HOME | DD

Description
The Shen'an-class cruiser, introduced in the Outer Space Alliance Self-Defense Forces in 1372 p.D.A., represented an innovative new step in mid-range warship design. Previously, most warships have had to make sacrifices in either armor, range or weaponry in order to fill a certain niche in a space fleet battlegroup. Heavy arms and armor sacrificed acceleration, powerful engines necessitied more space for fuel thus less space for ammunition and armor, and with too many big guns the armor would have to be scaled back in order to even move. However, thanks to lessons learned in the First Pan-Galactic War with the Astral Empire, the OSA would develop a brand new type of warship to bridge the gap between fast-moving scout craft and megaton-range behemoths.

The Shen'an-class, designed by MPU Defense & Logistics and manufactured at the Tuchon Orbital Shipyards, introduced several brand new innovations in warship design. Most prominent of which are the ion/pulse reaction engines, two mounted on nacelles on port and starboard side pointing both forwards and aftwards. These engines have 24 nuclear pulse thrusters mounted in a concentric ring inside the nozzle, each generating a small nuclear-powered pulse in quick succession, allowing the ship to accelerate and decelerate at up to 34g/s. When at speed, however, propulsion shifts to the center-mounted electric ion engine, which generates a steady acceleration/deceleration of 6g/s, giving the Shen'an-class never-before seen operational range capabilities up to 200 au.

The second innovation is impact reaction foam. Lining the outer layer of the hull, this foam is designed to absorb impacts from kinetic penetrator rounds, diluting the shockwave from traveling through the ship. The foam reacts to vacuum caused by breaches, expands and fills the holes, keeping the atmosphere contained. Thanks to this foam, the Shen'an-class has considerably less mass than other ships of its size without sacrificing armor.

The third innovation designed for the Shen'an is the radiation dazzler. The primary method of detecting and tracking hostile ships is by locking on to their distinct radiation trail, generated by engine thrust and heat radiators. The Shen'an's new radiator fins can temporarily boost their radiation output, completely engulfing the ship and nearby space not to disappear, but to conceal itself in a cloud of radiation much larger than the ship itself. This lets the ship mask its true speed, heading and distance, confusing hostile targeting systems.

Because of the wide-reaching innovations made with this design, one can say the Shen'an started a brand new era of space warships. Entire doctrines changed to facilitate this new, mid-range ship type, and warship denonimation changed to "pre-Shen'an" and "post-Shen'an" designs, with pre-Shen'an quickly becoming obsolete. The Shen'an-class herself has seen widespread adoption with the Outer Space Alliance, with over 1000 ships produced and numerous upgrades and sub-classes. The Shen'an remains a mainstay in any Alliance battlegroup, even after 30 years of service.

Technical specifications:

* Production line: Shen'an-class
* Ship type: midrange linebacker/medium cruiser
* Designers: MPU Defense & Logistics
* Builders: Tuchon Orbital Shipyards
* Displacement: 316 kilotons
* Length: 515 m
* Breadth: 310 m
* Height: 305 m
* Propulsion: 4x RS4890 ion/pulse reaction engines, 14x 25-KS reaction control thrusters
* Powerplant: 1x M900-series 24000MW stellarator
* Acceleration: 34g/s max, 6g/s cruise
* Thermal control: 4x 100 m 250kW radiator fins, 1x 30 kJ internal heat sink
* Range: 200 au (independent), unlimited (battlegroup)
* Complement: 74 officers, 620 enlisted
* Armament: 5x 12-tonner magnetic accelerator cannons, 14x 6-tonner anti-ship cannons, 36x 26-pdr anti-fighter guns
* Defense: 8 m thick graphene-lined titanium armor, 2 m thick impact reaction foam, 75000 gauss magnetic shield
* Electronic warfare suite: radiation dazzler, 30 decoy buoys
* Fighter complement: 6x Mitsunda-Auren S/FR-50 Starmaster-class reconnaissance interceptors, 4x Iondyne BR-200 Firepath-class interdictors, 2x Iondyne CP-74 Hounder-class transport shuttles

Description
The Shen'an-class cruiser, introduced in the Outer Space Alliance Self-Defense Forces in 1372 p.D.A., represented an innovative new step in mid-range warship design. Previously, most warships have had to make sacrifices in either armor, range or weaponry in order to fill a certain niche in a space fleet battlegroup. Heavy arms and armor sacrificed acceleration, powerful engines necessitied more space for fuel thus less space for ammunition and armor, and with too many big guns the armor would have to be scaled back in order to even move. However, thanks to lessons learned in the First Pan-Galactic War with the Astral Empire, the OSA would develop a brand new type of warship to bridge the gap between fast-moving scout craft and megaton-range behemoths.

The Shen'an-class, designed by MPU Defense & Logistics and manufactured at the Tuchon Orbital Shipyards, introduced several brand new innovations in warship design. Most prominent of which are the ion/pulse reaction engines, two mounted on nacelles on port and starboard side pointing both forwards and aftwards. These engines have 24 nuclear pulse thrusters mounted in a concentric ring inside the nozzle, each generating a small nuclear-powered pulse in quick succession, allowing the ship to accelerate and decelerate at up to 34g/s. When at speed, however, propulsion shifts to the center-mounted electric ion engine, which generates a steady acceleration/deceleration of 6g/s, giving the Shen'an-class never-before seen operational range capabilities up to 200 au.

The second innovation is impact reaction foam. Lining the outer layer of the hull, this foam is designed to absorb impacts from kinetic penetrator rounds, diluting the shockwave from traveling through the ship. The foam reacts to vacuum caused by breaches, expands and fills the holes, keeping the atmosphere contained. Thanks to this foam, the Shen'an-class has considerably less mass than other ships of its size without sacrificing armor.

The third innovation designed for the Shen'an is the radiation dazzler. The primary method of detecting and tracking hostile ships is by locking on to their distinct radiation trail, generated by engine thrust and heat radiators. The Shen'an's new radiator fins can temporarily boost their radiation output, completely engulfing the ship and nearby space not to disappear, but to conceal itself in a cloud of radiation much larger than the ship itself. This lets the ship mask its true speed, heading and distance, confusing hostile targeting systems.

Because of the wide-reaching innovations made with this design, one can say the Shen'an started a brand new era of space warships. Entire doctrines changed to facilitate this new, mid-range ship type, and warship denonimation changed to "pre-Shen'an" and "post-Shen'an" designs, with pre-Shen'an quickly becoming obsolete. The Shen'an-class herself has seen widespread adoption with the Outer Space Alliance, with over 1000 ships produced and numerous upgrades and sub-classes. The Shen'an remains a mainstay in any Alliance battlegroup, even after 30 years of service.

Technical specifications:

* Production line: Shen'an-class
* Ship type: midrange linebacker/medium cruiser
* Designers: MPU Defense & Logistics
* Builders: Tuchon Orbital Shipyards
* Displacement: 316 kilotons
* Length: 515 m
* Breadth: 310 m
* Height: 305 m
* Propulsion: 4x RS4890 ion/pulse reaction engines, 14x 25-KS reaction control thrusters
* Powerplant: 1x M900-series 24000MW stellarator
* Acceleration: 34g/s max, 6g/s cruise
* Thermal control: 4x 100 m 250kW radiator fins, 1x 30 kJ internal heat sink
* Range: 200 au (independent), unlimited (battlegroup)
* Complement: 74 officers, 620 enlisted
* Armament: 5x 12-tonner magnetic accelerator cannons, 14x 6-tonner anti-ship cannons, 36x 26-pdr anti-fighter guns
* Defense: 8 m thick graphene-lined titanium armor, 2 m thick impact reaction foam, 75000 gauss magnetic shield
* Electronic warfare suite: radiation dazzler, 30 decoy buoys
* Fighter complement: 6x Mitsunda-Auren S/FR-50 Starmaster-class reconnaissance interceptors, 4x Iondyne BR-200 Firepath-class interdictors, 2x Iondyne CP-74 Hounder-class transport shuttles