Recent history
The aftermath of the interstellar war left the ADF forced to rely on brutal tactics against criminal activities, but also gave it the opportunity to renew its arsenal. While this was a boon for the defense industry, popular opinion of the ADF and the Vestan military as a whole dropped for a few decades due to various scandals and mishaps. Still, the brutality of the ADF played a major role in the sharp drop of criminality that ensued in the 260s. In more recent years, the ADF has remained the eternally vigilant guardian of the Federation, but has been rather discreet in Vestan medias. As crime rate dropped, the ADF's interventions went from interceptions to patrols and rescue, which slowly restored its reputation. The ever growing arms race with the Imperial Defiant Wing has also led to the ongoing modernization efforts of the ADF's arsenal, indirectly impacting the Federation's economy.
Organization
The ADF is a centralized organization centered around the Aerospace Central Command. The ACC is made of civilians and military officers under the leadership of the Director of Aerospace Operations, and is tasked with managing the ADF's operations and safeguarding the Federation's interests. The ACC is assisted in its mission by two auxiliary organizations, the Home Guard Command and the Cerysian Colonial Command, each responsible for managing the ADF's assets in Auriga and Ceryx, respectively. The HGC is further assisted by the Joint Defense Command, which oversees the numerous space stations of the ADF located in Auriga. The ADF's numerous vessels are then divided into Fleets, with each command typically overseeing two to four Fleets led by vice-admirals or rear admirals. These Fleets are further divided into Task Forces, under the leadership of commodores, which constitutes the bulk of the ADF's patrols.
Due to their numbers, Vestan warships are not equiped with FTL communications and instead rely on conventionnal radio and laser transmissions. These are relayed through a network of communication stations and outposts, connecting together the entirety of the ADF for near-real time transmissions. As a result, the numerous fleets spread accross the Federation's territory are able to react to threats they themselves may not have found, making the overall defense of Auriga in particular a well-oiled mechanism. While the Cerysian forces of the ADF maintain a similar approach, the lack of infrastructure means such a global communication network cannot be implemented, forcing the individual fleets of the ADF to operate independently instead.
Expeditionary Task Forces
While the ADF is primarily meant to defend the Federation's territory, FTL-capable fleets are still a must-have for the ADF's force projection and rapid intervention needs. As a result, the ADF currently maintains 21 tunnelers, each one serving as the flagship of what are called Expeditionary Task Forces. These special Task Forces, composed of a tunneler and its 12 escorts each, can be found all over Elysium, performing the various missions they are assigned. Most of them travel regularly between Auriga and Ceryx, ferrying troops and equipment with the additional safety that entails.
Bulwark Task Forces
Headquartered in the Citadel or, for Cerysian fleets, in Iskandar Station, the ADF maintains 83 Task Forces split between Auriga and Ceryx. These fleets are incapable of FTL travel but form the bulk of the ADF's capabilities. Most of these fleets (68) are located in Auriga and serve as an impenetrable bulwark against any incursions. The remaining 15 fleets are found in the Ceryx system, guarding the Inner Rim from pirate incursions. All of these defensive fleets, no matter where they are, are formed around a command cruiser and up to two dozen escorts, which are further divided into squadrons.
Skywatch Brigade
Directly under the authority of the ACC, the Skywatch Brigade is responsible for operating and maintaining the skywatch network of the ADF. Comprised of 24 stations located in Auriga and Ceryx, the skywatch network is the first line of defense against any threat, identifying them and relaying their positions in mere hours to friendly units. Due to their position and strategical value, the Skywatch Brigade is a highly respected unit, as well as a difficult one to join. In addition, each skywatch station is heavily fortified against external assaults, making the Skywatch Brigade one of the safest unit in the ADF. Many officers attempt to join the Brigade, but only a fraction are accepted every year.
Astronaval Infantry Corps
The AIC is the infantry sub-branch of the ADF. Directly under the command of the ACC, these men and women are tasked with defending the assets of the ADF, be it ships or stations, as well as garrisoning the low-gravity worlds of the Federation. Their expertise in low-g combat makes them invaluable to perform boarding actions and to defend the smallest worlds of the Federation, combining their ground elements with support from the ADF's vessels. The AIC is often considered to be the most active branch of the entire Vestan Defense Forces, as their presence is as extended if not even more than the entire ADF. Many young recruits aim to join the AIC in a thrill for combat, though few choose to enlist for a second term.
Personnel
Commissioned officers
With most ADF ships operating in relative isolation for months or even years, ADF officers are among the brightest of the entire VDF, capable of adapting to rapidly evolving situations and leading autonomously without constant supervision from the ACC. Due to the prestigious role of ADF officers and especially ship captains, most candidates of the Strategic Command program aim for positions within the ADF, but only fifty to seventy percent of those candidates achieve their goals. Due to their skills, it is not uncommon to find retired officers of the ADF in high-ranking positions once they enter the civilian labor market.
Enlisted personnel
Due to the lower physical requirements and less dangerous roles of ADF enlisted troops, a lot of candidates of the Operational Command program are applying for the ADF. From mechanics to cooks, there are plenty of roles to fulfill, but since these are relying on intellectual skills, not all the candidates pursue their training all the way to the end, instead shifting to a more conventional role in the GDF.
The ADF shares a long history of collaboration with the GDF, as most of its assets, from ships to supply bases and laboratories, are guarded by GDF troops. The GDF's Naval Infantry is also a popular choice for young candidates, serving as the ADF's main infantry force and being assigned to its ships to defend them and extend their capabilities. This reliance on GDF troops has led to most ADF troops to be considered ineffective or inadequate in firefights, which more than one made the mistake of believing.
Equipment
As of 382, the ADF operates over 3 600 ships and stations, including assets operated by the Joint Defense Command crewed by a combination of civilian contractors and a small number of uniformed ADF personnel, 11 400+ aircrafts, 250 000 non-combat vehicles and owns over 150 000 buildings and stations.
Ships
Besides their names, ships of the ADF are also identified by their hull classification code, starting with two letters and ending with six digits. In accordance to the New Dawn Space Militarization Treaty, the ADF currently employs a total of 3 116 warships and hundreds of support vessels. In addition to these active vessels, the ADF also maintains a reserve fleet of inactive vessels that are maintained for reactivation in times of need.
Tunnelers
The largest ships in service of the ADF, military tunnelers play a vital role in the Federation's force projection capabilities. At roughly three kilometers long and one kilometer wide, these behemoths serve as mobile bases of operation for the fleets they carry, with facilities such as fuel refineries and advanced fabricators used to replenish expended supplies over time. This allows them and their fleets to operate nearly indefinitely away from any port, greatly synergizing with their use of FTL travel. Vestan tunnelers are named after popular sentences and concepts. The ADF currently maintains 20 Embrace-class tunnelers and one Pride-class tunneler, as well as 7 Solace-class tunnelers in reserve.
Cruisers
Cruisers are the largest ships in service of the ADF after tunnelers. Like the smaller frigates, they are built to serve specialized roles, but also to operate individually for extended periods of time. As such, they are generally both highly manoeuverable and heavily armed to survive most encounters with hostile forces, although their defenses are average at best. Due to the large hull and powerful engines they are equipped with, cruisers often serve as test beds for new technologies. Cruisers of the ADF come in various types such stealth reconnaissance cruisers, command cruisers or interdiction cruisers, among others. Vestan cruisers are named after great geographical locations. The ADF currently maintains 141 cruisers.
Destroyers
Emphasizing survivability and lethality, the destroyers of the ADF form the backbone of any fleet. Heavily armed and well protected against any threat, these ships are the main combatants of the ADF, capable of firing volley after volley while enduring heavy fire. Vestan destroyers are rarely found alone, as their limited sensors and electronic warfare capabilities leave them vulnerable to ambushes. When working in groups, however, their overlapping fields of fire make them a deadly threat that is nigh unapproachable. Vestan destroyers are typically named after cities or important localities. The ADF currently has 1028 Aeris Mare-class destroyers in service, along with numerous San Zemilla-class destroyers in reserve.
Frigates
While Vestan destroyers are impressive fleet combatants, their abilities beyond space superiority are limited if not non-existent. This is where the frigates of the ADF come in. At roughly the same size or slightly smaller than destroyers, frigates are designed to serve specialized roles to fulfill tasks that a group of destroyers cannot, such as intelligence gathering, electronic warfare or missile defense. This leaves individual frigates vulnerable to attacks, although they are far from defenseless themselves, and means that they are seldom found outside of a fleet. Vestan frigates are typically named after historical figures. The ADF currently operates 381 frigates of various classes.
Support Vessels
The fleets of the ADF are not exclusively made of ships dedicated to space warfare. Logistics play a vital role in maintaining the combat effectiveness of any force, and the ADF is no exception. This is where support vessels come in. Carrying supplies or the means to produce them, these vessels form the infamously vast logistical network of the ADF. Coming in all shapes and size, support vessels can be found attached to fleets or in convoys to connect the various assets of the ADF. They also play a role in transporting troops and materials from one place to the other, such as relocating garrisons or preparing for an invasion. The ADF currently has 1 041 support vessels of various types in service.
