darkwing_duck1
Vice Admiral
Me, back with new stuff! 
(From "Scenes from the Kzinti Wars", by Patrick Killgrave, Starfleet, Rtd, 2201)
"The Kzinti Wars were the unintentional salvation of the 'fighter/carrrier' combat concept, which was beginning to fall out of favor with Starfleet Operations planners despite it's proven value in the planetary assault and system interdiction/raiding roles during the Romulan War. SO complained that carriers were too expensive to build, and couldn't carry enough fighters to engage in single-ship operations. Due to their lack of heavy armaments, carriers depended on their fighter screens and accompanying escort vessels for their defense.
"Furthermore, SO pointed out, fightercraft played very little role in the defense structures of most other spacefaring societies. Even the Romulans appeared not to make extensive use of fighters, save as planet/based short-range interceptors. The smallest craft in regular use in most space forces were corvette-types with 3-5 man crews that operated in a "superfighter" role at need, though they too were limited mostly to system patrol and defense work.
"Then we met the Kzinti. Kzinti combat doctrine was heavily influenced by Kzinti sociopsychology. Each Kzin warrior wanted the maximum opportunity to earn personal honor, and thus a name.
"That meant that Kzinti naval doctrine tended towards employing a large number of relatively small craft, particularly in the early stages of any assault. The typical Kzinti raider had a crew of about 40, and operated either alone, or as part of a 'swarm'. They were also far more maneuverable than most Starfleet capital ships.
"Fortunately for Starfleet, the process of decommissioning and scrapping it's carrier assets was still in it's early stages, and the ships thus destroyed were the smaller 'pocket' or 'jeep' carriers, such as the Kirov- and Illustrious- classes. The enormous Kennedy- class carriers, with their 72 fighter complements, were still sitting in various spacedocks and shipyards awaiting their fate. They were pulled out of storage, hastily refurbished, given upgrades to their defensive armaments, and pressed back into service."
Seen here are F-216 Wasp fighters of the "Jolly Roger" squadron conducting flight operations on the USS John F Kennedy shortly after her re-commissioning in 2168. [Image courtesy of Jane's.]
"Task Force 47, operating in and around Sector 27644 during the heaviest fighting near the war's midpoint, assembled a particularly impressive record. This image was taken during 'Operation: Catskinner' in late 2172."
The captial ships shown are the Kennedy- class carriers Winston Churchill and David Ben-Gurion, the Daedalus- class starships Icarus, Excalibur, and Hood, and the Nimitz- class destroyers Robert E Lee, Yammamoto, Joshua Chamberlin, Farragut, and Schwartzkopf. [Image courtesy of Jane's.]
"During the final stages of the War, several Kennedy- class carriers were refit to serve as tenders for PT class corvettes instead of fighters. This was useful for facilitating "first wave" ground assaults and preliminary infiltrations work. Seen here is part of Task Force 22, at the beginning of 'Operation: Thunderbolt', the final push into Kzinti space itself in June, 2176 ."
Pictured here are the starships Odyssey, Potemkin, Magellan, Cook, and Constitution, with the destroyers Montgomery, Crazy Horse, Saladin, York, John Paul Jones, Masada, and Sun Tzu. Also pictured are several PT- class corvettes operating from the carrier Ark Royal (not shown). [Image courtesy of Starfleet Archives.]
(From "Scenes from the Kzinti Wars", by Patrick Killgrave, Starfleet, Rtd, 2201)
"The Kzinti Wars were the unintentional salvation of the 'fighter/carrrier' combat concept, which was beginning to fall out of favor with Starfleet Operations planners despite it's proven value in the planetary assault and system interdiction/raiding roles during the Romulan War. SO complained that carriers were too expensive to build, and couldn't carry enough fighters to engage in single-ship operations. Due to their lack of heavy armaments, carriers depended on their fighter screens and accompanying escort vessels for their defense.
"Furthermore, SO pointed out, fightercraft played very little role in the defense structures of most other spacefaring societies. Even the Romulans appeared not to make extensive use of fighters, save as planet/based short-range interceptors. The smallest craft in regular use in most space forces were corvette-types with 3-5 man crews that operated in a "superfighter" role at need, though they too were limited mostly to system patrol and defense work.
"Then we met the Kzinti. Kzinti combat doctrine was heavily influenced by Kzinti sociopsychology. Each Kzin warrior wanted the maximum opportunity to earn personal honor, and thus a name.
"That meant that Kzinti naval doctrine tended towards employing a large number of relatively small craft, particularly in the early stages of any assault. The typical Kzinti raider had a crew of about 40, and operated either alone, or as part of a 'swarm'. They were also far more maneuverable than most Starfleet capital ships.
"Fortunately for Starfleet, the process of decommissioning and scrapping it's carrier assets was still in it's early stages, and the ships thus destroyed were the smaller 'pocket' or 'jeep' carriers, such as the Kirov- and Illustrious- classes. The enormous Kennedy- class carriers, with their 72 fighter complements, were still sitting in various spacedocks and shipyards awaiting their fate. They were pulled out of storage, hastily refurbished, given upgrades to their defensive armaments, and pressed back into service."
Seen here are F-216 Wasp fighters of the "Jolly Roger" squadron conducting flight operations on the USS John F Kennedy shortly after her re-commissioning in 2168. [Image courtesy of Jane's.]
"Task Force 47, operating in and around Sector 27644 during the heaviest fighting near the war's midpoint, assembled a particularly impressive record. This image was taken during 'Operation: Catskinner' in late 2172."
The captial ships shown are the Kennedy- class carriers Winston Churchill and David Ben-Gurion, the Daedalus- class starships Icarus, Excalibur, and Hood, and the Nimitz- class destroyers Robert E Lee, Yammamoto, Joshua Chamberlin, Farragut, and Schwartzkopf. [Image courtesy of Jane's.]
"During the final stages of the War, several Kennedy- class carriers were refit to serve as tenders for PT class corvettes instead of fighters. This was useful for facilitating "first wave" ground assaults and preliminary infiltrations work. Seen here is part of Task Force 22, at the beginning of 'Operation: Thunderbolt', the final push into Kzinti space itself in June, 2176 ."
Pictured here are the starships Odyssey, Potemkin, Magellan, Cook, and Constitution, with the destroyers Montgomery, Crazy Horse, Saladin, York, John Paul Jones, Masada, and Sun Tzu. Also pictured are several PT- class corvettes operating from the carrier Ark Royal (not shown). [Image courtesy of Starfleet Archives.]
Last edited:
