Soviet Union ship archive (For Old Star Empires rp

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NOTE: I did not make the following. Credit for that goes to the DoV team.

MiG-43r "Kharlamov"



The MiG-43r "Kharlamov" is a recon scout currently in service with the Red Space Force, it is notable for its self enclosed Sakharov drive, which allows its to travel faster than light without a carrier. It's armament consists of a single light cannon, but is also rumoured to be capable of temporarily shutting down the engines of larger ships.

Role
Wings of MiG-43r scouts serve along a nation's borders, within it's internal security forces, exploration fleets and planetary defence forces.

Variants
The Red Air Force utilize the MiG-43U, which lacks a Sakharov drive, but enhanced engines for supersonic long range reconnaissance across planets, supplementing orbital satellite reconnaissance, which is more expensive.

The New Weimar Volksmarine uses the MiG-43S export variant, but have, with the blessing of the Soviet manufacturer, modifed it to hold more electronics for system patrol.

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MiG-51 "Nevskiy"



History
Due to the growing need for a more modern and versatile fighter, in the year 2264, design bureaus in the USSR were tasked with designing a strike fighter capable of aerospace and interstellar combat. Through many trials and prototypes by competing bureaus, the Mikoyan design won the contract, being versatile and mass producable for space and land based operations. It was lauded for outperforming Sukhoi's technological flagship fighter, the Su-110 Fighter; and Tupolev's heavy Tu-10 Heavy Fighter. Both of the later designs would go onto fuel the development of Soviet aviation in more specialized fields, ill-suited for the Red Fleet's vast requirements.

The first production line for the MiG-51 would begin in late 2273, introduced into the Red Fleet at the beginning of the year. A production quota for 15,000 determined the suitable first phase for the replacing of the aging MiG-40s, who were beginning to be delegated Kharkov Pact members and 'donated' to Communist movements and paramilitary groups.

Role
The MiG-51D "Nevskiy" is the main Soviet fighter. This plane is more than capable of holding its own in combat, although it is built to be used in overwhelming numbers and by inexperienced pilots. It is the backbone of the Soviet theory of quantity is more important than quality.

Variants
The majority of the Red Fleet's MiG-51s have been modernized to the MiG-51D standard, replacing electronics and upgrading its original airframe with more resistant armour coating and re-equipping its engines to the latest standards.

The Red Air Force operates the MiG-51S model, more suited for multiple environments and long range interdiction in atmospheres and low orbit.

The KGB and specialist military units outside the normal order of battle operate the MiG-51U, with advanced electronics, stealthier systems and a prototype run of new but expensive engines.

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Su-85 "Belyshev"



History
The Su-85 "Belyshev" is the primary bomber of the Soviet Navy. Soviet engineers at Sukhoi decided to forgo the traditional missile bomber in favor of a simpler torpedo bomber, reducing cost and upping damage in exchange for lower accuracy and higher weight. The gunner position can even be turned over to computer control with targeting based on IFF, or operated by the pilot during flight. The result is a simple, flexible, and easy-to-fly anti-ship strike craft.

Role
Due to its rather simplicity compared to other nations' bomber-class strike craft, the Su-85 is well suited for the 'hammer and anvil' approach used by the Navy.

Variants
The Red Air Force operates the Su-85U model, highly suited to land based Air Armies and operation in environments . The two-seater version of the Su85, the Su-88, is a highly valued long range bomber, serving alongside the Tu-190 Strategic Bomber fleets for land and aerospace campaigns, serving as either electronic warfare strike craft or precision bombers serving elite Spetsnaz units in the Red Army or other branches of the Soviet military.

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Pavlov Assault Corvette



History
Lessons learned during the Izmail Rebellion convinced the Red Fleet Leadership that atmospheric only gunships were becoming increasingly vulnerable to anti aircraft fire and orbital weapons platforms, especially during a planetary invasion. Using spacecraft to ferry gunships and troop transports into the mesosphere left both the carrier and its aircraft extremely exposed, and ground forces experienced some of their heaviest losses here, even before they made landfall. However, with the development of smaller Hall Effect thrusters and Sakharov drives, it became possible for smaller ships to jump between systems and operate both in deep space and the inner atmosphere of most planets. Along with the Suvorov Light Corvette, and the MiG-43, the Pavlov Assault Corvette revolutionized the Red Fleets capacity for reconnaissance and invasion tactics. The first prototype was designed in 2269 and is still currently in service.

Role
The Pavlov is one of the most versatile ships in the Soviet armada. Its standard configuration includes 65mm light cannons that are able to punch through light armor on most civilian and low-end military ships as well as an infantry compartment able to hold 8 troops sitting back to back. It is highly favored by local defense forces as well as the KGB for its ability to quickly transport troops to suspected pirate vessels while maintaining enough firepower to defend itself.

