Workspace:UNSC Fleet Modernization

Project page covering UNSC fleet modernization late-war to post-war (not all of which may be formally consolidated under a single program).

Naming

 * Three Pillars Act - directly aimed at rectifying the three most pressing issues to the UNSC Navy; fleet strength, doctrine, and logistical support
 * Naval Act of 2555? - Outlines the fleet size and composition goals for the UNSC Navy and orbital Aerospace Force assets.

Overall notes

 * Consolidation of individual ship/fleet modernization initiative(s) to bring together disparate projects during the war to streamline bureaucracy and kill non-useful programs + see what was salvageable?


 * Economics and budgeting - while defense remains important, the UNSC is winding down from war footing, with more funds being diverted to civilian reconstruction, and so can't modernize everything at once.


 * While the war is over, UNSC demobilization doesn't happen overnight, instead lasting around 2-3 years; Brute loyalists and other hostile factions still prowl the human sphere, and some UEG politicians (and UNSC officers) don't even consider the war as having ended until around 2555 or so (which contributes to the UEG losing much of its interstellar power)


 * Which older (or war-era) ships could be refit and in what ways? (Admiralty politics and compromises might play into less-effective solutions like refits as opposed to just making new ships)
 * I'm seeing most of those refits as less ambitious upgrades to ship classes that can still do their job (most of which would likely be war-era ones); and those ships largely being slotted into auxiliary roles like anti-piracy actions rather than clashes between large fleets of dedicated warships, which won't be at the forefront in the post-war era anyway.


 * There is considerable debate about whenever the UNSC should rebuild naval centers or shift towards a more mobile fleet structure (i.e. should the base come to them). This isn't addressed at first, so the ships assigned to the interior of Human Space operate a lot less flexibly than those on the outskirts.
 * Over time, the preference does shift toward mobility and decentralization (largely due to the demonstrated ineffectiveness of bases during the war, and the tactics of the Covenant)


 * ONI's main concern is the possible return of the Covenant, so they want to establish a network of bunkers, emergency command/support stations, FTL-based early-warning stations and outposts, etc throughout Human Space. This becomes less tenable as the UNSC's success at reclaiming former colonies from Covenant remnants reaches its peak.


 * There may be a push for the UNSC Navy to found a civilian support fleet as a way to retain funding that would otherwise go to rebuilding projects. This would give them a new fleet of dedicated logistical vessels that they can call upon in wartime.
 * Naval auxiliary elements?
 * The status of pre-war non-military elements of the UNSC, such as the Commercial Fleet, isn't great by 2553, as most funding went to full-fledged combat ships during the war. In addition, as the UNSC is forced to streamline its organization from the all-encompassing military juggernaut it was during the war, it'll also let go of many of the civilian institutions it once absorbed (e.g. the Colonial Authority), with those functions being taken up by the UEG, the Phoenix Initiative, or affiliated private ventures.


 * There is a clear incentive that UNSC naval groups need to do more with less. UNSC fleet units are roughly half the size of their Insurrection-era predecessors, and with the demobilisation, their manpower significantly tanks.


 * May introduce a subrank of O-6 'Commodore' here, while also adding a ship-command subrank to O-7 (used only for supermassive ships). Not really sure.

Contractors and facilities

 * Status of remaining shipbuilding companies and their assets? Big ones like Reyes-McLees and SinoViet took a major hit with Reach & Mars. Maybe this could lead to some smaller players becoming more prominent?
 * 2552 Shipbuilding Crisis - Reyes-McLees and a number of companies are bailed out by the UEG (the UNSC is more likely to be the main party responsible in this case, since 2552-2553-era UEG remains pretty ineffectual).


 * The UNSC contracted out companies to develop new drydock facilities aimed at resiliency.
 * SinoViet favoured the construction of small, hyperspecialised stations that can be towed by capital ships through slipspace and be quickly set up at any location. The frigate drydocks (not Anchor 9) seen in Halo: Reach are one example, devoted to final assembly of frigates, corvettes, and destroyers. Allows SinoViet to rapidly reestablish their facilities in the aftermath of the HCW.
 * Reyes-McLees favoured a mobile shipyard fleet, constructing factory ships and drydock ships that can fabricate ships independent of established infrastructure. This allowed them to survive even when their primary facilities were destroyed. May have been tied into an exodus fleet initiative (our version of Project OUROBOROS)?
 * A third concept was trying to refit existing stations with slipspace drives. Fails due to the stations not having the structural integrity to survive entry and reentry.


