Jane's Weapons of ZOCU

From Sphere
Jump to navigation Jump to search

ZOCU Ground Forces

Ramses X Assault Tanks

[1]
Type: Tank Battalion
Tech: 3
Cost: 100 IP, 40 Sakuradite
Upkeep:
+1 Mega Particle Cannon
+2 Composite Armor
Base Purchase price: 125 Wealth
Availability: Limited
Originally developed on Khemet in the years before the war, the Ramses X assault tank has an efficient, conventional design. Originally armed with a large-caliber railgun, the definative production version was instead fitted with an Asakuran-supplied heavy mega particle cannon capable of punching through all but the heaviest armor. Mass-produced in the war, the 'X' saw combat in ground actions on a dozen worlds and gained a reputation for both durability and power.

Hasseldorf Löwenherz Wanzer

[2]
Type: Strider
Tech: 3
Cost: 180 IP, 60 Sakuradite, 30 β-Titanium
Upkeep: 15 Supply
+1 Sakuradite Particle Cannons
+1 Fast-tracking Missiles
+1 β-Titanium Armor
Base Purchase price: 270 Wealth
Availability: Exclusive
The Wanderungpanzer, or Wanzer program came from utility striders used for specialized load handling and construction tasks. This technology proved just as useful in warfare. Hasseldorf build a long line of wanzers, many of which remain in production to this day. The last wartime design, the Löwenherz (Lionheart) came into play during the last days of the War. It drove off an occupying force before the Treaty was signed, even recording a few mobile suit kills. This victory proved the worth of the new design, despite its expense, and mass production continues.
Like all Wanzers, the Lionheart uses crushing firepower. The Sakuradite particle cannons in the arms are renowned for their capacity to destroy armor with ease. The missile launche system were designed for AA purposes, but have also seen use against heavy infantry. Finally, the thick β-Titanium armor on the wanzer is designed to give them a staying power equivalent to tanks.

ZOCU Aerospace Forces

OMF-06 Hoplite Mobile Suit Family

The Hoplite was the primary mass-produced space combat suit of ZOCU during the war. While not the first or best mobile suit to be built by the ZOCU states, the Hoplite and its innumerable variants were by far the most common; 90% of all ZOCU mobile suits built between 2185 and 2188 were Hoplite variants. Even today it remains a backbone of the various ZOCU militaries and in a very real sense it is the archetypical ZOCU mobile suit.

OMF-06A Hoplite Alpha Mass Production Model

Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Hoplite in standard paint scheme

Type: Mobile Suit
Tech: 3
Cost: 12 IP
Upkeep: 2 Supply, 4 He3
+1 Microfusion Rockets
Base Purchase price: 10 Wealth
Availability: Open
Special: ZOCU states pay 1/2 supply for unmodified OMF-04A Hoplite Alphas.
One of the most heavily-produced variants, the OMF-06A Hoplite Alpha was the standard space-combat type. Fitted with powerful microfusion thrusters the Alpha model could outperform its nearest competitor, the Ge-03 Leonid. However, its particle cannon was no more effective than the Leonid’s railgun, forcing Hoplite pilots to make the most of their speed advantage.

OMF-06B Hoplite Beta Space Superiority Model

Type: Mobile Suit
Tech: 3
Cost: 16 IP
Upkeep: 2 Supply, 4 He3
+1 Agility
+1 Microfusion Rockets
Base Purchase price: 14 Wealth
Availability: Open

OMF-06C Hoplite Gamma 'Shell Type'

Type: Mobile Suit
Tech: 3
Cost: 16 + 4 IP
Upkeep: 2 Supply, 4 He3
+1 Armor
+1 Microfusion Rockets
x1 Armor
Base Purchase price: 17 Wealth
Availability: Open

OMF-06H Hoplite Theta Battlespace Command

Type: AWACS Mobile Suit
Tech: 4
Cost: 120 IP
Upkeep: 10 Supply, 20 He3
+1 Sensors
+1 ECM
+1 Command
+1 Microfusion Rockets
Base Purchase price: 150 Wealth
Availability: Exclusive (rare)

OMF-07 Legionnaire Assault Mobile Suit Family

While the Hoplite was a solid performer, its ability to perform anti-shipping strikes in the face of increasingly effective Core anti-air defenses became a concern by April 2187. Even the deployment of the heavily-armored Hoplite Gamma model could not reverse this trend. This made the introduction of the OMF-07 Legionnaire in June 2187 an unpleasant surprise for Core shipping.

