Ampere-class Assault Carrier

The Ampere-class assault carriers were built in response to changing times and technology. Combining the roles of fleet fighter defense and land invasion, it carries an impressive compliment of both starfighters and troops. Its integrated command facilities allow multiple flag officers to lead fleet and ground operations simultaneously. Frequently deployed to the front lines with only minimal escorts, they are capable of absorbing more damage than any other capital ship and have enough firepower to challenge any enemy force.

## General Characteristics

### Complement

8200 enlisted crew, 900 officers, 2500 marines, 60 armored vehicles

### Armament

12 x 220cm torpedoes, 72 x anti-aircraft missiles, 12 x 8-inch coilguns, 10 x 40mm flak guns, 12 x 30mm "hummingbird" CIWS

### Air and Space Craft

60 x Su-135 Fighter-Bombers, 20 x Su-486 Interceptors, 40 x Condor Dropships, 10 x Heavy Dropships, 10 x AWACS command craft, 5 x La-265 Lightning Gliders

## Service History

The *Ampere*-class's predecessors were the *Abraham*-class supercarriers and the Empire-class support carriers. The *Abraham*-class were extremely inefficient, expensive ships designed to establish air superiority with sheer numbers of fighters in a battle of attrition. Meanwhile the *Empire*-class excusively carried ground forces to launch mass troop landings.

As propulsion systems became much smaller and fighters more survivable, it became possible to combine the two into what proponents of the design called "invasion in a can." One of the biggest size-reducing factors at the turn of the century was the Naval Air Corps' experimental genetics program. Introduced in 2810, the new, mentally-enhanced pilots could each be as combat effective as five regular ones, meaning battles could be won with 1/5th of the fighters that used to be necessary.

After three years of R&D and an additional two of building, the first ship of its class left the shipyards on Aggregation--the TNS *Genesis*. The carriers proved themselves during the Sino-Tekkelien War on the planet New Petrograd, able to land troops across the ocean world's many scattered islands. 65 were built, each named after the books of the Bible, excluding the repetitions. Rumors continue to circulate that the Navy had estimated only 60 would be necessary for their operational needs, but the Tekkelien Orthodox Church bribed the admiralty into building an additional five more for completeness.

By the outbreak of the Human-Dominion War, the *Ampere*-class carriers were beginning to wear out. New designs showed promise and the Navy made plans to decommission them within the next few decades, but the desperate need for ships during and after the War kept some in operation for past 70 years of service through modernization of weapons systems.

The lead ship, the *Genesis*, was essential to ending the war. Its shipmaster, Lower Admiral Arnold J. Leminsky, was assigned to track down the leader of the Aradynic Dominion, eventually resulting in the discovery of their home world. A unit of Winged Hussars from the *Genesis* were ultimately responsible for killing ATMOS-7.

## Design

The Imperial Navy has an extensive territory to cover. Its comparatively underdeveloped supply lines in farther corners of Human Space mean that carrier battlegroups can't always be sustained. The *Ampere* class was designed to be capable of defending itself, performing ground support missions with its aircraft, and standing in the line of battle itself with cruiser-class armaments and armor.

The carrier's outer hull is made of rolled Eklesian steel. The belt armor is 10 inches thick and the deck armor is 6, making it capable of resisting the majority of destroyer and light-cruiser class projectiles. The vital areas around the reactor and combat information center are protected by an additional section of spaced armor--two layers of thinner steel with high-resistance silica aerogel between them to further slow down the breakaway fragments. There is extensive compartmentalization, especially within the hangar deck where fuel fires and ammunition detonations are most expected.

### Fighter Complement

The *Ampere* class is expected to fulfill, or at least contribute to, every aspect of a major offensive landing. Its primary fighter craft is the Su-135 "Egret" Fighter-Bomber. It is sturdy and carries enough firepower to take on the majority of near-peer adversaries' fighters, protecting friendly ships from pinpoint anti-subsystem attacks. Once fighter superiority has been established, they perform offensive anti-ship operations by inflicting damage on the unarmored systems of enemy ships. Once it is safe to begin landing troops, they enter the atmosphere and begin performing bombings and then strafing runs against ground targets. A modified version of the fighter-bomber called the Corvid is outfitted for suppression of enemy air defenses, capable of jamming enemy radar and targeting their missile launchers and gun batteries with anti-radiation missiles.

For peer adversaries, or when outnumbered, the *Ampere* carriers employ Su-486 "Kingfisher" interceptors. These more advanced fighters are specialized for air supremacy alone, carrying a large payload of anti-fighter missiles, greatly improved maneuvering characteristics, and larger detection sensor suite. A modified version called the Spearfisher is optimized for a more traditional interceptor role of hunting down enemy bombers at high speeds with high-yield missiles.

### Facilities

The *Ampere*-class carriers have a tremendous crew size and were expected to "show the flag" on foreign missions. When it was first designed, it had some of the most luxurious accommodations because of its complement, although many of the remaining ones' crew amenities are in a poor state of repair. There are various lounges around the sleeping areas, stocked with alcohol and cigars in small self-service bars, free of charge. The lounges have a special filtration system separate from the rest of the ship to allow smoking on board. The aviators' flight lounge is considerably nicer than the average lounges and are notorious for parties and poor discipline.

A few compartments near the outer hull have observation decks that are sealed off during battle. These decks have wide floor to ceiling windows and comfortable benches, allowing the crew to see the planet or celestial bodies they are nearby in space.

#### Medical

The *Ampere* carriers are expected to fully support a ground invasion, including caring for the human casualties that it would inevitably produce. A significant area of the ship is dedicated to intensive and medium care beds with a staff of doctors and nurses trained to the standards of the civilian world. During battle stations, there are many smaller sickbays throughout the ships that are activated, and medical personnel are trained to spread themselves among them evenly. This is to deal with injuries much closer to the damage and avoid having all medical capacity removed by a single lucky hit.

Because of this high capacity, *Ampere* class carriers were typically the first to respond to major disasters alongside hospital ships.