 * A few yards survive over Mars and the Jovian Moons, though most were wrecked in the Battle for Earth. Tribute also lost most of its facilities during the battles for Epsilon Eridani.
 * The Jovian Superheavy Drydock over Io (or Callisto? Mainly thinking in terms of the intense radiation bombardment Io gets, plus Callisto being higher up the gravity well ) in particular is damaged beyond repair.


 * Neos Atlantis is where the UNSC focuses a lot of development, but future efforts may attempt to be less centralized in general. Toward the end of the war, the Navy's AIs began to see an invasion of Earth as an increasingly likely scenario, leading to an exodus of military industry away from SolCore, and away from the Covenant.
 * Naval AIs do quite a bit of planning and strategizing in the background


 * Several other planets are funded for reconstruction, but maybe they are delayed due to politics. Outside of Neos Atlantis and maybe one-or-two other planets, government-funded industrial centres may develop slowly compared to corporate worlds (at least in the short-term).
 * The Epsilon Eridani colonies undergo reconstruction projects, but at least Reach will take decades if not centuries to reclaim; Tribute (or its orbital docks) may be reclaimable sooner. Maybe operations could expand in the system's asteroid belts, especially the outer one since it was just starting to be exploited beforehand - stuff at Tantalus?
 * At least a couple of the industrial/mining centers in the Atlas Moons are prioritized for reconstruction
 * The Swarm houses some secondary shipyards that get expanded a bit in the post-war era
 * New Constantinople becoming somewhat importance after it recovers (c. '60s-'70s)?
 * New Jerusalem/Cygnus could also have secondary shipyards
 * The world of New Reach in the Cygnus Verge will become a moderately important military center around the mid-to-late 2560s, and will likely house some military industries.


 * Exploring the concept of a Sangheili company that has significant investments in Human Space (basically Raxs will be leading it). This leads to the introduction of Covenant technologies into the civilian industry, although there is limited access to the technical side of them. (dealings with Gilgamesh or the Via Casilina Community, maybe?)

Tech

 * A lot of this stuff was already under research during the war, or was even partly implemented, but it's not until the '60s that these patchwork advances can be consolidated.


 * The UNSC does have a few Huragok at their disposal (Vergil/Quick to Adjust + the ones from the Gettysburg + potentially others). However, while good at fixing things, they aren't magical insta-supertech buttons like in Kilo-Five (e.g. they can't turn metal transparent, or just make miniature slipspace drives like that). But they might be useful in syncretizing some instances of Covenant and UNSC tech.


 * Materials science and improvements in superstructure construction (lessons from the Halcyon's honeycomb bracing, albeit implemented in a lighter, more cost-effective way thanks to new materials and construction techniques)


 * Power - stuff like the new reactor architecture implemented on the refit Autumn
 * War-era advances in fusion engine design -- potentially to do with moving the reaction further outside the hull, thus decreasing heat buildup (4th-gen fusion engines)
 * Plus power transmission - improved superconducting materials. Power and power transmission (plus UNSC materials science and large-scale manufacturing infrastructure still dragging behind the Covenant's) are some of the largest obstacles for adopting all-out plasma weapons for a while


 * Increased automation with manpower loss (though automation was already pretty extensive with AI and whatnot)


 * By the 2580s, experimental ship types may have plasma lances - the UNSC is likely to go straight for plasma lances/"scalpels" over torpedoes given Cortana's observations in FS.
 * Physical plasma missiles are another matter and may actually be more useful for a while as they require much less power; since the UNSC already had plasma-based warheads during the war, they might pursue this avenue of R&D over all-out plasma weaponry for some time.