Thickly armoured in low-mass composites, the Legionnaire was a tough target for the Core ships’ railguns, making it popular with pilots. Unfortunately this popularity did not extend to the shipboard maintenance crews who were forced to replace overworked components after every mission. Postwar variants have vastly improved on this, as well as outfitting these powerful suits with mega particle rifles derived from that of the Sarissa.

OMF-07 Legionnaire Mass Production Model

Legionnaire in standard production colors

Type: Heavy Mobile Suit
Tech: 3
Cost: 18 IP
Upkeep: 6 Supply, 6 He3
+1 Armor
+1 Microfusion Rockets
-1 High Upkeep
Base Purchase price: 15 Wealth
Availability: Open

OMF-07B Legionnaire Beta New Technology Model

Type: Heavy Mobile Suit
Tech: 4
Cost: 30 IP, 12 Sakuradite
Upkeep: 3 Supply, 6 He3
+1 Mega Particle Rifles
+1 Armor
+1 Microfusion Rockets
Base Purchase price: 46 Wealth
Availability: Limited

OMF-09 Sarissa Ace Mobile Suit Family

The continuing deployment of increasingly superior models by both the Core and ZOCU eventually led to the introduction of the OMF-09 Sarissa, a high-performance unit intended for commanders and aces. The first mobile suit to feature a mega particle rifle, the sheer firepower of the Sarissa’s rifle led directly to the development of the high-agility Leonid Command – no armor that would fit on a Leonid frame could stop a mega particle strike.

OMF-09 Sarissa Original Model

Sarissa in standard paint scheme

Type: Mobile Suit
Tech: 3
Cost: 20 IP, 8 Sakuradite
Upkeep: 2 Supply, 4 He3
DP: 2
+1 Sakuradite Beam Rifle
+1 Armor
+1 Microfusion Rockets
Base Purchase price: 25 Wealth
Availability: Limited

OMF-09A Sarissa Alpha New Technology Model

Type: Mobile Suit
Tech: 4
Cost: 24 IP, 8 Sakuradite
Upkeep: 2 Supply, 4 He3
DP: 2
+1 Sakuradite Beam Rifle
+1 Armor
+1 Microfusion Rockets
+1 Agility
Base Purchase price: 35 Wealth
Availability: Exclusive

OB-13 Cestus Attack Bomber Family

The brainchild of the Ophen Chrysoberyl Design Bureau, the OB-13 series of attack bombers was ZOCU's premier bomber design in the 2187 war. Fast and armed with the long range brilliant 'Aspis' shipkiller drones, they were excellent designs which were well known for both getting their missiles to the targets and getting their crews back alive. Furthermore, as they were equipped with an integral jump drive, they could range across interstellar distances and remained a threat to Core shipping until the armistice. OB-13s normally were equipped with additional missile racks to make up for the relative lack of ordinance capacity that they had, though on patrol or support missions they were also commonly fitted with sensor and jamming packs.

OB-13A Cestus Space Patrol Bomber

Type: Bomber
Tech: 3
Cost: 48 IP, 8 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 4 Supply, 8 He3
+1 Extended Range (Aspis drone system)
+1 Microfusion Thrusters
+1 Jump Drive
+1 AI Support
Availability: Limited
Base Purchase Price: 49 WU
After the war, the plans were sold to a handful of neutral powers in exchange for monetary support. The 'A' type is the standard model, representative of the war mark. They are commonly sold "clean".