Variants
The Pavlov is in service with all branches of the Red Space Forces including Aerospace Aviation, the Marine Infantry, the Orbital Defense Corps, Spetsnaz Guards; but also with the KGB and the Red Army.

The Red Army has several variants of the Pavlov altering its role to tank hunter, long range reconnaissance, dedicated troop transport, infantry support, electronic warfare, etc.

The Red Air Force mainly uses the Pavlov as a light AWACS providing support for other Soviet strike fighters operating in the area, but some variants are equipped with anti air missiles.

Armament(s): Dual 102mm autocannons, and 55mm flak cannon

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Suvorov Class Light Corvette



The Suvorov-class Light Corvette is a Soviet ship designed to bridge the gap between strike craft and frigates. Designed as a light patrol ship to supplement planetary defense forces, it has nonetheless seen usage in large-scale naval conflicts, primarily with the Reich. Its aerodynamic frame and traditional pulse detonation engine allows it to operate in atmosphere, and it is equipped with a MPD arcjet for space flight. Its reactor sits just in front of the engines of the ship.

Armament(s): Dual Romeo II Torpedeos

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Vatutin Torpedo Frigate



The Vatutin-class is the Soviet Union's newest frigate design, and one of the most modern warships in the fleet. Its primary role is providing long range guided missile support against medium and lightly armored targets. In groups, however, it can pose a serious threat to more heavily armed targets. Along with the Konev Flak Frigate, the Vatutin is set to become one of the most prevalent ship designs in the fleet, replacing a number of older classes.

History
Designed to replace the aging fleet of Silayev Class Frigates that were becoming too outdated to be fitted with the newest Soviet missile designs, the Vatutin was designed completely from scratch. Borrowing design concepts from the Norge Class Frigates of the Federal Nordic Cooperative Defense Forces, the Vatutin has completely redesigned targeting systems that allow it to engage enemy vessels from a much greater range. Its bridge is also of a new design, featuring a much more open layout with a greater emphasis on large tactical displays. This feature has led some Vatutins to be refitted as command and control ships in uncontested sectors.

Notable Engagements
The Vatutin has taken part in a number of engagements in the ongoing Soviet-German border conflicts, all with great success. During one engagement of note, a Westfalen Destroyer was caught out of position after disabling several corvettes. Three Vatutin-class frigates, the Aslanov, Malinovsky, and the Timoshenko, were able to launch a salvo of torpedoes through the midst of the battle, impacting the destroyer and splitting it in two.

Armament(s): Light Deck Gun, and Dual RPK-88 Missile Batteries

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Konev Flak Frigate



Overview
Developed concurrently with the Vatutin Class Frigate, the Konev is one of the newest ships in the Red Fleet, replacing a number of older ship designs. The Konev is a multi-role frigate, able to engage a wide variety of combatants ranging from strikecraft to other frigates and destroyers. For this reason it is the backbone of most Soviet task forces, and a core part of the Soviet Fleet.

History
Originally developed as a dedicated anti-strikecraft platform, the original designs were criticized for being overly specialized. With the leadership of the Red Navy focusing more on flexible, multirole vessels, the Konev design was altered to include 4 KNL-2284 Naval guns. Able to fire a large variety of projectiles, including flak rounds and even custom two part missiles, the KNL-2284 gave the Konev much broader capabilities. Along with bow mounted torpedo bays, the Konev is the most versatile frigate currently in service within the Soviet Union.

Noteable Engagements
In 2283, the first year of its service, the lead ship of the class Konev intercepted an illegal salvaging operation being conducted by an unknown pirate group on an abandoned New Weimar Volksmarine destroyer. Despite relatively advanced sensor scattering techniques, the Konev was able to pursue and destroy 8 separate pirate vessels, taking on minor damage.

Armament(s): 4 KNL-2281 Naval Guns, and Triple RLK-54 Missile Batteries

[supercommander]

Space MiGs!

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Ikr ;D. But theres no picture for teh Yeremenko destroyer

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Yeremenko Destroyer

[No picture avalible]

History
From the early 23rd century to roughly 2248, Soviet ship design was split between two factions: one that favoured modular, compact, quick ships, and one that favoured large, beastly ships with superior firepower and an imposing presence. The former faction, led by the Soviet Navy's chief ship architect Ivan Halilovic, was insistent that using the Reich's strength against them would serve as a sufficient deterrent. Most border skirmishes were between ships of frigate size or smaller, and Halilovic and those who worked in the various Soviet design bureaus believed that improving their corvettes (the Leselidze Light Corvette was dramatically outgunned) and putting heavy guns on smaller ships would allow the USSR to get the upper hand in these skirmishes. Halilovic went to work drawing up a destroyer that looked different than any other Soviet ship of its time, but was diminutive enough to avoid provoking the Germans to send in their cruisers and escalating any border skirmish.

