Welcome back!

So here is the Heracles Class Frigate adapted to a Fighter Carrier Role. Acknowledging that I never did get the time to go over the technical details surrounding the design in the previous posting of the Heracles Frigate, I figure why not now. So in classic tradition, we will go from Stem to Stern here. And as you can see, there's a lot to talk about.

This is also why I'm not posting pictures. For this all to make sense if you're a visual guy like me, take advantage of the zoom feature in each area in 3D mode.

Forecastle / Stem- Well, its a frigate, it has the Jump Engines, and what's needed only. The most notable changes are the slimming down of the horizontal profile. This it to limit the level of high power main guns midships. It's a frigate, so why over power it right? Well Shuttle operations are still possible without the conventional Hanger deck. So please, take a look from the top in the Forecastle Area. There's 2 docking bays. The shuttles would be coming in Vertically from the top. If you zoom all the way inside, you'll see a horizontal landing pad. So this can cover 3 Shuttles. You'll also see access to the main central Corridor along the Axis of the ship. Everything forward is machinery. Also, there's cut outs thru the hull to support the energy distribution of the Rotational first area dedicated to logistical functions and Navigational control. Also there are plenty of openings in the hull to drop mines off the back platforms, automated sensor buoys or, improvised fun stuffs if you get the case of the fuck arounds.

Midships-Moving along the Ships Axis, we see a stationary superstructure with Guns, Radar and in this case Struts to 2 Vertical Fighter Launch Bays. It also has retrieval causeways for rearm / repair inside the axis of the ship. We also have a 2nd integrated rotational Habitat Area. Both Fore and Aft are decorated with main guns. Fore and Aft being carefully placed to use the 90 / 90 degree axis of elevation angle pitch and yaw for fire. The idea here is to limit blind spots.

Aft-This area got a lot of attention. This is a new style engine that takes the power of the conventional 4 engines down to 1. If you look inside that area, you'll notice the designs use of letting heat out, reflecting it into controlled zones by heat shielded areas that are placed at 45 degree's and a multistage pulse design. The idea here is to get the power out the back, use the openings in the first stage to direct flow for evasive action maneuvers and have full 3 speed settings. The openings provide thrust in pitch, yaw and roll without thrusters everywhere. It also has the third integrated rotational section of Engineering and Engine Room. This design honestly, like the Planet Killer I previously modeled carry's over the least possible components from the B5 models and is a remix. Still looks the same though I might add. Thus, showing how close we are from then in that story, to now.

The Design intent-The Frigates are smaller, more adaptable and able to carry out many missions thru configurations. This catches an enemy by surprise as a Ship of this class could be changed per operational role physically to carry out its specific mission. Designed for maximum survivability, that design integration of configurability supports that intent. With the story being in 2260, yet remixed, these ships are smaller, cheaper, use less resources, maximise power with less output from the fusion reactor by geometry to store reserve munitions power to flash directly down the barrel of each gun. So its a capitol ship destroying Frigate.

This configuration brings the Fighters into the frey creating no fly zones and area deniability to a task force or Convoy Action. Also great for cover of Larger Capitol Ships who's goals start in a secondary or tertiary phase's of an offensive operational theater. So as mentioned in the last post, these ships may seem dismissable, but dismissable turns into no longer memorable ;). This is Royal Navy Logic. Smaller, meaner, lest costly for the tax payer.

Also, its got interceptors everywhere where they need to be for both automated or manual control with stealth being used by the other Races. Also per all Ships now that Utilize the Delta Design segment in this Thingiverse library of 100's of models; the guns use different modulation signature to penetrate bioarmor. I also know that by simply just attachiching this model to the original listing wasn't enough to get it out there. So here she is, on her own. All the technical dialog transfers to the other Heracles Ships as well.

More on the Interceptors- You'll also notice single 3 barrel, and 2 Stage 6 barrel arrangements. Some are mounted on stationary parts of the ship and some are placed on rotational parts of the ship. These have a 360 degree yaw, and 90 degree pitch, and roll provided in the rotational areas, by the Hull. That's what we mean by efficiently utilizing the footprint effectively. So yes, why have all the big guns? Their goals are interception of incoming fire, or threats in a defensive, or blanketing fire in an offensive action.

So here is most of the technical stuff without going to far in depth. I hope... If you're a nerd like me, you'll love this stuff.

Enjoy!
-JH