AeroTech 2 Vessel Technical Readout
                                  VALIDATED

Class/Model/Name:  ComstarJihad Escort Carrier
Tech:              Inner Sphere / 3067
Vessel Type:       WarShip
Rules:             Level 2, Standard design
Rules Set:         AeroTech2

Mass:              250,000 tons
K-F Drive System:  (Unknown)
Power Plant:       Standard
Safe Thrust:       3
Maximum Thrust:    5
Armor Type:        Lamellor Ferro-carbide
Armament:          
   40 NL55
   80 AMS
   80 Large Laser
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==Overview:==
The Gladius-class Escort Carrier is the pride of the Marian Empire's Classis
Stellae. This workhorse supplies virtually all of the needs of the Empire in
one inexpensive, multi-role platform. It is thickly armored, massively armed
and carries a full 9 squadrons of fighters and a squadron of shuttlecraft.
.
A Gladius battlegroup typically consists of the Gladius, 2 to 4 escorting
dropships (Parma-class), 0 or 2 troop transports, and a tender (Demeter-class
dropship). This concentration of aerospace firepower is unmatched in the Inner
Sphere, except amongst a few of the leading powers (Federated Boeing Corporate
State, Andurien Republic, Hindu Collective, and Taurian Concordat). The Marian
Empire, of course, tacitly avoids butting heads with those powers (especially
the nearby Republic and Magistracy) because there are so many inhabited
planets nearby with low (pre-spaceflight) technology.
.
The Gladius is designed to make evident the might of the Marian Empire to its
(non-spacefaring) neighbors. Its eight mighty terajoule lasers can evaporate
stubborn primitive armies, while its 9 squadrons of aerospace fighters rain
precision-guided munitions and strafing terror on worthy targets.

==Capabilities:==
Without pulling punches, the Gladius is a teeny leetle corvette with 60
fighter bays and some naval lasers. By the standards of the Star League,
it...well, actually, it would probably whupp on SLDF corvettes pretty well,
but the Gladius's fearsome reputation is mostly a result of being used against
pre-spaceflight planets and rapidly expanding the Marian Empire's hegemony
beyond its officially claimed borders.
.
The primary battery of the Gladius is built of 8 terajoule-class lasers
arranged in eight turrets around the hull. They are the most photogenic aspect
of the Gladius and feature prominently in the Marian Empire's media reports.
The weapons can, of course, be turned against other space targets, but are
primarily used against ground targets. The Gladius is designed to hover on raw
thrust over a patch of ground and lase away. As far as the Empire and nearby
starfaring governments will admit, the Gladius's primary weapons have never
been used against hostile space targets.
.
The Gladius's secondary battery consists of quad-large laser batteries. These
are an obligatory anti-fighter array that have only seen use in training
exercises. The tertiary point defense systems see continual use against space
debris, but have never been used in combat.
.
Aside from the primary battery, the striking arm of the Gladius is its
fighters. The 54 fighters can wreck regiments of tanks in one pass and abuse
targets across a globe. The additional squadron of shuttles enables the
Gladius to have an integral planetary assault capability, though normally
troop transports are assigned for such assaults.
.
The passenger quarters mostly cover the fighter pilots and support crew.
However, an additional 50 are available for visiting dignitaries. The Caesar
prefers to travel on a Gladius over civilian vessels.
.
The Gladius is notoriously short of cargo space. It depends on the giant
Demeter-class dropships to carry all necessary extra munitions, spare parts,
food, etc.
.
Interestingly, the Gladius is not particularly well designed for the nuclear
battlefield, but an examination of the Marian Empire's history explains this.
The Marian Hegemony (the earlier name for the Empire) was founded by refugees
from the Comstar Jihad. It did not fight in the Jihad, but did feast on the
"carrion" of Inner Sphere worlds as a result of it. This meant the Hegemony
never had a military that had to consider the all-out WMD exchange of the
Jihad. At the turn of the millennium, the Hegemony was still far too small and
so minimally capable of interstellar travel that it could not contribute
troops to the Clan War (another fast-and-furious exchange of nukes). The
Gladius's fighters can deliver nuclear LRMs, of course, but this is a
secondary feature. The Gladius is not fast enough to avoid nuclear attackers,
lacks the structure to ride out nuclear blasts, and does not have integral
weaponry capable of launching nuclear weapons. It is for this reason that the
navies of other starfaring powers view the Marian Empire's Classis Stellae as
a "tin can navy."
.
==Variants:==
All Gladii show minor improvements and variations, based on past experience.
The original model (introduced in 3105) mounted four larger lasers instead of
the current 8 terajoule-class lasers, but additional, smaller lasers proved to
be more accurate than 4 monstrous lasers. The first 3 Gladii were built in
this format, but were refitted in 3115 to the modern format.
.
==Deployment==
The Marian Empire has been building Gladius battle groups since 3105, and
managed to begin building them annually in 3115, giving the Empire a total of
15 Gladius battle groups. These dozen-plus battlegroups enable the Empire to
truly impress the local, pre-spaceflight planets. They are also enough to make
the Magistracy of Canopus and Andurien Republic take notice, even if a
squadron of Republic gunboats could beat all 15 Gladius battle groups like a
drum.
.
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Class/Model/Name:  ComstarJihad Escort Carrier
Mass:              250,000 tons

