Dossier: Akula
The Akula-class heavy fighter (later Akula-class patrol craft) was a Soviet-designed spacecraft intended as a successor to the Lancer-class long-range fighter widely used during the Solar War. Produced in large quantities for the rapidly-expanding Human Coalition space fleet, the Akula also saw service in the spaceborne forces of the Sjiqoy, as well as in the hands of private contractors for decades after their introduction.
Background The miniaturization of human-developed Tumansky drives in the years following first contact meant that craft originally designed for long-term use around the Solar system could be utilized for interstellar reconnaissance and defense. Due to a sudden need for humanity to patrol a large area of interstellar space, spacecraft like the Soviet-built Lancer heavy fighter/interceptor were repurposed for this task, with many of said type being recovered from storage and rebuilt for faster-than-light travel. However, the Lancer was never designed for such a role and its performance suffered, especially due to the extreme load a Tumansky drive placed upon its electrical system. The inability of the Lancer-class to fulfill all of its roles as an interstellar patrol vessel led to the development of its successor, beginning in March of 1989. The first prototype was launched September 3, 1992 and production commenced early the next year at the L-4 shipyards in Perepelkin crater.
Design Intended to represent a significant leap forward in spacecraft design, the Akula-class utilized new technologies reverse-engineered from Antei and Concordance vessels. Design requirements included independent loitering times of 3 months before resupply, mounting points for the RKT-4 long-range missile, and the capability to land on low-gravity bodies such as the Moon and Ganymede. The requirement for long-duration flights with high-thrust periods for landing and combat caused the selection of metallic hydrogen as the primary propellant, a choice which caused some teething issues during development. The propulsion system relies on a powerful set of rear-mounted motors for on-orbit maneuvering as well as a set of four underside-mounted thrusters for landings and takeoffs. These second motors were occasionally utilized by pilots of the Akula to rotate the vessel faster than the reaction control systems alone, resulting in a turning rate much higher than ships of comparable size.
The Akula-class heavy fighters were 50 meters in length, over double that of the Lancer-class it replaced. This extra length was used to fit larger crew quarters, a compact nuclear reactor instead of the solar cells on the Lancer, and a larger internal fuel reserve. The end result was that the early Akula-class vessels could support a crew of eight for three months or a single shift of four crew for six months. Later advances in automation allowed for a minimum crew of two per shift, increasing endurance dramatically.
Armament The primary anti-ship weapon of the Akula-class was the RKT-4 long-range guided missile, carrying six such missiles in an internal rotating bay. The RKT-4 active radar homing missile carries a 500-kilogram continuous-rod warhead, with an additional fragmentation filler to ensure effective post-impact damage on a direct hit. An additional warhead based on the W80 nuclear device was developed for the RKT-4, but was not deployed.
As a result of the efficacy shown by kinetic-energy weapons against Antei spacecraft at the end of the Solar War, the Akula-class was designed with a pair of GSh-30-2 autocannon in a fixed forward-firing mount with 400 rounds per gun, to be used as the primary mode of engagement at short distances. As the Akula-class was the last human-built fighter designed to use kinetic-energy weapons in this manner, the class earned the moniker “The Last of the Gunfighters,” in reference to the earlier Vought F-8 Crusader naval fighter.
Performance Despite its size and weight, the Akula-class proved a surprisingly nimble vessel in practice, easily keeping pace with the earlier Lancer- and Eagle-class fighters in terms of agility, and outmatching the Lancer in raw acceleration thanks to its more modern drive system. An Akula was a forgiving machine to operate, often finding use in regimes far outside those intended in its design. One notable engagement involved a Coalition Akula using its significant hovering capability to engage and destroy insurgent drone aircraft on Titan, despite never being rated for atmospheric operations (though the vessel in question required significant overhauling afterwards).
The title of “The Last Gunfighter” proved no hollow praise, as well: though most combat took place at long range, the twin 30mm cannon were a formidable weapon against targets of all sizes once distances were closed. For vessels not equipped with kinetic shielding, only short bursts were required to deal fatal damage. The advent of human-built directed-energy weapons passed the Akula fleet by, as it was deemed that their cannon retained enough utility to not warrant a replacement. Though civilian contractors often modified the weaponry of their ships, the armament of the Akula-class was never changed in official Coalition service, despite several upgrades to other systems.
In short, the Akula-class heavy fighter filled a performance requirement desperately needed in human fleets: that of a long-range patrol vessel to defend new human territories in a time when both crew and on-orbit mass were at a premium. New advancements in technology eventually made the class outdated, especially with the advent of faster-responding Tumansky drives and more compact power solutions, and the last Akula was retired from Coalition service on August 9, 2026. However, the class lives on in both the Sjiqoy SDF and among private owners, and it will likely do so for many years to come.
