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Description

This is the completed Sword-class Cruiser, EAS Zweihander, in the altered colour scheme brought in for the Gaim Skirmishes. The standard blue of the Earth Alliance was replaced with green to intimidate the Gaim, who see it as a symbol of death, in an attempt to force them to back down with minimal force.

Overview;
In the wake of the Minbari War, Earthforce found itself badly in need of new ships. The older Hyperions and Novas that had made up the main hitting force of its naval component had been proven to be fatally flawed during the War, as the sophisticated Minbari fire-control and stealth systems ensured they dominated long-range combat, and allowed them the upper hand at close-range. With all that in mind, the Earthforce, in the middle of deploying freshly built Myrmidon-class LCV's and Aurora Starfuries to hold off opportunistic alien races such as the Narn and Ch'Lonas, instituted two separate programmes. The first was a long-term solution, Project Fireborn, aimed at creating a new breed of human warships that could equal the formidable Sharlin cruisers of the Minbari, and was aimed for completion somewhere in the late 2250's to the mid 2260's. The second was the REFORGE Programme. REFORGE aimed at enhancing the capabilities of Earthforce in as short a time as possible without requiring significant redesigning. The very first product of REFORGE was the Sword-class. With the initial hull launched in June 2248, testing began later that year. The intent of the Sword-class was to couple the low unit cost and reputation of the Hyperion with a superior weapons outfit, as well as an enhanced sensor package.

In contrast to the development of previous Earth Alliance warships, the Sword followed the principle of 'less is more' in regards to the offensive area. Replacing the six turreted pulse cannons were just three much heavier plasma pulse cannons. While these could not aim 'up' like their predecessors, the far increased damage potential and range were deemed worth it. The prow particle cannons were also stripped out to help reduce the burden on the ship's reactor. The ten MkI DGEP were replaced with twelve of the new MkII's, which had the bonus of being able to be used in an anti-shipping role at close range. Aside from the weapons refit, the greatest difference between the Hyperion and the Sword is the remodelling of the aft superstructure. The 'girders', (actually structural reinforcement members designed to reinforce the aft hull without compromising fighting agility), were still a weak point, with many Hyperions being torn in two, whether by the neutron beams of a Sharlin or glancing hits shearing it in two by sheer inertia. The remodelling saw additional members attached, with the intent of forcing an enemy to saw completely through the ship before crippling it again. In addition, the on-board Starfury bays were removed. The weakness of the standard human fighter versus the superior Minbari Nials resulted in a decision not to unnecessarily risk lives, at least until Project Fireborn came up with a superior or equivalent fighter, a decision which resulted in the extensive provision of the MkII DGEP's to the Sword-class.

However, there were other, not so visible considerations. Among these was the provision of the E-Web, an device that although bearing no relation beyond a superficial appearance to the forcefields beloved of science-fiction writers, had a remarkably similar effect. In addition, an enhanced sensor suite was included in the area of the hull that had formerly houses Starfury bays, allowing the ship to take advantage of the much-longer effective range of the PPC's. However, Earthforce knew that the Sword, even improved as it was, could not hold its own against any Sharlin without some overwhelming advantage but deciding it would be unwise to let this become public knowledge, persisted in advertising the Sword as being the panacea for all of the Earth Alliance's ills. The end product of this however is the REFORGE Programme's attempt to find a new anti-Sharlin weapon, which new doctrines being wargamed out at the Mars Strategy Academy see as the core of a squadron of Sword-class cruisers. The end result was an almost typically human product. An all-round cruiser, suited to independent action, long-distance patrols, and escorting heavier warships into battle, the Sword-class was to be the face of the new Earthforce. The EAS Sword was officially launched on January 1st, 2250. Within weeks, it had already seen action, assisting a stranded cargo ship before going on to repel a Narn raiding force that had mustered to attack the Orion Colony, with the EAS Sword crippling the G'quan-class flagship of the raiders with its first broadside. The one weakness of the design is the lack of any on-board capacity for Marines, with most of the freed-up space being turned over for supply use and additional power routing cables for the enhanced demand of the guns.

Class: Cruiser
In-Service Date: June 2248-present
Role: General-Purpose/Patrol/Escort
Length: 1025.39 metres
Crew: Two-hundred, eighty-four (284x)
Endurance: Sixteen (16x) months cruising time. (Crew must be rotated off-ship every six months minimum to avoid Gravitational Imbalance Disorder)
Armament:
- Three (3x) Westinghouse M152 Plasma Pulse Cannons
Defences:
- Twelve (12x) Walther-Copeland WRX 1028 Light Pulse Cannons
- 0.5M-1M armoured hull (AEGIS Composite Armour)
- E-Web Passive Protection System
Ships in service: Sword, Spear, Mace, Zweihander, Bombard, Stiletto, Cudgel, Flail, Morningstar

Now updated to match the style of my later work.

