Brazilian Sao Paulo class Cruising Frigate (1st Class)

Designer: Bryn Monnery

Design Date: 2278

First Example Laid Down: 2278

First Example Completed: 2282

Fleets in Service: Brazil

Number in Service: unknown

Class History

The Sao Paulo is Brazils answer to the large and powerful Piedra Buena class operated by the Argentine forces. She is considerably more expensive, but much more capable.

Utilising a small nuclear power plant, the Sao Paulo can sustain warp 1.5 in cruise, and so keep up even with MHD powered vessels, and is still faster than a Piedra Buena after it has dropped its drop tanks (authors note, IMHO I have trouble with a 2000 ton vessel carting around 8,000 tons of fuel in combat and halving its speed. It doesn't even need this much as dialling back to 2MW gives 40 weeks endurance, let alone deploying a solar panel when cruising insystem. The PD can be a nice little ship if you take the fuel use with some salt), although the latest Argie frigates are slightly faster.

Weapons are based around a large battery of x2 Particle Beams all firing through the forward and port arcs. A pair of double mount lasers gives some degree of sustained anti-missile defence (except in the rear arcs), but the main anti-missile defences are the two Grapeshot launchers situated on the Starboard side. Long range fire is provided by 6 AAS-5 series missiles and by the two carried fighter craft.

It is odd for such a small vessel to carry a pair of fighter craft, but this is the most cost effective way of harashing enemy ships and engaging merchants at a distance. The two fighters are carried in slings either side of the engineering section.

The hull is 70m long, consisting of a 6m wide, 40m long forward boom, housing weapons and electronics. A 18m wide, 10m long spin section housing the quarters and and 20m long, 12m wide aft section with engineering, the cargo spaces and fighter craft access.

In terms of cost, this is perhaps the most expensive frigate in human space, the larger US frigates (Cayuga) excepted. However, they do show a degree of superiority over their Argentine equivalents and will be potent units should another war come.

Brazil currently has 3 main elements in their space force. The first is the main force at Sol, which contains all their vessels above frigate class, except for 2 old Espirito Santos. The 2nd element is the colonial squadron at Paulo, consisting of two refitted

Espirito Santo's, used as Defence Monitors for the planet itself. Beyond this is the frigate arm, which is scattered around Terran space, 6 based at Tirane, 4 at Paulo etc. These are the primary space control arm of the Brazilian navy. Strategy is for the main force to tie down the Argentine main force while frigates across Terran space hunt down and destroy detached Argie units and merchant shipping.

Performance

Warp efficiency: approx. 1.50 with fighters and full cargo load (1.71 unloaded, sans fighters, cargo and fuel)

Power Plant: 15 MW fission

Fuel: 450 tons (30MW-days operations for fighters)

Range: 7.7 light years

Mass: 2,918 tons (unloaded)

Cargo Capacity: 1,265 cubic meters

Crew: 60 (12 Bridge, 10 TAC, 6 Small Craft, 14 Engineering, 10 troops, 6 stewards, 2 medical);

Passengers: none

Comfort: 0;

Emergency Power: 1 week

Total Life Support: 60 for 180 days

Cost: MLv40.762, exclusive of small craft or ordnance

Ship Status Sheet

Move: 3

Screens: none

Radiated Signature: 2(5)

Radial Reflected: 7

Lateral Reflected: 8

Target Computer: +2;

Radial Profile: -1

Lateral Profile: 0

Armour: 2

Hull hits: 44/22/11

Power Plant Hits: 20/4

Active: 13 and redundant

Passive: 10 and redundant

Other: 2x Slings

Weapons

4 x2-2 PBWS in masked turrets (4x 1278)

1 x1+1dbl lasers in masked turrets (1x 1278, 1x 1238)

2 Grapeshot launcher (24 shots each, 1x1 warhead)

Ordnance Load

6 AAS-5 missiles in 2 bays

Vehicles

2 Fighters (10*6) carried in external slings

Sensors and Electronics:

Phased Active-13 with redundant antenna

Spherical Passive-10 with redundant antenna

Navigation Radar

DSS

Gravitational

Advanced Life

Advanced Cartographic

4 Fire Control Radars (TTAs)

Crew Hits:

Bridge: Captain, Navigator, Helm, Communications,

Computer, Comms/ Computer

TAC: 4 Fire Control, 2 Remote Pilot, 2 Flight Control,

Phased Active Operator, Spherical Passive Operator

Damage Control: 7 (plus 6 spares from bridge)

Notes: Posted to etranger in Summer 2004 (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/etranger/message/8250)