Ironclad Class Aircraft Carrier

Ironclad class Hero class
Design details
Type	Aircraft Carrier
Hull type	Monohull
Manufacturer	FDI Naval Systems Freeport KAE Systems other yards
Preceded by	Ocean Class Aircraft Carrier (Freethinker Commonwealth) Pantheon Class Aircraft Carrier (Kouralia)
Followed by
Service dates	2014 (RL) to Present
Status	In Active Service
Operators
The Freethinker Commonwealth Kouralia Greater Kingdom of Midlonia

The Ironclad Class Aircraft Carrier (The Freethinker Commonwealth), alternatively Hero Class Aircraft Carrier (Kouralia), are a class of nuclear-powered fleet carriers in active service with the Freethinker Royal Navy and the Kouralian Royal Navy, as well as foreign operators. The class is the conclusion of the first large-scale collaboration between the two nations. Although the respective ship layouts for each country form distinctive sub-classes, both designs are optimised for operations in the Pony Lands and Mystrian regions, in particular the crowded, shallow waters of the Tacitus ocean and the Gulf of Ino.

Actual development of the vessel was primarily handled by the Freestian FDI Group due to greater experience in large warship projects, following a significant amount of negotiation over work-shares and other contractual details, as well as practical discussions over layout, weapons and electronics. This led to the two distinct sub-classes in service, although both designs retain about eighty percent compatibility in regard to their components. Foreign users generally have further customisation.

The first vessel laid down for the KRN, the RKNV Queen Alyx en Fidelis, was a gift of the Freestian government.

Origin and the Ino Carrier Alliance

FRNS Invincible and RKNV Queen Alyx En Fidelis

The Freethinker Commonwealth is a recognised naval power, and a significant component of Freestian military and foreign policy is to establish and maintain, in perpetuity, maritime dominance of the regional seas and oceanic territories surrounding Commonwealth provinces and territories. As such, its entry into Poneria presented a significant issue, in the fact that the forces the country's holdings in the area could support was smaller than the forces that could be bought to bear by the home nations of the region.

Design and Construction

As part of the cost-saving initiative, actual construction was undertaken using the more advanced Freestian modular shipbuilding technique, part of the deal that allowed the Freestian design bodies the lion's share of design work meant that the Commonwealth funded a significant upgrading and uprating of Kouralian's military dockyards to allow this. This advancement allowed for both faster construction and ease of redesign as requirements slowly diverged over the project's length.

Common Design Elements

Armament

As carriers, there was a considerable debate as to the level of armament carried, particular in regard to the concerns about the heavier weight of fire that could be expected in potential regional confrontations. Freestian carriers usually followed western tradition in that offensive weaponry was kept to a minimum and offset from the flightdeck and operational spaces to maximise the air wing capability. This means that

CIWS mounts are located covering all approach vectors with multiple weapons. At least two systems can engage on LOS-mode on any approaching contacts.

There are four BI 25mm guns for manual close in defence. These are crewed, sensor-directed weapons designed for anti-surface and anti-air work. In addition, 12 machine gun mounts, for either 7.7mm GPMG or 6 x 7.62mm Miniguns are installed for port defence work.

Command and Sensors

The Combat Management Suite is the Falltech 'General Surface Control Suite' a full command and control system, though the operating software is nation specific. This is the standard escort control system installed on larger Freestian warships, and combines all sensory input and weapon control modules to provide an integrated system management function. Primary control is located in a hardened Command Centre amid-ship, with secondary locations and system housings in engineering and other locations. The GSCC provides universal sensor and weapons handling and real-time coordination with other GSCC (and derivatives) equipped vessels, providing comprehensive coverage and control of neighbouring battle-space. Integrated into the GSCC is the Advanced Combat Link, a multi-role communication system enabler designed to allow compatibility with a variety of other C3/C4I systems including AEGIS and other allied formats. This can function on either a locally maintained network or a wide area system. The latest incarnation of the GSCC allows full ballistic and space warfare options as well as conventional air and surface management. A reserve manual control system is also installed.

The ship is equipped with an Link 11/14 communication capability.