OB-13R Cestus Regional Bomber

Type: Bomber
Tech: 3 Boutique
Cost: 64 IP
Upkeep: 4 Supply, 8 He3
+2 Defensive Weaponry
+2 Boosters
+1 Sensor Systems
+1 AI
Availability: Exclusive (Expanse)
Base Purchase Price: 70 WU
The OB-13 frame was easy to modify and hence was the source of many variants, including the -13S stealth design, the -13C civilian design, and the post-war -13R, which was not a ZOCU design but instead built by Expanse contractors seeking to squeeze more performance out of the old Cestus. A regional bomber design, the OB-13R no longer has the bomb racks necessary to carry the deadly Aspis drones, sacrificing it for a powerful radar and lidar system and a rotary dispenser that is designed to carry a variety of deadly anti-aircraft missiles. Capable of both defending other bombers and taking offensive action against fighters, the -13R is more than capable of competing with many of the newest regional bomber designs in the Sphere.

MMA-04 Xhosa Strike Armor

Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Xhosa with all DRAGONs attached

Type: Mobile Armor
Tech: 3
Cost: 300 IP, 100 Sakuradite, 50 Hyper-Glions
Upkeep: 20 Supply, 50 He3
DP: 20
+1 Sakuradite Beam Cannons
+1 DRAGON system (AA tracking)
+1 Shields
+1 ACE System
Base Purchase price: 450 Wealth
Availability: Exclusive (rare)
Rumors of a new ZOCU mobile armor being developed at Transbaal swirled though EU intelligence briefings through the summer. ZOCU counterintelligence operations had kept any substantive information about the new 'Xhosa' type from the Core and as a result, when the first pair cut a bloody swath through the fighter complement of the EUS Clemenceau the EU was caught flat-footed. Equipped with six DRAGON (Disconnected Rapid Autonomous Gunnery and Ordnance Network) weapon drones capable of outmaneuvering and striking aircraft they were devastating anti-air platforms, despite their relatively low speed and lack of transatmospheric ability. While the fast-scan control system that coordinated this all was effective, overall the Xhosas were expensive and difficult to construct, limiting the number of these devastating weapons fielded. No additional copies were built after the war, the last remaining pair (by twist of fate, the first two built) serving in the Transbaal military.

MMA-09 Kuma Strike Armor

Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Kuma in Asakuran rollout colors

Type: Mobile Armor
Tech: 4
Cost: 250 IP, 100 Sakuradite
Upkeep: 20 Supply, 50 He3
DP: 20
+1 Sakuradite Beam Cannons
+1 Extended Range
+1 ECM
+1 Fusion Rockets
-1 Armor
Base Purchase price: 440 Wealth
Availability: Exclusive
An experimental mobile armor introduced during December 2187, the Asakuran-built MMA-03 Kuma Strike Armor was one of the most powerful aerospace craft to see service on the Pac-Am arm. Armed with a quartet of long-range mega particle cannons it had the ability to strike from outside the range of effective return fire. Powerful ECM generators could effectively blind hostile sensors, making defense all the more disorganized. While unfortunately rather fragile and necessitating escort during fleet operations, the Kuma proved to be a lethal commerce raider. After the peace, Asakura has continued low-rate production of these powerful craft. While the armor deficiency did not prove to be correctable without a total redesign, this was judged an acceptable compromise. Currently, roughly a dozen Kumas serve in the Asakuran SDF with several more known to be in the arsenals of other ZOCU states.

ZOCU Naval Forces

Ariane Class Escort Frigate

[3]
Type: Frigate
Tech Level: 3
Cost: 32 IP, 8 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 2 Supply, 4 He3
DP: 2
+1 Anti-Air railguns
+1 Automation
+0 Super-hanger
+0 Gravity Drive
+0 Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 35 Wealth
Availability: Limited
Special: Available with a +1 Deuterium core and -1 slow as a variant design
On the Sino-Russian Arm, the war was often a matter of commerce raiding. As ZOCU began to suffer increasing pirate attacks, it was realized that the escort carriers currently used were not sufficiently cost effective. A new ship was needed, a frigate capable of handling aerospace craft or commerce raiding ships. The Ariane was designed with rapid-fire railguns and a highly automated ship design. A small crew could rapidly identify threats and eliminate them with some degree of success, while the built-in drone hangar could keep UAVs out on patrol. This ship was produced throughout the war. In the later stages of the war, a deuterium core was commonly added to new Arianes, but the hull was not designed for such heavy modification, and the deuterium core and its massive shielding and replacement access added enough mass to slow the ship significantly.

