NationStates Jolt Archive

Current Italian Miltiary Projects
1. Joint Main Battle Tank Project (Spain, Iran, Thailand)
2. Taranto class Superlight Patrol Carrier
3. Pantalleria class Destroyer

Current Military Producion Expansion Project
1. Construction of new facilities to enable modular construction of Taranto/Pantelerria Classes

Ships under construction
2 Frigates
2 Destroyers
1 Andrea Doria Class SuperCarrier (3 years)

Secret IC message to Italy-

Please take note:

Universal Israeli Summit (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=471911)

__________

OOC: There's still time to jump in and RP your character arriving. You'll take the empty far bottom left chair.

EDIT: The map has been updated and your country name is beside your seat if you wish to come.

In a ceremony today, the Italian President officially started construction of the new Supercarrier Italia, the ship will carry 80 F-35 Carrier Aircraft and will help guard Italies new empire.

In parrallel with the ceremony, work has also started on three new destroyers and five frigates to help escort this ship in its mission to protect the countries emergeant empire.

In other news work has been completed on the three masssive synthetic oil plants, these will be use coal and methane to produce most of the oil that Italy needs. The additional Carbon Dioxide produced will be channeled into unminable coal seams for safe long-term storage. Methane that is driven off will be captured and used in the factories.

The works in Tunisia were proceeding apace, eighteen massive solar chimney complexes were being erected in the Tunisian desert, sponsered by Italian business, each would produce 250MW of power directly, plus the biomass grown inside each of them would produce enough methane and secondary electrical energy to allow for the mineral oil imports from outside Italy and Tunisia to be cut to zero, infact when coupled with new projects under discussion in the Italian Parliament this would allow the twin governments to become net EXPORTERS of oil, rendering the machinations of the governments in the Middle East totally useless against Italy.
Each of the eighteen chimneys provided thirty thousand reasonably well paid jobs during construction and this would rise to forty thousand during operation. The rates were by Italian standards fairly ordinary but the Italian Office of Statistics suggested that this would give the Tunisians a significant start in their race to bring thier GDP into line with the rest of the nation.

And each of these jobs had a secondary benefit, each of the 540,000 jobs sofar created meant one or maybe even two (if the worker is married) people satisfied with their lives under the regime, this is theory could mean up to a million votes for the Italian Government.

[ooc: this sounds like Australia in Somalia...Tunisia was a stable country until you attacked them...]

SIC to Italy:

Israel supports your occupation of Tunisia.

Construction has begun on a massive canal that will run between Gafsa and the Choff Rharsa depression, this canal will run through the lower tunisian desert and as well as feeding the secondary canals providing a source of seawater to the Solar Chimneys there, it will direct water into the depression, using it to produce hydroelectric power and provide a source of salt for industrial and commercial purposes.
The project will provide eighty thousand construction jobs and will be completed in 2025.

In a ceremony today, the Italian President officially started construction of the new Supercarrier Italia, the ship will carry 80 F-35 Carrier Aircraft and will help guard Italies new empire.

In parrallel with the ceremony, work has also started on three new destroyers and five frigates to help escort this ship in its mission to protect the countries emergeant empire.

In other news work has been completed on the three masssive synthetic oil plants, these will be use coal and methane to produce most of the oil that Italy needs. The additional Carbon Dioxide produced will be channeled into unminable coal seams for safe long-term storage. Methane that is driven off will be captured and used in the factories.
OOC: Italy would more likely be with the UK in the CVF program. I'd stick to just getting a pair of those. A heck of a lot cheaper and you get similar total capability but with greater flexibility. The only reason to build a supercarrier is to challenge the US. This is not a good idea as they can stop your supply of F-35s even before they start coming.

Additionally, Italy doesn't even have the capability to build a supercarrier right now (the UK is having some trouble just with the CVF!), and you'll need years of work to get there. I don't think you can have a commissioned vessel before 2025 with this.

OOC: Im not sure about going for the F-35 any more, i might just develop my own or rebuild the eurofighter to be a carrier aircraft, or even find some F-4s and modernise them.

And my Italy has cut back on social services enorumously since 2006. Its all going to be in the history post when i finally get around to post it

OOC: Even if you don't go with the JSF, you'd still want to go with the CVF if you could (for one thing, it would take half as long). The CVF design is actually rather modular, and does have the capability of supporting a navalized Eurofighter in one variant. France was going to buy one for its Rafales, thanks to the failue of the CdG, but is going with a modified version of the design.

The issue I have here is that you're going far beyond your country's ability with a supercarrier. Italy hasn't built a warship half that displacement in over 65 years RL (the Roma was launched in 1940, though not commissioned until 1942). The UK has already stated predicted problems with building the CVF units because they're so much bigger than any previous warship.
Unless you can't get access to the CVF for political reasons (invasion of Tunisia), you should go that route. Even if you can't get them, you should start with something similar. You just have no capability to build a Nimitz-sized carrier right now.

Actually, you'll find that with the exception of the US, who never stopped building large warships, almost every other nation's attempt to build a larger warship since WWII has been plagued by problems. Clemenceau class, Charles de Gaulle, Kirov class, Kuznetsov, Kiev class, etc. All of them suffered significant delays and numerous problems. It's not easy to make a big ship, especially if you want a genuine warship.