Propulsion

The decision to utilise nuclear power was made by both nations early on, and the class utilises four Thompson Engineering nuclear reactors, installed as individual units feeding into a combined Integrated Electrical Power system.

Like most modern warships, the vessels utilise a Integrated Electrical Propulsion system supplied by Falltech, which vastly improves the efficiency of power transfer from the reactors and reserve power units to the engines and other systems.

Protection

• Electronic Warfare: Falltech Mk 605 ECM/ESM suite,
• 6 x Falltech Mk 8 Decoy Launchers.

Passive defence against submerged targets is provided by a number of systems. The Falltech Universal Towed Decoy System is the main decoy carried, deploying an active towed platform.

Argus Defence Technologies installed degaussing and acoustic sweeping gear, specifically the ASDS and the AD Mk.1 Magnetic/Acoustic sweeping system. Both installed sets are sized for the vessel and designed to provide effective passive defence against numerous underwater threats.

Ironclad Subclass

Specifications (Ironclad)
Displacement:	168,405 tons (Operational load)
Dimensions:	424.2 (l) x 80.1m (w) x 12.5m (d)
Crew:	- 1,500 (Ship's Complement) - 3,000 (Airwing) - 448 (On-boarded Soldiers)
Propulsion:	- 4 tbc Nuclear reactors - Unlimited range
Performance:	- 35 kts (Sustainable) - Unlimited Range (save Stores Replenishment)
Armament:	- 8 x 40mm Falltech M3B JOCIWS - 4 x 25mm cannons
Aircraft:	- Up to 130 (all types)
No. Ships in Class:	360 (exc export versions)

The Ironclad sub-class is distinguishable from its Kouralian counterpart by its full CATOBAR layout and its Freestian sensors and weapon systems. Freestian ships are designed for a more specialised role within the larger FRN than their Kouralian equivalents.

Freestian radars were utilised in all FRN vessels. The lower macks (and subsequent profile of the ships as a whole) are in part due to the heavier weight of the Freestian sensor systems. Kouralian planners had insisted on the longest possible horizon, but a stouter design for Freestian vessels was deemed sufficient for FRN operational requirements.

Although the Ironclad maintains some capacity for flagship operations, as with all large Freestian vessels, she is not expected to be the primary warship of any medium-or-large battle-group and as such devotes more space to stores and machinery.

Naming Conventions

File:Freethinkerironclad.PNG

FRNS Insult in hunter-killer scheme

As with other Freestian warships, Ironclads have a themed naming group. An alphabetic naming convention (generally the most used theme for Freestian naval vessels) was chosen, 'I' being chosen due to the number of expected vessels and the use of the same theme for an earlier carrier class.

Famous names reused for the class include FRNS Ironclad, FRNS Illustrious, FRNS Insult, and FRNS Ithica.

The use of Ironclad for the first ship was not based on the industrial age ship type but rather is a common descriptor for warships in Freestian service which have endured heavy combat and remained in service. This was deemed fitting for a design based on its battle-space survivability.

Operational History

Ironclad class vessels were utilised during the initial sea-lift phase of the colonisation of Nova Olympia. These ships had not yet been fully combat readied, and were deployed for their impressive transport capabilities. Three vessels made two return trips in support of the initial landing operation.

Hero Subclass

Specifications (Hero)
Displacement:	172,305 tons (Operational load)
Dimensions:	424.2 (l) x 80.1m (w) x 12.5m (d)
Crew:	- 1,550 (Ship's Complement) - 3,000 (Airwing) - 448 (On-boarded Soldiers)
Propulsion:	- 4 tbc Nuclear reactors - Unlimited range
Performance:	- 35 kts (Sustainable) - Unlimited Range (save Stores Replenishment)
Armament:	- 8 x CIWS mounts - 4 x 25mm cannons
Aircraft:	- Up to 130 (all types)
No. Ships in Class:	30

The unique flight-deck ramp of the Hero-Class RKNV Alexander Blaken-Kazansky.

