Brigade XO wrote:Aren't we forgetting something here?
For all they lost in 2nd Manticore, Haven as a ****load of ships of all sizes and have been continuing to build them at multiple locations (including Bolthole) right now. While not quite as effective as RMN/GSN ships, the RHN’s most recent generations of ships are just as much an overmatch against SLN (either BF or FF) ships and the SDFs of SL on a one-to-one or more basis as RMN.
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The military ones are really straight forward. A mixed squadron of RHN hyper-capable ships is going to be devastating to most SLN forces from up to “a bit more” that 2x the nominal capability and certainly have more than 2x the range on them. SLN wants to send available less-than-waller forces against a range of systems defended by Haven BC divisions with screens----good luck with that! Even if the Haven ships get pushed out of the systems (and they aren’t expected to make a Saganami stand) the SLN is going to get shredded. Even if SLN decides (or forced to if it wants to continue send out attacking forces) start sending a couple of wallers in these raids (lack of lighter ships, ability to actually accomplish anything ageist defending forces) they will start losing wallers or at least taking serious damage up through mission kill on said forces and bleed capability.
Not going to help the SLs position much and will hurry the breakdown.
We haven't seen massive improvements in Havenite sub-wallers. As far as we know they haven't deployed a BC(P) design, or any dual/multi-drive missiles in anything smaller than as SD(P).
That actually means that, while the Havenite BCs have much much tougher missile defense, FF BCs carrying cataphracts would actually outrange the onboard missiles of any RHN ship smaller than an SD(P)
Now if the DD - BC SLN units
don't have cataphracts, then the RHN DD - BC should have a slight range advantage; but not as much as a LERM/ERM equipped Manticoran ship much less a DDM equipped one.
Of course, this could be somewhat mitigated by shipping in pods for the defending RHN ships to tow; the missiles in those would vastly outrange anything the SLN carries.
I agree that Haven can afford to reallocate significant resources away from system defense; I'd just be careful deploying their smaller ships since those are the classes the SLN can come closest to matching. (If you can help it never give a sucker a fair fight)