Description

This is the completed Sword-class Cruiser, EAS Zweihander, in the altered colour scheme brought in for the Gaim Skirmishes. The standard blue of the Earth Alliance was replaced with green to intimidate the Gaim, who see it as a symbol of death, in an attempt to force them to back down with minimal force.

Overview;
In the wake of the Minbari War, Earthforce found itself badly in need of new ships. The older Hyperions and Novas that had made up the main hitting force of its naval component had been proven to be fatally flawed during the War, as the sophisticated Minbari fire-control and stealth systems ensured they dominated long-range combat, and allowed them the upper hand at close-range. With all that in mind, the Earthforce, in the middle of deploying freshly built Myrmidon-class LCV's and Aurora Starfuries to hold off opportunistic alien races such as the Narn and Ch'Lonas, instituted two separate programmes. The first was a long-term solution, Project Fireborn, aimed at creating a new breed of human warships that could equal the formidable Sharlin cruisers of the Minbari, and was aimed for completion somewhere in the late 2250's to the mid 2260's. The second was the REFORGE Programme. REFORGE aimed at enhancing the capabilities of Earthforce in as short a time as possible without requiring significant redesigning. The very first product of REFORGE was the Sword-class. With the initial hull launched in June 2248, testing began later that year. The intent of the Sword-class was to couple the low unit cost and reputation of the Hyperion with a superior weapons outfit, as well as an enhanced sensor package.

In contrast to the development of previous Earth Alliance warships, the Sword followed the principle of 'less is more' in regards to the offensive area. Replacing the six turreted pulse cannons were just three much heavier plasma pulse cannons. While these could not aim 'up' like their predecessors, the far increased damage potential and range were deemed worth it. The prow particle cannons were also stripped out to help reduce the burden on the ship's reactor. The ten MkI DGEP were replaced with twelve of the new MkII's, which had the bonus of being able to be used in an anti-shipping role at close range. Aside from the weapons refit, the greatest difference between the Hyperion and the Sword is the remodelling of the aft superstructure. The 'girders', (actually structural reinforcement members designed to reinforce the aft hull without compromising fighting agility), were still a weak point, with many Hyperions being torn in two, whether by the neutron beams of a Sharlin or glancing hits shearing it in two by sheer inertia. The remodelling saw additional members attached, with the intent of forcing an enemy to saw completely through the ship before crippling it again. In addition, the on-board Starfury bays were removed. The weakness of the standard human fighter versus the superior Minbari Nials resulted in a decision not to unnecessarily risk lives, at least until Project Fireborn came up with a superior or equivalent fighter, a decision which resulted in the extensive provision of the MkII DGEP's to the Sword-class.

However, there were other, not so visible considerations. Among these was the provision of the E-Web, an device that although bearing no relation beyond a superficial appearance to the forcefields beloved of science-fiction writers, had a remarkably similar effect. In addition, an enhanced sensor suite was included in the area of the hull that had formerly houses Starfury bays, allowing the ship to take advantage of the much-longer effective range of the PPC's. However, Earthforce knew that the Sword, even improved as it was, could not hold its own against any Sharlin without some overwhelming advantage but deciding it would be unwise to let this become public knowledge, persisted in advertising the Sword as being the panacea for all of the Earth Alliance's ills. The end product of this however is the REFORGE Programme's attempt to find a new anti-Sharlin weapon, which new doctrines being wargamed out at the Mars Strategy Academy see as the core of a squadron of Sword-class cruisers. The end result was an almost typically human product. An all-round cruiser, suited to independent action, long-distance patrols, and escorting heavier warships into battle, the Sword-class was to be the face of the new Earthforce. The EAS Sword was officially launched on January 1st, 2250. Within weeks, it had already seen action, assisting a stranded cargo ship before going on to repel a Narn raiding force that had mustered to attack the Orion Colony, with the EAS Sword crippling the G'quan-class flagship of the raiders with its first broadside. The one weakness of the design is the lack of any on-board capacity for Marines, with most of the freed-up space being turned over for supply use and additional power routing cables for the enhanced demand of the guns.

Class: Cruiser
In-Service Date: June 2248-present
Role: General-Purpose/Patrol/Escort
Length: 1025.39 metres
Crew: Two-hundred, eighty-four (284x)
Endurance: Sixteen (16x) months cruising time. (Crew must be rotated off-ship every six months minimum to avoid Gravitational Imbalance Disorder)
Armament:
- Three (3x) Westinghouse M152 Plasma Pulse Cannons
Defences:
- Twelve (12x) Walther-Copeland WRX 1028 Light Pulse Cannons
- 0.5M-1M armoured hull (AEGIS Composite Armour)
- E-Web Passive Protection System
Ships in service: Sword, Spear, Mace, Zweihander, Bombard, Stiletto, Cudgel, Flail, Morningstar

Now updated to match the style of my later work.