The Hero-class are notably different in appearance to most fleet carriers in the western tradition by advent of their ski-jumps, designed to allow a high operational tempo with STOVL aircraft at the expense of the same for standard CATOBAR aircraft. It should be noted that the vessels retain two EM catapults on their port wings allowing standard, if staggered CATOBAR operations.

The design of the Hero allowed for significant future-proofing, the modular nature of its ski-jump, and the viable alternative design of the Freestian full CATOBAR design, means that the ships could be relatively easily reconfigured to a more standard layout.

Naming Convention

The Hero-Class are named for modern, historical, and mythological heroes who have contributed to the cause of Kouralia. The first vessel laid down was the Queen Alyx-En-Fidelis, named for the first Queen of Kouralia since the Millenial War ended in 2001. Other ships include the RNKV Alexander Blaken-Kazansky - named for the Emperor of Greater Prussia and King of Allanea who was instrumental in ending the 2014 31st Annual Demon War, and the RKNV Sebastyan Cambueyl - named for the first ruler of the Campbell family who seized power of Kouralia following the Imerian invasion in the 3rd Century AD.

Usage

Hero-Class Vessels are the flagships both of the Battle-Squadron they are immediately protected by, and of the Fleet of other Squadrons which assists the Battle-Squadron. They lack intrinsic ability to fight themselves, but they can strike with over a hundred airframes to both attack hostile fleets from afar and support friendly ships. They carry sufficient quarters for Flag Officers to command from their hulls.

Armament

The Hero-class has minimal onboarded armament beyond that carried by the aircraft aboard. Rather than having any Offensive firepower, instead it carries eight combined CIWS and missile mounts, and four 25mm manned guns for defending against smallcraft.

Landing Forces

As with standard Kouralian military thinking, the principal aim of naval strategy is the successful delivery of soldiers to the shores of a foreign nation. For that reason, the Hero-Class can support a heavily-reinforced Company-group of Marines who can land with the support of the Carrier Air Wing to occupy shore facilities or board vessels. The Ship will often carry forces of the Swimmer-Canoeist Regiment and act as a floating barracks for the relevant Fleet's special forces units.

In total the ship can carry around 450 soldiers though it does not always carry a full complement.

• 

  Diagramatic view of the RKNV Queen Alyx En Fidelis, lead ship of the Hero-Class carriers.

Operational History

The first deliveries of the Hero-Class took place in 2015, and Kouralian crews took operational responsibility of vessels at a rate of 10 a year, until the last Hero-Class vessel sailed for Kurton in December 2018. Since their adoption, none of the vessels have seen active combat against a foreign nation. They have been used in combat in securing the doot security perimeters from daemonic excursions into the wider-Pony Lands.

Foreign Operators

Alongside the FRN and KRN, other nations have undertaken purchase and construction of the design, with regional modifications.

Midlonia

File:MidlonianIronclad.PNG

GRNS Prince Edmund, functioning as an assault/helicopter carrier

The Greater Royal Navy undertook a feasibility study of the Ironclad as the basis of a supplementary aircraft carrier class as cost overruns and delays hit the Queen Class Carrier program. Interest in the design was kindled by both availability, the adoption of the design for operations in the Pony Lands, where new Midlonian colonies were now established, and commonality with allied designs.

There were significant changes in armament, sensors and engineering. CIWS mounts were replaced with Midlonian systems, such the 57 mm auto-cannon and 30 mm guns, and a number of additional CIWS mounts were added to the design to provide greater protection against close in threats.

The changes to the plant machinery of the class were the most dramatic change, however, with the replacement of the four Thompson Engineering reactors with a pair of larger, domestically designed PWRs. Although there was a reduction of power, there was a significant increase in the amount of stores, munitions and aviation fuel the class could carry, allowing King-class vessels a 25% higher combat sortie capacity in comparison to their Freestian or Kouralian peers, at the expense of top speed and survivability.

List of Users

• The Freethinker Commonwealth
  • Freethinker Royal Navy 360
• File:Nationalflag Kouralia.png Royal Union of Kouralia
  • Kouralian Royal Navy 30
• Greater Kingdom
  • Greater Royal Navy 256