LHDN-10 Tripoli class Multi Role Amphibious Assault Ships:

While the middle of the Twenty First Century was a time of relative peace, this did not mean that there was no military development. The Wasp class multi-purpose amphibious assault ships were badly obsolete and needed to be replaced. Development was started on a replacement class while engineers attempted to keep the Wasp class operating for a few more years. The Wasp class was as much a carrier as it was a standard amphibious vessel and this feature was to be copied in the replacement class. Amphibious carriers had become capable of operating as strike platforms with the introduction of the Harrier VSTOL fighter and had become even more potent with the introduction of the Joint Strike Fighter in its short take off and landing version. The requirements for a new assault carrier design included many improvements which included the ability of the carrier to act virtually in the role of a normal carrier. The vessel could act as a Sea control vessel and in that mission, the number of carried ground assault aircraft is reduced so the ship can carry more fighters. Other features included much better self defense weaponry and a hull and superstructure design to give the vessel some stealth. By the time the first of the vessel had been completed, virtually all of the Wasp class had been decommissioned and the Tripoli was forced to go on its first long term cruise virtually right after it was completed. The next vessels of the class came slowly, only one ship every five or so years. This was until the Guada Marta incident. At this point in time, it was decided that four additional vessels of this class would be commissioned. In addition, there were plans for four large submersible amphibious carriers. This would bring the class up to a total of sixteen amphibious carriers in service but only two new vessels of the Tripoli class had been completed before the coming of the Rifts. It is unknown if any of the vessels survived the coming of the Rifts and it is unknown if any of the submersible assault carriers were ever completed.

It was decided from the beginning that the amphibious vessels would have fusion power as their main power source. This power system had become economical and the power plant could produce enough power to propel the vessel at 30 knots. At the same time this system was fitted to the Tripoli, designers were considering fitting the propulsion system to merchant vessels as well. The ship carries variable pitch propellers which makes the propulsion system both more efficient and allows from crash stops. The hull and superstructure were designed with a reduced radar cross signature but the vessel is not as stealthy as many other designs. These ships were designed with a heavy point defense array with a vertical launch missile system and four combination missile systems. This is approximately equal to that of destroyer designs of the same time frame but did not include torpedo launchers or any gun mounts. The ship carries a lightweight phased array radar which is identical to the system carried of frigate designs. Because the ship might be required to act in anti-submarine warfare roles, the vessel carries a hull sonar but does not carry a towed array sonar.

Initially, an upgraded version of the STOL version of the Join Strike Fighter was carried on the vessel with Comanche helicopter and upgraded version of the Osprey were carried as the ship's air wing but they were replaced by more advanced designs as time when on. By the time that the Rifts arrived, the Sea Hawk was carried as the main fighter, Striker attack choppers, and the Kingfisher support VTOL. The Striker attack helicopters were scheduled to be replaced by a hover VTOL similar to the US Army's Steel Tiger Attack VTOL which would have greatly increased the ship's ground assault capability. Most conventional take off and landing fighters could not be operated from the Tripoli because the ship lacks any kind of catapult or arresting system. Still, most smaller nations feared one of these vessels positions off of their coast.

These ships have a huge amount of space for vehicles other than aircraft. These ships carry about 240 power armors, including forty Glitter Boy power armors, when used on ground assault roles. Flying power armors are often carried when the ship is acting in a Sea Control role as well. The ship is designed to carry four hovercraft that can carry troops of vehicles to the shoreline. Unlike the previous Wasp class, the hovercraft are carried on a dry deck. This dry deck enables the ship to carry other vehicles in place of the hover craft. The ship carried 10 heavy tanks, 25 armored personnel carriers, 10 missile batteries, and 60 support vehicles as a normal compliment but could be varied as per mission requirements. Older designs were normally carried and were preferred by many marines over the Merovingian and Iwo-Jima vehicle designs. There were also many marines who wanted to go to the Army's new high speed hover designs instead of the ones that had been developed specifically for the Marine Corp. Two favorites were the Mackintosh tank destroyer and Wolfe class high speed hover scout. The ship was designed with troop support as one of its primary purposes and has the capacity for 500 patients and has a full operating room. Half of the medical department is part of the crew and the other half is part of the marine compliment. Like most ships built at the time, the ship has a large amount of automation to reduce crew requirements.

Model Type: LHDN-10 Tripoli class Multi Role Amphibious Assault Ships
Vehicle Type: Ocean, Assault Vessel
Crew: 480 (40 officers, 50 chief petty officers, 390 enlisted [Has a high degree of automation])
Troops: 120 (200 in Sea Control) pilots for Semper Fi Power Armors, 120 pilots for SAMAS power Armor (200 in Sea Control), 160 Aircraft Pilots, 300 vehicle crew members, and 1,800 soldiers.