OOC: Theyl be problems, i was planning on having Tunisian attack the shipyard with RPG-7s, or maybe just an accident that costs years.
And i cant get hold of the CVF from the UK or France, maybe i could buy a Forrestal from the US?

Aeronautica Militare announces the Quicksilver Missile

The missile is a new weapon based on a similar concept to the Brimstone ATGM in use by the RAF and is designed to meet the Aeronautica Militare requirement for a long range anti-armour weapon, allowing strike aircraft to attack tanks and armoured vehicles at stand-off range, a capability that the Aeronautica Militare has long desired. The missile contract was awarded to FIAT following a heated contest.

Quicksilver is an extremely lethal system, it is a "fire and forget" weapon and can be programmed to adapt to a particular mission. For example it can be programmed to seek targets between two preprogrammed points and therefore limit friendly fire incidents often common with Independant Seeking Weapons. The resolution offered by the missile's seeker, the millimetric wave (MMW) radar, allows the weapon to "image" a target. Also, the MMW radar is less susceptible to poor weather conditions, smoke or fog than conventional radar.

The weapon can either be carried singally on what are traditionally Air To Air missile hardpoints or be carried on racks of either three or six missiles, themselves carried on conventional ground attack hardpoints.

The first air-launched firing of the Quicksilver Missile was from a Panavia Tornado in September 2010. Full Operational Capability (FOC) aboard the Eurofighter was declared on December 20 2011, clearence for the JSF is due to be granted sometime in the Spring of 2012

Quicksilver missile System

Length: 2.4 m
Diameter: 148 mm
Weight: 74.5 kg
Range: 32 km
Speed: Supersonic
Control: Aerodynamic surfaces on missile
Propulsion: Solid-rocket
Guidance: 94.1 GHz Millimetric wave radar (MMW) and a digital autopilot
Warhead: HEAT tandem warhead (950mm after ERA)
Fuse: Impact Detonation

OOC: Theyl be problems, i was planning on having Tunisian attack the shipyard with RPG-7s, or maybe just an accident that costs years.
And i cant get hold of the CVF from the UK or France, maybe i could buy a Forrestal from the US?
Doubtful. Again, the US would be the single greatest opponent to your plans. The US would first avoid so based on your attacks on Tunisia, and second because they don't want anyone else to have that kind of capability. There's a slim chance they might accept giving the Saratoga (seriously stripped down to provide parts for other ships) or Ranger (in poor condition), but even those aren't too likely.
If you can't get the CVF, a modified Kiev (like the Indians were doing) or a Kuznetsov would be an alternative. You take the basic components but install your own electronics and machinery where possible. It won't be the best, but it will be cheaper and faster than any project you could do on your own.
If you do a base Kuznetsov, you could probably have an operational carrier within six or seven years. A modified one might take up to ten or twelve, but is still faster than you could do otherwise. A modified version won't quite meet your 80+ aircraft goal, but you'll get at least 60 if you tone down the missile armament. Plus, the Ukraine would probably gladly take your offer and actually does have the capability of building the ship on a shorter notice, and while there have been problems with the Kuznetsov design, it's still potentially superior to what you could put together. You might very well be able to get a solid carrier this way for less than $3 billion, I'd say $3.5 billion at the outside.

F4-K Phantom II

General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 63 ft 0 in (19.2 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft 4.5 in (11.7 m)
Height: 16 ft 6 in (5.0 m)
Wing area: 530.0 ft² (49.2 m²)
Fuel capacity: 9,810 Litres in internal tanks
Powerplant: 2× Eurojet EJ2500-NT (larger variant of EF engines) providing 96kN dry and 125kN with afterburners
Performance:
Maximum speed: Mach 2.23, 1,472 mph at 40,000 ft (2,369 km/h at 12,190 m) with full ammunition load
Cruise speed: 585 mph (940 km/h)
Range: 1,315 mi with no external fuel tanks
Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,300 m)
Climb rate: 41,300 ft/min (210 m/s)

Armament
1x 20 mm M61 Vulcan gatling cannon, 639 rounds
Up to 21,585 lb (9,800 kg) of weapons on external hardpoints
9 Main hardpoints each carrying:-
PGM-2000
Rack of two PGM-500
Rack of two AGM-142 Popeye Missiles
Rack of six Quicksilver ATGMs
Generic Ordanance with required connectors
1800 Litre Streamlined Extra Fuel Tanks
Type 1068 25mm Cannon Pods
Rack of Two AGM-65 Maverick Air To Ground missiles
AGM-88 HARM

4 Hardpoints in wing Recesses each carrying:
MDBA Meteor Air To Air Missile
PGM-500
Rack of three Quicksilver ATGMs

4 Hardpoints on Wing Pylons each carrying:-
IRIS-T missile
Quicksilver ATGM

The F-4K was originally planned for release in 2014, but with the international uproar following the attacks on Tunisia, the design was rushed to completion and is now in service with three Squadrons of the Aeronautica Militaire. Two more squadrons are due to be equiped in the next six months, the Italian Government is unwilling to share information after this time.

Due to Italy's continued negligence to pull out from Tunisia, Denmark has decided to enact diplomatic sanctions and officially pulls out all its ambassadors and personnel from Italy. It also advises all Danish citizens to leave Italy immediately.

Italian ambassadors and diplomats, while not expelled, will not be permitted to operate in Denmark any longer.