Equipment:                                                            Mass  
Power Plant, Drive & Control:                                       45,000.00
Thrust:  Safe Thrust: 3
      Maximum Thrust: 5
Kearny-Fuchida Hyperdrive:  Compact (Integrity = 7)                113,125.00
Jump Sail: (Integrity = 3)                                              42.00
Structural Integrity: 50                                            12,500.00
Total Heat Sinks:    5,000 Single                                    4,655.00
Fuel & Fuel Pumps:                                                   2,550.00
Bridge, Controls, Radar, Computer & Attitude Thrusters:                625.00
Fire Control Computers:                                                 88.00
Armor Type:  Lamellor Ferro-carbide  (280 total armor pts)             250.00
                           Capital Scale Armor Pts
   Location:                            L / R
   Fore:                                 55
   Fore-Left/Right:                   46/46
   Aft-Left/Right:                    46/46
   Aft:                                  41

Cargo:
   Bay 1:  Fighters (60) with 8 doors                                9,000.00
   Bay 2:  Infantry (foot) Platoons (3)                                 15.00
   Bay 3:  Cargo (1)                                                   440.00
   Bay 4:  Spinning Docking Collars (4)                              4,000.00

DropShip Capacity:  5 Docking Hardpoints                             5,000.00
Life Boats:  200 (7 tons each)                                       1,400.00

Crew and Passengers:
    100 Officers (94 minimum)                                        1,000.00
    400 Crew (0 minimum)                                             2,800.00
     70 Gunners (67 minimum)                                           490.00
    250 1st Class Passengers                                         2,500.00
    204 Bay Personnel                                                     .00
Weapons and Equipment      Loc        SRV    MRV    LRV    ERV  Heat    Mass
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5 NL55                     Nose        28     28     28     28  425  5,500.00
5 NL55                     Nose        28     28     28     28  425  5,500.00
20 AMS(240 rounds)         FL/R        --     --     --     --   40     60.00
20 Large Laser             FL/R   16(160)16(160)     --     --  320    200.00
5 NL55                     L/RBS       28     28     28     28  850 11,000.00
5 NL55                     L/RBS       28     28     28     28  850 11,000.00
20 AMS(240 rounds)         AL/R        --     --     --     --   40     60.00
20 Large Laser             AL/R   16(160)16(160)     --     --  320    200.00
5 NL55                     Aft         28     28     28     28  425  5,500.00
5 NL55                     Aft         28     28     28     28  425  5,500.00
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TOTALS:                                            Heat: 4,120     250,000.00
Tons Left:                                                                .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        5,722,368,000 C-Bills
Battle Value:      57,178
Cost per BV:       100,079.89
Weapon Value:      33,622 (Ratio = .59)
Damage Factors:    SRV = 2,823;  MRV = 2,479;  LRV = 1,589;  ERV = 637
Maintenance:       Maintenance Point Value (MPV) = 495,191
                   (85,799 Structure, 287,512 Life Support, 121,880 Weapons)
                   Support Points (SP) = 662,860  (134% of MPV)
BattleForce2:      Not applicable