Corvettes
Bridging the gap between spaceships and aircrafts, corvettes are the smallest vessels of the ADF. Fast, maneuverable and inexpensive, Vestan corvettes often serve as dropships for large and heavy cargo, as their powerful engines allow them to overcome the natural gravity of most planets. They also serve as escorts for larger ships capable of carrying them, as they themselves have a rather limited operational range due to their small tonnage. Vestan corvettes are typically named after animals preceded by an adjective, but their large numbers makes it more frequent to use their hull designation instead. The ADF currently has 1 523 corvettes of various classes in service.
Stations
Skywatch Stations
The all-seing eyes of the ADF, skywatch stations play an essential role in the defense of the Federation. Placed in strategic locations throughout Auriga and Ceryx, the skywatch stations, and by extension, the skywatch brigade, are responsible for locating and identifying any unauthorized vessel in the Federation's territory. They do so through a myriad of long-range sensors, allowing them to identify unknown drive signatures at extreme ranges. Skywatch stations are also large enough to accomodate DSM transmitters, allowing them to relay information in real time to coordinate with the rest of the ADF. As invaluable assets to the ADF's defense strategy, skywatch stations are well defended and regularly resupplied by convoys, making them a very difficult target for any opposing force. There currently are 24 skywatch stations within the Federation, organized into icosahedrons to provide full coverage of Auriga and Ceryx.
Bastion Stations
The ADF employs numerous defensive stations, built from mass-produced modules, to relieve its fleets from patrolling the vicinity of important areas. These bastion stations can be quickly assembled and are generally armed well enough to stave off most attacks. Armed with numerous weapon systems such as oström cannons and missile bays, the largest bastions can endure all but the heaviest of assaults. Bastions also often serve as resupply stations and more rarely as drydocks for repairs, although these occurances are rare due to the presence of dedicated shipyards within Auriga and Ceryx. Bastions are often found around strategic locations such as planets and industrial stations, making it easier to resupply them through military convoys. Despite this, maintaining bastions is a heavy strain on the ADF's logistic capabilities, although they represent only a fraction of the ADF's budget in exchange.
Aircrafts
The ADF employs numerous atmospheric aircrafts that are capable of engaging land, air and sea targets, but struggle at reaching any orbital theater. These aircrafts are deployed from assault carriers that remain in low orbit, serving as their mobile air bases and command centers. This gives the ADF the ability to reach any battlefield with more accuracy than conventional orbital bombardment, and allows the ADF to perform peacetime missions as well, such as search and rescue or supply drops.
The ADF's two most prominently used aircrafts are the SF-44 Gale Rider stratospheric strike fighter and the AC-56 Tempest Crusader assault craft. These are complemented by the ADF's corvettes and other support aircrafts, such as cargo carriers. In total, the ADF fields 67 432 aircrafts in addition to its corvettes, making it the largest air force of Elysium. While most of the ADF's air power is stationed on its numerous carriers, a large portion of them are also stationed in airbases and orbital stations to provide a more permanent coverage.
Weapons
The ADF's arsenal revolves primarily around missiles and Oström weapons, for both its offensive and defensive systems. In offensive systems, Oström anti-ship cannons and point-defense autocannons provide an unrivalled range and accuracy, second only to high-energy lasers. The most common Oström weapons in use by the ADF are the PA-57E3 anti-ship cannon and the EWS-5 autocannon. On the other hands, missiles are versatile weapons that can strike land, air, sea and space targets with a multitude of warheads. The most common missile in use by the ADF is the THMM "Thumper" tactical missile, which is often used against land and sea targets for orbital bombardment and against spaceships in saturation attacks.
In defensive systems, the ADF focuses heavily on anti-missile and anti-Oström countermeasures. Against missiles, powerful electronic counter-measures and the Râ Missile Defense Systems can engage threats at extreme ranges, and any projectiles reaching the vicinity of a ship will be targeted by its extensive Point Defense Network. Against Oström cannons and, to a degree, railgun fire, the main defense employed by the ADF are evasive "drunkwalking" flight algorithms that constantly randomize a ship's trajectory, thus evading most projectiles at longer ranges. Still, at shorter ranges, where these algorithms are no longer sufficient, the ADF also employs powerful electromagnetic shields, which can deflect Oström particles to prevent any major damage. These shields unfortunately block friendly fire as well, and are known to disrupt communications.
Comments