Robots, Power Armors, and Vehicles (Standard):

Assault

Control

Power Armors:

	100	160	Semper Fi Power Armors (With Flight Packs)
	100	160	PA-04A SAMAS
	40	0	USA-G10 Glitterboys

Fighter/Aircraft Compliment:

	8	6	EV-84A General Cargo / Search and Rescue
	4	6	EVS-84A Anti-Submarine Warfare
	4	4	EVE-84A Electronics Warfare
	12	24	FV-45 Sea Hawk VTOL Jet Fighters
	12	0	IE-15AH Striker Attack Helicopter
	10	10	Utility Tilt Rotors

Landing Craft:

4

0

Air Cushion Landing Craft

Tanks & Other Vehicles:

	10	0	USA-M-7 Jackson MBT
	25	0	USA-M-8 Maverick IFV
	10	0	USA-M-9 Morgan Missile Vehicle
	60	0	Support Vehicles

M.D.C. by location:

	[1] Elevators (3):	400 each
	Hanger Doors (3):	400 each
	[2] Main Flight Deck	3,000
	Rear Vehicle Doors:	600
	[3] Main Bridge / Superstructure:	2,000
	[4] Phase Array Radar Panels (4, Superstructure):	200 each
	Combination Anti-Missile Defense System (4, Flight Deck):	200 each
	Mk 59-B VLS Missile Launchers (1, Forward Superstructure):	375 each
	Chaff Launchers (4, Superstructure):	10 each
	[5] Main Body:	10,000

Notes:
[1] If all three elevators are destroyed, no aircraft can be moved from the hangers to the main flight deck.
[2] If the flight deck is destroyed, only VTOL aircraft can be launched or land. VTOL aircraft are at -15% to piloting.
[3] If Bridge / Superstructure is destroyed, the ship can still be piloted from engineering but with a -15% to piloting rolls. Communication and sensor equipment are not concentrated on the bridge to reduce the effectiveness of bridge hits.
[4] Destroying Phase Array radar panels will destroy the ship's fire control systems but secondary systems have backup systems and panels can compensate for each other. All Bonuses are lost if panels are destroyed.
[5] Destroying the main body destroys propulsion and power systems, disabling the ship. The ship is fitted with advanced polymer armors that allow the ship to withstand up to -2000 MDC before losing structural integrity and sinking. There are enough life preservers and inflatable life boats to accommodate everyone on the ship including marines.

Speed:
Surface: 34.5 mph (30 knots/ 55.6 kph)
Range: Unlimited due to fusion engines (needs to refuel every 20 years and requires maintenance as well). Ship carries six months of supplies on board.

Statistical Data:
Length: 850 feet (259.1 meters)
Draft: 27.5 feet (8.4 meters)
Width: 145 feet (44.2 meters)
Displacement: 36,200 tons standard and 42,500 tons fully loaded
Cargo: 5000 tons of nonessential equipment and supplies (Increase to 12,000 tons without vehicles.) Each enlisted crew member has a small locker for personal items and uniforms. Ships officers have more space for personal items. Most of the ship's spaces are taken up by extra ammo, armor, troops, weapons, and engines.
Power System: 4 Fusion Reactors, average life span is 20 years
Market Cost: Not for Sale but costs around 800 million credits to construct. If found and sold on the black market would probably cost 2 to 4 billion credits