 * Next-generation refractive hull coatings. Descended from superconducting heat radiator materials and based on the same principles as the MJOLNIR's iridescent surface coating; designed to disperse directed-energy attacks (especially lasers) more effectively than conventional armor. Usually augmented by additional heat-distribution underlayers pioneered during the war.


 * Hull materials derived from Covenant nanolaminate composites. Mostly a later thing since the UNSC initially lacks the Covenant-sourced manufacturing lines that make the stuff (it could potentially see very limited deployment by the 2580s, perhaps sourced from Concord-based polities under some highly specific tech-sharing deals). Initially only applied on select ablative hull plates - in the early days, the material is sourced directly from Covenant ship hulls, being cut out in decent-sized chunks and bolted onto human ships.


 * Various countermeasures; ablative armor, chaff screens, etc. (there's been a general shift in armor during the war from protecting against ballistic projectiles to DEW strikes)


 * Localized EM disruptor arrays are mostly used in lieu of shielding, though some ships may begin to receive limited shields; full shields are possible but not cost-effective for the postwar UNSC in most cases, and would represent too much of a power drain; the EM shunts are a more energy-efficient precision solution that exemplifies the UNSC's strengths of optimization and use of AI automation, which is required to calculate the electromagnetic gradients in fractions of a second to precisely intercept torpedoes.
 * Visually, these take the form of dishes or plates jutting out of a ship's hull.
 * Though prototypes have existed for some time, these start becoming viable around the later half of the 2550s. By the 2580s, the tech has advanced considerably in terms of miniaturization and effectiveness (e.g. increasing the range they can intercept torpedoes in)


 * Modern antigravity as standard on new vessels; even during the war, not all ships (even smaller ones like frigates) were equipped with AG suspensor field generators by default.


 * Less power-intensive and more flexible Covenant-based next-gen paragravity technology becomes standard at some later point


 * Outside the formal modernization program, I like the idea of unique frankenships patched up and upgraded (with both human and Covenant tech) to the point they barely resemble the classes they were originally built as, serving well into the post-war era up to the 2570s.

Layout changes

 * Bridge location. Keyes' comments in TFoR implied that open, windowed bridges such as that of the Autumn are the exception rather than the rule. While TFoR is dubious as a source for minutiae like this due to its age (and we do later see most UNSC ships with similarly exposed bridges) it could be recontextualized as an older doctrine, a holdover from a more romanticized era of space travel that started getting phased out during the war (partly out of pragmatism and the example of the Covenant), leading to most war-era and post-war ship designs burying their bridges deep within the hull; external secondary bridges and observation decks can still definitely exist, however.
 * It does bear noting that there's some precedent for the bridges not necessarily being where we think they are. In H3, the Arbiter, despite making it to a decidedly IAC-like bridge on the FUD, can't be where the bridge seems to be on the frigate since it would've been left in the aft section. So either the Charons have a secondary bridge somewhere in the fore, or the thing at the top with windows is more like an observation deck.

Timeline
The process is largely dominated by stopgap solutions until the 2560s. Most newer technologies are implemented from the mid-2560s onwards.

Joint R&D and tech sharing with Concord in the 2560s-2570s -- bridge-building projects like a UNSC-post-Covenant hybrid ship (think SSV Normandy)?

Classes/roles

 * Durendal-class heavy cruiser: proper Marathon-class replacement; commissioned around the mid-2560s, launch circa the early 2570s.
 * Design: maintains basic design cues from the Marathon but has more "modern" features - e.g. more "angled" bits, proto-shield emitters, and the opalescent sheen of UNSC-sourced nanolam derivatives


 * Aurvandil-class light cruiser
 * Class could either be EWAR-oriented by default, or has an electronic/cyberwarfare variant. New innovations in AI intrusion warfare?
 * Design: influences from standard SinoViet frigate design or even Halberd-class destroyer's angled panels?
 * Possibly a variant of this retooled to carrying prowlers? The Artemis-class would be starting to get long in the tooth by the 2560s