The Yeremenko, named after famed Soviet general Andrei Yeremenko, began production in 2253 and quickly re-established Russian superiority at the border. In an unusual move, their medium cannon (a caliber unprecedented for a ship of its size) was mounted rear-facing, and its light guns were mounted forward. The design was often criticised, as German corvettes that could keep to the sides of the ship and/or match the destroyer's lateral movement caused a weapons blind spot greater than 90 degrees on either side. This led to a future affinity for broadside designs such as in the Slavny and Retivyy cruisers. Despite these setbacks the Yeremenko is one of the oldest designs still in service within the Soviet Union. Its speed is high, armour relatively thick, and requires only a small crew, yet its firepower is immense.

The escalation of the Soviet-German war, and subsequent deployment of heavier German vessels has left the Yeremenko in the precarious position of being severely outgunned by most ships operating in the Soviet-German border systems, and has since been regulated to escort duty. Still, it is not uncommon to see several Yeremenko class destroyers operating within Soviet fleets, providing precise firepower and speed whenever the need arises.

Role
In the modern Soviet Navy the Yeremenko is most often used as a light escort for supply and transport convoys. Its firepower is more than capable of warding off any pirate attack, and its speed allows it to remain within firing distance of the ever elusive German corvette groups – the bane of Soviet shipping.

When operating in peacetime, or far from the front lines, the Yeremenko is commonly used to patrol the outer reaches of Soviet space, a far cheaper alternative then keeping an Odessa or Slavny class vessel supplied so far from a friendly port. The Yeremenko is also commonly deployed to some of the neutral systems in the Orion region, assisting local authorities against pirate attacks, or searching cargo bound for Soviet space.

Other Variants
As the Yeremenko fleet was gradually upgraded to support newer electronic systems and weapons, many of the older models, too aged or decrepit to retrofit, were instead sold to foreign powers. Only after being stripped of most of their more advanced systems would the ships be approved for export. Yeremenko destroyers were sold to the New Weimar Republic, and the Komeito Democratic Republic.

Most of the ships involved in the downgrade and export process were part of the second generation of Yeremenko-class ships produced for the Red Space Forces. Many first generation ships, most of which were partially decommissioned and stored at various reserve stations across the galaxy, were brought out of retirement during the early stages of the Soviet-German conflict as a preparatory measure due to expectations of escalation on the part of Soviet High Command.

It was easier and cheaper to retrofit these older ships to current(third)-generation specifications than it was to construct new vessels, so a massive operation was undertaken by reserve forces to completely renovate these aging prototypes. It also is worth noting that, while these ships were older than their second generation counterparts, they were in significantly better condition due to their relative disuse; the newer ships had been workhorses of the Space Forces for many years, while the first generation had been shelved almost in its entirety when the newer ships were delivered due to their technical inferiority.

Most Yeremenko Destroyers in service today are members of this "Generation 1+" family of vessels, distinguishable by their somewhat cobbled-together appearance and mixture of decades-old design philosophy with current technology.

A civilian variant also exists, mostly serving as either a light escort for civilian shipping, or retrofitted as a scientific vessel.

Armament(s): Triple Light Deck Guns, and a Medium Deck Gun

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Slavny Light Cruiser



Overview
The Slavny Class of light cruisers is a type of warship currently in service with the Red Navy. First introduced in 2263, the class suffered from severe technical problems, and underwent a series of refits. It currently serves within the Red Navy Battlefleets specializing in both ship to ship combat and anti-strikecraft capabilities.

Design
Throughout the early 2200s Soviet naval design doctrine underwent a dramatic shift. The DF-GGR border conflicts had confirmed the notion that anti-strikecraft weaponry became cripplingly useless during large scale fleet engagements; automated targeting systems were unable to distinguish large pieces of debris from smaller enemy targets and could not provide a meaningful defense.

The Slavny class, intended to replace the Ognevoy class cruiser and Stroyny class light carrier, was designed to accommodate a fighter wing, while preserving its direct anti-ship capabilities. The Slavny was the first ship class in the Orion Arm to blur the line between carrier and cruiser, a move that was later adopted by the Greater German Reich.

During its first few years of operation however, a number of problems were discovered in the ships design. The ship had numerous electronic deficiencies, and the bridge was ill-equipped to manage both a fighter wing and ship to ship combat.

Over the next few decades the Slavny went through a series of retrofits and design changes, becoming a test bed for many of the designs later seen in the Retivvy Class Cruiser.

2267 Refit
While the Slavny was designed to accommodate the next generation of fighter and bomber designs, the increased importance of corvettes wasn’t anticipated. The four inner hanger bays were redesigned and expanded into two larger bays able to accomodate the newest corvette designs.

