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| MASS: 50 NPV: 275 Classification: System Defense Boat (SDB) Crew: 28; 4 Officers, 24 Ratings, plus 12 troops Crew Factor: 3 Hull Integrity: 12 (3/3/3/3) Armor: 3 Main Drive Thrust: 4 (10 TW) Drive Auto-Detection Range: 4.218 AU ∆V (Combat): 104.330 km/sec ∆V (Cruise): 2086.597 km/sec Thrust Points: 208 (1149 tons propellant) Propellant Tanks: 8 Thrust Points per Tank: 26 FTL: No Auxiliary Systems: 1-MASS Troop Bay; 1x Superior Sensors; Level-1 Hull Stealthing; 0.7 G Spin Habitat for 40 Combat Systems: 1x Fire Control Weapons: 1x Point Defense Battery; 2x Class-2 Batteries (All Arcs); 2x Light Antiship Missile |
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| The
P-16
Class System Defense Boat is a Brazilian designed system ship which has
seen wide use throughout the Orion arm in spite of its AMPLAR torch
drive, which adds considerably to both the initial price tag and the
maintenance operating costs. The cost is considered justified by
the outstanding endurance granted by the antimatter torch. The P-16 has sufficient delta-vee to
run down any intruder in the system, and can respond to surprise
incursions in half the time that a typical military starship could
achieve. The P-16’s
sensor suite is excellent, and allow it to gain tactical information on
possible hostiles from great remove. The ship’s weapons are
excellent for a vessel of its displacement, though it only carries a
single point defense battery and no area defense fire control.
For this reason, the P-16 is
considered a hunter-killer SDB rather than a convoy escort. The P-16 began its service life with the Brazilian Space Defense Force (FDEB), where continuous raids on Brazilian shipping by Aztlan’s space force and Aztlan backed privateers threatened to cut the nation off from its offworld colonies. The first squadron began patrolling the moons of Saturn in 2330 in search of Aztlan privateer bases from which attacks on the lucrative Brazilian volatiles shipping market from the outer planets and the Kuiper Belt to cislunar space and Mars were taking a heavy toll in lives and money. The FDEB knew it needed a new breed of commander for its P-16s; as bold and aggressive as they were canny, and passed over more senior and somewhat conservative officers in the regular starship forces in favor of brilliant young turks with no command experience but demonstrated tactical skills. The FDEB’s gamble paid off, and the new squadron located and eliminated the Saturn raiders within two years of operation. The P-16’s performance during this period was so impressive that even premier shipbuilding nations such as the United States and Great Britain began negotiations to procure ships for themselves. Its back against the wall, Aztlan miscalculated once again by attempting to cut off the Brazilians’ access to antimatter and as a consequence cripple the endurance of the hated P-16. An attack on Helios Corporation’s Mercury production plants by Aztlan backed nihilists known as The End of History in 2335 resulted in a disruption of antimatter production so severe that the resulting economic downturn forced the entire Western Alliance to blockade Mexico and its offworld assets in retaliation, relenting only when Aztlan’s security apparat “apprehended” the EoH leaders responsible for the attacks and turned them over for trial. Naturally, the EoH leaders had been somewhat “damaged” during the debrief with Aztlan’s security forces, and their testimony was too incoherent to criminally implicate the Aztlan government. The P-16 is being considered for production by the SDC as five squadrons of four ships each. One squadron would be tasked with the defense of the HM+53 0102 System (Fury), while the other squadrons would rotate to potential hot spots in half-squadron elements conveyed by the SDC’s Conrad class stardrive tugs. Ships of the class
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