Geesvalk or Ghost Falcon is a deadly aircraft, designed by the Azanian Economic Bloc to cut costs by using the fighter as both an atmospheric and a space vessel, with excellent performance in each category. The Geesvalk is extremely stealthy, using both active and passive techniques to decrease its Radar Cross Section and other sensor profiles. All of its weapons are stored in internal bays, up to 4 hardpoints worth, with each hardpoint carrying roughly 5,000 pounds. For armarment against other fighters or light targets, a 25mm coil assisted gunpod is mounted.

In the atmosphere, the maximum speed used is generally Mach 5-6. With less than half load, the fighter can achieve escape velocity in as quickly as two minutes and thirty-nine seconds, however, it generally takes longer than this. If the fighter is over half load, it would have to limit itself to Mach 10 until it got past the thicker areas of atmosphere, and then it could accelerate to full velocity. The fighter can accelerate up to 9Gs in space, but is kept below 7Gs for the pilot, even with the g-web to help him fight blackout. The fighter uses an aerospike/scramjet engine and a hydrogen rocket for space. Fuel is shared, though the fighter must 'scoop' oxygen before traveling into space. Manuverability on the Geesvalk is extremely high both in atmosphere and in space. For atmospheric missions, it has thrust vectoring, which works in space as well, combined with 'smart wings', a hybrid of variable geometry and adaptive surfaces that conform to speed or manuverability. In space, the Geesvalk can use course-correction thrusters on the wings and in the nose to help it turn more quickly.

It has a crew of 1. The pilot can use manual controls and direct neural interface to control the aircraft. Cameras are mounted all around the Geesvalk to ensure that the pilot has a good field of view. Sensors consist of a gallium-nitrade upgraded, long range radar that can cover both the front and back, along with LIDAR, thermal imagers, and EM sensors.

OOC:

Updated statistics for fightercraft and weapons information is availible at the AEB Exports thread.
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=436161

looks good

OOC: I'd give you three thumbs up, but then I've only got two. Would you accept a big toe?

This all reminds me of the kinda stuff I used to make. Perhaps NS has found a new candidate for my old job....

-TCA (Ret.)

OOC: Although I'm not FT, this is an excellent piece of work. Keep it up!

OOC: Very nice. I may have to do something similar.

OOC: Thanks for the comments guys. Next up is crime, updates to the economy, and corporations.