2273 Refit
A massive refit was undertaken in 2273 introducing hundreds of newer elements and dramatically changing the appearance of the ship. The armour plating was completely replaced, runways and hangers underwent a second redesign, and the ships windows were replaced with a less reflective material.

Cancelled 2276 Refit
In 2280 the Soviet Union suffered a public embarrassment when private Red Navy documents were leaked to the Tau Ceti media. In it, it was revealed the lead designer; Robtrovky Fordeski had become increasingly frustrated over the ships heatsinks, and had continually pressured the Red Navy to replace them. Fordeski would later quit over the incident, only to return in 2279 when Premier Sokolovsky came to power.

2280 Overhaul
Further updates were undertaken in 2280 implementing designs that had proved their worth on the Retivvy class, as well as the newer Vatutin and Konev class frigates. This was a critical update to the Slavny and is considered the "Mid-Life Update" revision. Approximately 75% of the Soviet inventory of cruisers was updated, with the remainder either scrapped for parts or exported to regional powers (with sensitive Soviet equipment removed.)

Engines
The main engine was replaced with a downsized variant of the engine developed for the Retivvy, while the 3 auxiliary thrusters were replaced with modified frigate engines. The frigate engines, all 3 normally encased in a single housing, were separated into 3 nacelles to ease the integration into the existing Slavny superstructure. Large Reaction Control System (or RCS) thrusters were added fore of the auxiliary thrusters to provide additional yaw capability, vital to the cruiser's ability to bring to bear its broadside weaponry.

Bridge
The Slavny's bridge, originally an over-sized shell which contained mostly repurposed Yeremenko systems, was entirely gutted to make room for the targeting system technology pioneered on the Retivvy project. This included a full rebuild of the upper communications array, as well as the replacement of all computer systems. Following these revisions, the number of on-deck personnel required for active operation of the vessel was reduced by 8%.

Weapons
With a more robust communications and targeting suite on the bridge, the frontal radar array was now all but worthless. This structure was subsequently removed and, at the request of the majority of Slavny captains, replaced with a second medium-sized cannon battery.

Fatigue issues
Further experimentation beyond that conducted in the initial proposal for the 2280 Overhaul showed that excessive usage of both frontal cannon batteries in tandem caused out-of-bounds cyclical loads on the midsection of the ship. In one case, this resulted in the catastrophic failure of several structural members aft of the main hangar bays; 68 souls were lost in the event and the ship was deemed irreparable. Due to these concerns, captains have been advised to only use both frontal batteries in "extreme situations."

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Aurora Torpedo Cruiser


No information avalible

Armament(s): 72 x JULIET IV Torpedo Vertical Launch Silos, 12 x AK-785 Defence Guns, and 6 x Makarov Flak 45mm Turrets

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Retivvy Medium Cruiser


The Retivvy Class Cruisers are a type of military ship currently in service within the Red Space Forces. It serves as a key component of Soviet military strategy, with Retivvy class vessels a part of nearly every major combat line within the Soviet fleet. The appearance of the Retivvy class, and its subsequent performance within the Soviet-German War played a large role in the modernization of the Royal Navy in the mid-2280s.

The Retivvy Class is in essence, the sum of all the lessons learned by the Soviet Navy between 2250 and 2270, in particular, the combat action of the Slavny class, which served as a test bed for numerous systems onboard the Retivvy, and across the Red Fleet. It is what some consider a perfection of the cruiser/carrier hybrid design, pioneered by the Soviet Union.

Designed foremost for anti-cruiser warfare, the Retivvy class is built around 10 KN-983 dual barrelled deck guns, used in favour of large scale torpedoes, which at had at times proven ineffective against modern countermeasures. These deck guns, first used aboard the Slavny class, have gained a sort of reverence within the Soviet Navy, having demonstrated their effectiveness repeatedly in numerous engagements. Indeed, during the shakedown cruise of the Retivvy prototype, it managed to completely pierce the hull of a captured Italian battlecruiser, from outside the range of the Italian ships own weapons.

The Retivvy class is not completely without torpedoes however, with dual launchers within the ships prow. Other secondary armaments include three Makarov flak cannons and 4 KN-933 light deck guns.

The defining feature of the Retivvy is the cruisers air wing, unlike the Slavny class, the hangers are housed in the back of the ship, giving it greater protection against oncoming fire, and allowing fighters to return to the ship without sacrificing the firepower of the forward battery. Like the Slavny, it is primarily equipped with MiG-43 and Su-85 strikecraft.

In a harbinger of the designs later found on the Odessa Class, the bridge of the Retivvy is built not only to coordinate the ships activities, but to also act as a command center for a Soviet line, division, or even battlegroup. It also is fully equipped to sync with Red Air Force and Red Army networks, giving added strategic capabilities in planetary invasions and defense.


Port battery


Stern Hangar


Bridge Tower