Proton Light Cruiser Family

Designed for simplicity of production and the ability to carry a single team of mobile suits into combat the Proton light cruiser is not without significant flaws. However it was ideal for its role and the Proton was mass-produced in shipyards across ZOCU space to become the most common warship in the combined ZOCU fleet. While designated a light cruiser, the Proton was too light to fall under Sirius treaty restrictions and remains ubiquitous to the current day in a wide variety of different subtypes.

Proton Mass Production Model

Standard production Proton

Type: Destroyer
Tech Level: 3 Hangarized
Cost: 32 IP, 16 Sakuradite, 16 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 4 Supply, 8 He3
DP: 8
+1 Super Hangar
-1 AA Weapons
+0 Mega Particle Cannons
+0 Rocket Drive
+0 Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 60 Wealth
Availability: Open
Special: ZOCU states pay 1/2 supply for unmodified Proton light cruisers.

Proton Beta Added Capacity Model

Type: Destroyer
Tech Level: 3 Hangarized
Cost: 48 IP, 16 Sakuradite, 16 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 4 Supply, 8 He3
DP: 12
+2 Super Hangar
-1 AA
+0 Mega Particle Cannons
+0 Rocket Drive
+0 Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 80 Wealth
Availability: Open
The Gamma model features a larger hangar bay to hold a full squad of Legionnaires or similarly-sized mobile suits.

Proton Delta Advanced Model

Type: Destroyer
Tech Level: 4 Hangarized
Cost: 96 IP, 32 Sakuradite, 16 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 4 Supply, 8 He3
DP: 8
+1 Mega Particle Cannons
+1 Super Hangar
+1 Cell Shields
+1 Taurus-Gamma Cladding
+0 Rocket Drive
+0 Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 180 Wealth
Availability: Limited
Large numbers of improved Delta Protons have recently begun emerging from the shipyards around Londonium and Asakura. Heavily redesigned from the keel up to be effective escort vessels, to the untrainted eye they nonetheless look little different from original war-era craft.

Ionia Heavy Cruiser Family

The oldest heavy warship design in the collective ZOCU fleets, the Ionia was a revolutionary design when it was first developed in the late 2170s. Featuring dispersed hangar systems that would not be out of place onboard a light carrier as well as powerful cannon armament, they were true multirole warships. Ionias served with distinction on all fronts during the war and remain the most common ZOCU cruiser model to remain in service. A postwar mark has recently been introduced, though with over fifty war-marks in service across ZOCU, it will take some time for these older ships to be retired or refitted.

Ionia Original Model

Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Standard production Ionia

Type: Cruiser
Tech Level: 3 Hangarized
Cost: 200 IP, 80 Sakuradite, 40 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 10 Supply, 20 He3
DP: 28
+1 Mega Particle Cannons
+1 Taurus-Beta Cladding
+1 Super Hangar
+0 Rocket Drive
+0 Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 320 Wealth
Availability: Limited

Ionia Alpha Mobile Armor Support Model

Type: Cruiser
Tech Level: 3 Hangarized
Cost: 200 IP, 80 Sakuradite, 40 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 10 Supply, 20 He3
DP: 16
Latch Points: 2
+1 Mega Particle Cannons
+1 Taurus-Beta Cladding
+1 Docking Latches
+0 Super Hangar
+0 Rocket Drive
+0 Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 320 Wealth
Availability: Limited

Ionia Beta Advanced Model

Type: Cruiser
Tech Level: 4 Hangarized
Cost: 240 IP, 80 Sakuradite, 40 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 10 Supply, 20 He3
DP: 28
+1 Mega Particle Cannons
+1 Cell Shields
+1 Taurus-Gamma Cladding
+1 Super Hangar
+0 Rocket Drive
+0 Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 450 Wealth
Availability: Limited
The more higher-tech ZOCU states have started building an updated version of the Ionia, bringing it up to technological parity with the new Carthage.

