Database and Lore

The Kpinga Class Patrol Cruiser

“Small, elegant, cheap, Oshun knows what the UHN needs, and Oshun will fill in the gap,” Captain Ferraj Kellan, first CO of the UHN Seme. With the ever-present threat of the Itreans, the need for warships has been ever-present. The desire to replace the Daring Class Cruisers has been echoed by Oshun’s introduction of the Kpinga, giving the UHN a vitally important ship to fill its stocks. Design The UHN patrol cruisers, simply dubbed Guided Missile Cruisers, have never been a new concept. Since the formation of the UWA and the UHN, there have been two prior cruiser designs. The more recent designs include the Daring Class. Its goal was to serve as an internal security vessel and interdiction warship for the solar system fleets. If need be, they can also serve as basic warships to serve alongside battleships and drone carriers for the UHN in mass-wide engagements. The Daring has been an adequate vessel performing its intended role in trying to protect places such as the Paloran system from pirate activity. The Daring’s weakness has been well known in the UHN. Its cost is 2/3 of a Guided Missile Battleship. Its armament and operational combat capability are considered to be half of that of a battleship. In 2346, it was deemed that the Daring class was starting to show its age. Unlike the Magellan Battleships, which have been considered to be adjusted for refit and eventual replacement in ten years, the UHN had no plans to refit the cruisers. However, Oshun expressed interest in replacing the Daring class. Orsa, Oshun’s primary moon and ship construction yards, had been expanded to the point that small warships could be built. Designs were put in place to introduce a new series of Guided Missile Cruisers. They would be almost deemed as Oshunian pocket battleships, easy enough to be manufactured at Orsa and cheap enough to seem viable for UHN investments.   The Daring class would help serve as a basis for the Kpinga. Its hull was the same size as the Daring. However, the frame would undergo a series of changes. Among one of the changes was reverting back to the spinning box ring. This was decided in hopes of making a cheaper warship. The gate probe launcher was switched over to two launchers that were mounted on the mid- starboard and port sides. By doing this, more probes could be held and deployed at once for quicker deployment. More room was also made for the four bow torpedo tubes. The ship carried two light railgun turrets, including AIO turrets and autogun turrets. The Kpinga class was reviewed by the UHN board, where they gathered much interest in the design. Its cost to produce it was 90% cheaper when compared to the Daring class. At the same time, the overall firepower of the Kpinga had been greatly improved. The side launcher gate probes actually allowed quicker deployment and could allow the cruisers extended ranges in their combat patrols. It didn’t take long before the UHN gave the go-ahead for Oshun to begin construction of the brand-new Kpingas. History The Kpinga’s arrival was heralded as part of a new beginning trend in modernizing the UHN fleet roster. The Czar class battleship and Emerald class dreadnought programs were currently being considered at the moment the UHN Seme was commissioned in 2348. The Kpingas were designed to replace the Daring cruisers over time as more and more ships were introduced. Ironically, the Kpinga’s introduction was seemingly perfect. By the time humanity encountered the Itreans in 2349, the need to update the fleet was vital for humanity’s survival. The Magellan battleship was no match against a typical Itrean battleship. Mars and Batrice had begun a massive campaign for war by dropping many of the future planned commissions of the Mark 2 Magellan hulls. Meanwhile, the Czar class would take their place in construction queues as many of the UHN warships had to be repaired and rearmed for future battles. The Orsa shipyards had been mostly untouched, with the exception of the failed Shal’rein invasion of Oshun in later 2349. As Oshun had been mostly made defenseless, two Kpingas were commissioned to try to protect what was left of Oshun’s almost non-existent fleet. With the T’rintar clan alliance in December 2349, the UHN issued the “2350 Modernization and Revision Program” or MARP initiative. The entire overhaul utilized every resource to upgrade and rebuild the UHN fleets. This would include dropping all future Daring class Cruiser hulls considered for future construction. Orsa shipyards would take the brunt of building all future Kpinga cruisers as Mars and Beatrice would focus on building bigger warships. The Kpinga class Cruiser is considered to be a powerful vessel for its size. Against its Itrean counterparts, such as the Scouting Battleships, which are more looked at as recon frigates, the Kpinga can easily take on one of them and win in a one-on-one match. Two cruisers can take on an Itrean Battleship as well. At the same time, the cruisers have more viability in a support role, being able to escort the larger battleships into battle. There are some weaknesses, however. The ship is considered too packed due to maximizing all its compartments into such a small frame. Complaints of overcrowding in the rotating box habitat ring are apparent, and the ammunition stores for the ship are limited in long-term engagements. Instead, the Kpinga resides in the same role as any other patrol cruiser, and that is to patrol and protect the sectors from assault. Its capability of being an interdiction warship will continue in the years to come.