Build a Fleet!

[/quote]
In Uncompromising Honor, just before the Solarian attack on Beowulf; Truman and Holman-Sanders are talking about how the BSDF ships are all out of date and they will be receiving new ones from the construction at Bolthole, under the supervision of Shannon. So all that speculation on the forum was wrong; there was nothing that the Solarian Navy would not have recognized on those earlier ships.[/quote]

The Beowulf ships are out of date- compared to the RMN and what Truman has with here fleet but it is possible that the BSDF fleet is better than the SLN fleet that was. Not enough better that -had they looked the SLN would probably not have recognized the improvements- but better. Software upgrades, tactics come to mind.
The full jump envisioned by the replacement of the BSDF units by new production at the front of the RMN/RHN war-fighting development envelope will be massive. Full Keyhole, Apollo, MDM with the launchers and magazines. All the rest of the now integrated packages. Nothing mentioned about having provided Beowulf with things like MDM pods and - M-23 control missiles being fed data initially from BSDF sensors. Remember, you use pods with the M-23's package and they are almost Fire & Forget weapons since you can probably deploy the pods so they end up just at the edge of where SLN sensors can pick them up and with the missiles set at maximum acceleration it's almost like the SLN is stepping on a landmine of cluster munitions.

tlb wrote:In Uncompromising Honor, just before the Solarian attack on Beowulf; Truman and Holman-Sanders are talking about how the BSDF ships are all out of date and they will be receiving new ones from the construction at Bolthole, under the supervision of Shannon. So all that speculation on the forum was wrong; there was nothing that the Solarian Navy would not have recognized on those earlier ships.

Brigade XO wrote:The Beowulf ships are out of date- compared to the RMN and what Truman has with here fleet but it is possible that the BSDF fleet is better than the SLN fleet that was. Not enough better that -had they looked the SLN would probably not have recognized the improvements- but better. Software upgrades, tactics come to mind.
The full jump envisioned by the replacement of the BSDF units by new production at the front of the RMN/RHN war-fighting development envelope will be massive. Full Keyhole, Apollo, MDM with the launchers and magazines. All the rest of the now integrated packages. Nothing mentioned about having provided Beowulf with things like MDM pods and - M-23 control missiles being fed data initially from BSDF sensors. Remember, you use pods with the M-23's package and they are almost Fire & Forget weapons since you can probably deploy the pods so they end up just at the edge of where SLN sensors can pick them up and with the missiles set at maximum acceleration it's almost like the SLN is stepping on a landmine of cluster munitions.

Rereading the passage, I see that you have captured the spirit better than I did. Holman-Sanders does say that her ship is 40 years old, but that it has received refits and upgrades. Truman says it is obsolete compared to the Grand Alliance, but still better than the Solarian League; whose ships are obsolescent deathtraps.

Shannon_Foraker wrote:

Theemile wrote:
It's been speculated a few times over the years around here that the BSDF may have been actually installing upgrades over the years, but installing software limiters so the hardware acted similar to what the SLN would expect after installation. Then all it would take is a press of an oddly titled, yet innocuous button on yet another inappropriately-named setup page on the reserve Astrogator's 2nd assistant's control panel to change everything.

Suddenly, "The Do not Exceed" accel is 625Gs, The outer intercept zone of the counter missile's radarscope reads 3.75MKM, and the ECM now has "Fry" "Bake" and "Incinerate" buttons.

If such a button exists, the BSDF should invite Shannon aboard to ceremoniously press the button, along with the trademark "oops".

Yes! Of course, Shannon might bring some better tech goodies as prizes for the best ships!

My comment was made prior to David saying that no such tech upgrades exist on Beowulf ships. They have only been installing 1900 pd era tech on their ships and not upgrading for the last 23 years - for fear that the SLN might find out about Manticore's advances. They have been keenly aware of the RMN's fighting abilities, and chosen to help hide the tech from other sources.

This is a problem with pulling up old conversations - these conversations happened prior to multiple books being written and thousands of discussions since, and reflect that lack of knowledge. It's like running into someone and without prompt, replying to the conversation you had with them 2 years ago with novel solutions that might help them potty train their son.

Theemile wrote:It's been speculated a few times over the years around here that the BSDF may have been actually installing upgrades over the years, but installing software limiters so the hardware acted similar to what the SLN would expect after installation. Then all it would take is a press of an oddly titled, yet innocuous button on yet another inappropriately-named setup page on the reserve Astrogator's 2nd assistant's control panel to change everything.

Suddenly, "The Do not Exceed" accel is 625Gs, The outer intercept zone of the counter missile's radarscope reads 3.75MKM, and the ECM now has "Fry" "Bake" and "Incinerate" buttons.

If such a button exists, the BSDF should invite Shannon aboard to ceremoniously press the button, along with the trademark "oops".

Shannon_Foraker wrote:Yes! Of course, Shannon might bring some better tech goodies as prizes for the best ships!

Theemile wrote:My comment was made prior to David saying that no such tech upgrades exist on Beowulf ships. They have only been installing 1900 pd era tech on their ships and not upgrading for the last 23 years - for fear that the SLN might find out about Manticore's advances. They have been keenly aware of the RMN's fighting abilities, and chosen to help hide the tech from other sources.

This is a problem with pulling up old conversations - these conversations happened prior to multiple books being written and thousands of discussions since, and reflect that lack of knowledge. It's like running into someone and without prompt, replying to the conversation you had with them 2 years ago with novel solutions that might help them potty train their son.

I thought that was true, but could not find where he said so.

This way you got to correct the record, which I think is good.