Carthage II class mobile cruiser

[4]
Type: Cruiser
Tech Level: 4 Hangarized
Cost: 240 IP, 80 Sakuradite, 40 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 10 Supply, 30 He3
DP: 16
+1 Mega Particle Cannons
+1 Taurus-Gamma Cladding
+1 Gravity Drive
+1 Aerospace Capable
+0 Super Hangar
+0 Rocket Drive
+0 Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 450 Wealth
Availability: Limited
The latest cruiser model to come out of the Londonium naval yards, the Carthage II is an update of the original Carthage model built during the war of '87. Improving on the original's primary weakness - light armor - the Mk-II also features general improvements to ship systems. Well-armed, fast and capable of deploying up to eight mobile suits the Carthage II has been steadily replacing older war-built models on a one-to-one basis. It compares favorably in most situations to its nearest rival, the European Union's Danube class heavy cruiser, but is somewhat less suited to direct battle-line engagements.

Pallada class battleship

[5]
Type: Battleship
Tech Level: 3 Hangarized
Cost: 500 IP, 200 Sakuradite, 100 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 25 Supply, 80 He3
DP: 40
+1 Mega Particle Cannons
+1 Cell Shields
+1 Taurus-Beta Cladding
+0 Super Hangar
+0 Rocket Drive
+0 Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 800 Wealth
Availability: Exclusive (Rare)
One of the largest and most powerful warships to see service in the War of '87, the Palladas were the pride of the ZOCU fleet. It was originally planned to build one per ZOCU world - thirteen in total - to act as centerpieces and flagships. With the declaration of war production was stepped up and the Palladas were soon leading ZOCU operations all across the Expanse. Qualitatively superior to the Core's common Drake class battleships they ultimately were brought low by the HEC's Helium-3 embargo. By the terms of the Treaty of Sirius, all of the partially complete hulls were scrapped. Several new battleship designs to replace the Palladas have emerged from ZOCU worlds, including a simple upgraded model, the Londonium Samothes and the Asakuran Kimi ga Nozumo Eien.

More worrying than these new battleship design however, several of these powerful warships vanished after the ceasefire, having never reached their rendezvous/disarmament stations. Various conspiracy theories abound and the 'lost Palladas' has already become something of an urban myth.

Pallada Alpha class battleship

[6]
Type: Battleship
Tech Level: 4 Hangarized
Cost: 600 IP, 200 Sakuradite, 100 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 25 Supply, 80 He3
DP: 40
+1 Mega Particle Cannons
+1 Cell Shields
+2 Taurus-Gamma Cladding
+0 Super Hangar
+0 Rocket Drive
+0 Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
Base Purchase price: 1125 Wealth
Availability: Exclusive (Rare)

Samo class Fleet Replenishment Ship

[7]
Type: Freighter
Tech Level: 3
Cost: 20 IP, 8 Delta Dust
Upkeep: 1 Supply, 5 He3
Transit Speed: 3 TW
He3 Space: 450
Supply Space: 90
+1 Helium Bunkerage
+1 Supply Stores
+1 Delta-Dust Jumpdrive
+0 Thermonuclear Rockets
Base Purchase price: 25 Wealth
Availability: Limited (ZOCU)
Fleets cannot operate long without fuel and supplies, a lesson that was not lost on the combined ZOCU admirals. As relations deteriorated in the middle 80s, ZOCU commissioned a modern fleet support craft. The result was the Samo, an efficient catamaran-style design that could carry enough supplies for an entire task force. While criticised for not being designed with atmospheric landings in mind, the Samo nevertheless proved effective in service and soon became the backbone of ZOCU logistics.

Jane's Weapons of the CPTO (Cooperative Pacific Treaty Organization)
Jane's Weapons of the EU
Jane's Weapons of the Sino-Russian Arm
Jane's Weapons of ZOCU
Jane's Weapons of the Expanse
Jane's Weapons of the Rim
Jane's Civilian Equipment