 * High-speed "slipspace tugs" designed to pull lesser vessels through slipspace? (though this role could be assumed by any ship equipped with a modern drive, likely capital ones)
 * Icarus-class translight ferry: Manufactured by Reyes-McLees Corporation, sub-kilometre flat box that is extremely-solidly built. Has four fusion drives used on heavy capital ships, which gives this rather-light ship incredible subspace and slipspace speed. Rated at carrying two capital ships and either 4 escorts or 8 corvettes. May also be a ship that carries spare parts/consumables? Armed mainly with point defense guns and a token M58 Archer complement, with light armour. May have been sold to the UNSC Commercial Fleet merchantmen when they were decommissioned. ?
 * Interceptor-class translight tug: Autonomous/semi-autonomous ~200 metre vessels to be used in huge numbers, these incorporate a powerful fusion drive and the smallest CODEN-VI slipspace drive to-date. Multiple ships dock onto a target and use an AI network to synchronise their slipspace calculations; speed is limited only by the number of ships attached to a vessel. First models were fairly short-ranged and required a carrier; later models improved on this either through adopting Sangheili reactor designs, or lengthened themselves to increase fuel stores. ?


 * High-speed, small logistical ship designed to tow a cargo pod behind it, allowing it to conduct everything from patchwork repairs, rearming, and consumables replenishment.


 * New prowler replenishment ship, possibly doubles as a small stealth carrier.
 * Penumbra-class prowler tender: ~500 meters with a rather light design, co-developed with new chameoflage cargo pods. Can tow one prowler or two subprowler models upon introduction, but this feature was removed when next-generation prowlers entered service. Primary engines are underpowered, as it is designed to use pre-fuelled 'slipspace rocket' pods to increase speed at FTL, and to use gravity-assist for movement. Has long ventral hangar used for carrying cargo, but can be easily adapted to carry drones and fighters. Although poorly armed and armoured, since it is supposed to be a resupply vessel, it may be able to launch onboard nuclear missiles, mines, etc in emergencies. ?


 * Menachite-class battlecruiser: A new battlecruiser class to succeed the Artemis-class; this ship needs to still be fast, but there's now an increased demand for more survivability.


 * Xiphias-class: Possibly a drone ship that has a limited reactor but oversized shields, armament, and engines to compensate, requiring specialisation based on the scenario it is in? Definitely an experimental ship.


 * A new 'flotilla leader' destroyer, as command ships will be in high demand, and capital ship numbers will not be up there to meet it
 * Captain-class destroyer leader: Adapted from the Hyperion-class destroyer, it is longer and wider to incorporate an armoured box for the flag deck and sensitive communications equipment. Has an extra fusion drive, additional armour, and more countermeasures (anti-air defenses + ECM jammers). Becomes considerably more popular as the nu-UNSC Navy matures due to parts compatibility with their destroyers. ?


 * Supercarrier/superbattleship/superdestroyer designs probably float around everywhere in response to the sheer size of Covenant capital ships, although if they exist, they will only be used to protect human space. Act as a deterrent against a HCW 2: electric boogaloo invasion.
 * Laniakea-class? Could be a bit like the Infinity, in the sense that there's maybe one or two at most of them, and they might have other shortcomings - e.g. costs and maintenance


 * Torres Vedras-class orbital weapon platform: upgraded ODP design. Power innovations, improved point defenses (boarding craft!), and automation. Possibly also shielding or proto-shields. MAC gun upgrades may be more incremental. Based visually on the Torres Vedras MAC platform from the early Halo 2 storyboards. 2570s-era? Might have a fatal flaw or more that Jul is able to exploit.

Design notes

 * More unconventional designs, e.g. a light cruiser that takes design cues from frigate or corvette designs?
 * Naval coilguns become the go-to secondary naval weapons, missile complements are drastically scaled back because of their vulnerability to point defenses.
 * Starships now need to be careful with their weapon placement, as any gap in their fields of fire can now be safely exploited by opponents.
 * Ships with large NCG complements may be encouraged to use the heaviest missiles possible to make up for their reduced numbers. Maybe missile frigates can still provide the overwhelming swarm needed to allow them to get through, giving HCW vessels a new lease on life?
 * Armor may not be deemed practical due to the need for speed and maneuverability - a considerable focus is placed on using overwhelming force against even small Covenant units

Potential names
(HCW-era battles?)


 * Iapetus-class