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

1. Four (4) Combination Anti-Missile Defense Systems: These weapons are sponsoned out on the sides of the hull below the flight deck. Two are forward and the other two mounts are mounted toward the rear on either side of the rear elevator. This anti-missile defense system combines both a rapid fire rail gun and a short range missile launcher. While mounted in one system, both defense systems have separate tracking systems. The short range missile launchers can target up four targets and can fire a volley up to twice per melee. The rail gun is capable of destroying any missile or inflicting serious damage on aircraft. The rail gun can fire on automatic at up to six targets per melee (Has +3 to strike missile and +2 to strike aircraft). The rail gun is very similar to those carried on the Sea King Cruiser and it is likely that the Sea Kings rail guns came from a prototype of this system. The system also can be used against other ships and ground targets. The system has a 360 degree rotation and can elevate up to 90 degrees to fire at targets directly overhead.
   Maximum Effective Range: Rail Guns: 11,000 feet (2 miles / 3.2 km). Short Range Missiles: As per short range missile type (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
   Damage: Rail Guns: 3D4x10 MD per burst of 40 rounds (Can only fire burst). Short Range Missiles: As per short range missile type (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
   Rate of Fire: Rail Guns: 6 attacks per melee. Short Range Missiles: 2 attacks per melee, can fire one at a time or in volleys of two or four.
   Payload: Rail Guns: 8000 rounds (200 burst) each. Short Range Missiles: 16 short range missiles each.
2. MK 59 Vertical Launch Missile Launchers (1): The mount is mounted forward of the main superstructure and is raised slightly from the flight deck. The launcher is smaller and carries half as many missiles as the launcher on the Darcey and Fox class naval vessels. The system is similar to the vertical launch system employed on many ships in the late twentieth century to launch the SM-2 series missile but since the missiles are smaller they have a reload system that reloads from under the launcher and can reload within 15 seconds. The launcher has a total of 48 individual cells and is six missile cells longs by eight cells wide. The launcher can fire up to half its total payload per melee. The launcher can use a vast variety of missiles including surface skimming missiles and rocket propelled torpedoes (See Revised Rifts Torpedoes). Each cell can carry one long range missile or two medium range missile. The reload for the cell must carry the same load as the main cell. Long range missiles are normally used against large targets and aircraft further out where the medium range missiles will normally be used to engage closer targets. About half of all long range missiles carried are fusion warheads and most missiles are normally smart missiles.
   Maximum Effective Range: As per long or medium range missile type (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
   Mega Damage: As per long or medium range missile type (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
   Rate of fire: One at a time or in volleys of 2, 4, 8, 16, or 24 missiles for the whole launcher per melee. Missile cells are automatically reloaded and are ready to fire next melee.
   Payload: 48 missile cells in launcher with reload systems for each cell (1 reload each cell). One long range missile or two medium range missiles may be carried per cell but reload must be the same load out as well. The ship will often carry 32 cells with two medium range missiles each and the other cells loaded with one long range missile each.
3. Chaff Launcher (4): Located on the sides of the hull of the ship, they are designed to confuse incoming missiles. All four launchers must be operated or effects will be reduced. Reduce effects of launchers by 50% per launcher not used. Rifts Earth decoys systems are assumed to not operate on Phase World missiles due to technological difference. Reduce effects by 20% against smart missiles (Add +20% to rolls for smart missiles.)
   Range: Around Ship
   Mega Damage: None
   01-35 Missile or Missile volley detonates in chaff
   36-60 Missile or Missile volley loses track of target, may lock onto another target
   61-00 No Effect; Missile Still on target
   Payload: 24 each for a total of 96
4. Advanced Towed Decoys (4): The vessel carries four advanced towed decoy drones. They are each a small automated vehicle that creates a false sonar image designed to mimic the vessels. The decoy is dragged behind the amphibious vessel using a cable. If decoys are not destroyed, they can be recovered and repaired. Rifts Earth decoy systems are assumed to not operate against Phase World weapons due to technological difference.
   M.D.C.: 20
   Effects: The decoy has an 80% chance of fooling ordinary non military sonars and non smart guided torpedoes, the decoy has a 50% chance of fooling military level sonars (like those of the Coalition), and the decoy has a 25% chance of fooling advanced military sonars (Like those of the New Navy and Triax) and smart torpedoes.
   Range: Not Applicable
   Rate of fire: One can be deployed at a time and requires 2 minutes to deploy (Reel Out) another decoy
   Payload: 4 Decoys.

Special Systems:
The ship has all systems standard on a robot vehicle plus the following special features:

• SPY-6S Three Dimensional Search Radar System Miniaturized version of the system carried on the Delaware class cruiser that is less powerful but still very capable. The incredibly advanced radar and computer system first developed before the coming of the Rifts and is similar to the system as that which is carried on Coalition Navy vessels. Powerful and flexible radar system that is comprised of four panels that each emit radar waves. If allowed by the horizon, the system can track out to 600 miles (966 km) and can simultaneously track and identify up to 768 targets at one time. The system controls missile launched from the long range missile launchers and the system track and guide each individual missile to a individual target for up to 192 targets. If a target is eliminated, missiles are automatically guided to a new target. The system can also control missiles launched from other linked vessels as well and can also act as fire control for gun mounts. The system gives a +10% to read sensory rolls, +2 on initiative, and +1 to strike.
• Advanced Hull Sonar: Mounted under the bow of the ship. Range of 25 miles (21.7 nm / 40.2 km). This hull sonar system has both a passive and active system built in. Sonar system can track up to 32 targets at one time
• Command and Control Facilities: The vessel carries extra communications equipment and command facilities, to enable the ship to operate as the flagship for a flotilla. When operating in a flotilla, all ships get a +1 on sensor rolls, +1 to strike on all weapons, and +10 % on communications.
• Radar Defeating Profile & Radar Absorbing Materials: The ship superstructure is designed so that the radar profile of the ship is reduced and the ship is covered with radar absorbing materials. Because of this, attempts to detect the ship using radar are made with a -10% penalty to read sensor rolls when attempting to detect this ship. Go to General Detection Penalties for more information on penalties and bonuses to use with stealth.
• Combination Radar Detectors and Active Jamming System: Combination of radar detection system (ESM) and an active jamming system. The system can detect another radar system at 125% of the range of the transmitting radar. In jamming mode, causes -25% to detection but when it is active, other vehicles/ bases can detect that it is jamming, and some missiles will home in on jamming signals. Jamming also causes a -4 penalty to all radar guided weapons.

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By Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune ).

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