E.A.S. STYX

The E.A.S. Styx is the outcome of the most expensive program brought on by the Earth force Naval Intelligence and is the largest ship operated only by a Naval Intelligence crew. It is not enlisted in the Fleet, but is operated directly by the E.F.N.I. Naval Service.

Difficulties emerged between Psi-Corps and Naval Intelligence, due to the lack of information and access provided to the Corps by the Navy, which manages the entire program under extreme secrecy. The complaints of the Psi corps, which at the outset may seem unfair, are mainly related to the bad blood between the two organizations, which dated back to Clark's presidency, and to the prestige of Naval Intelligence.

The once declared role of this one-of-a-kind unit *(See note 2)is to provide Naval Intelligence with a powerful, effective and self-sufficient unit. It is aimed at deep space surveillance and information gathering in sensitive areas, reconnaissance, unspecified special operations, and deep strike.
The ship is a Warlock (2nd batch), modified with the addiction of ELINT and reconnaissance systems, and with a different arrangement of the weapon plants. The following document, recetly disclosed, may suggest a different point of view about the origins of the program and the purpose of the ship.

********FROM*******
********Cdr.(N.I.) Thorne, Roderick***E.A.S. STYX***11th S.O.G.***********
********TO*********
********EYES ONLY*********EYES ONLY***********EYES ONLY*******
********R.Adm.(N.I.) Cellini,Daryl***CINCOPS.N.I***E.F.Naval Intelligence***Earthforce**********
********EYES ONLY*********EYES ONLY***********EYES ONLY*******

*Operation Report - E.A.S. STYX - I.S.A. Fleet-Exercise "Brightstar VII"

*In accordance with the Oper.Orders and Oper.Plan, we offered to gather data about the performances of the Lockheed-Raytheon EGAD System, the A.M.S."ARGO" I.L.S.S. and I.O.W.T. Mk.1, Mk.1a,Mk.2 and Mk.5, in an operative environment. The operations went on regularly for the first three days of Fleet-Ex,until I decided to withdraw my ship from the Ex. because of the heavy risk of visual identification and detection by units belonging to the LONAW and M *(See note 1) Fleets.(See also Attached Reports 1, 1a - "Brightstar VII - E.A.S. Styx operating report" (Official) and "Brightstar VII - E.A.S. (N.I.) Styx operating report - Eyes Only" )

1-EGAD

During the whole operating period, the EGAD was always able to detect the imminent opening of a jump point with forecast times variables from 14.7" to 46.4", at distances between 87,000 meters and 16.1 light seconds, covering all of the Fleet-Ex area. All the jumps executed during the Ex, until our withdrawal have been detected and located. (See also Attached Table Nr.2 - Jump Points Detection and location). The EGAD was able to detect, locate and track ALL the gravitic propulsion systems operating in the area (Included the one belonging to a Centauri ship (ELINT?) operating under EMCON, beyond the outer margin of the Op.Area, and undetected by the others Fleet-Ex participating units). (See also Attached report 3 - Gravitic propulsion track plots from 1 to 1322). The M. units were positively detected and located either with operating and non operating stealth cloaking systems, either capital ships and fighters. The N.C.T.I. was almost always able to identify the class, and in some cases was able to identify the single identity of the ships, except for the fighters and the Vree Xill and Xorr class vessels, that showed a remarkable similarity of the gravitic prints of the vessels of a same class.

Were identified, in particular: M. Fleet: 24 different SL. warcruisers, 2 different SG. Warcruisers,11 different TN. frigates.(See also Attached table Nr. 4 - Gravitic Tracking and identification).

2-I.L.S.S.

The I.L.S.S. was used only for short duration scannings, in order to avoid the counterdetection of the device: the Lidars operated quite well, being able to locate units at ranges between 1,400 and 126,000 Km., depending upon the physical dimension of the target, but regardless of the E.C.M. and stealth systems. The L.P.I. mode, combined with the execution of short scans, seems to enable detection without counter detection. (See also attached table Nr. 5 - Lidar location, Tracking and identification).

3-I.O.W.T.

The I.O.W.T.'s were used only in the passive mode. The I.O.W.T.'s of the turrets were able to positively track and positively aim targets between ranges from 22,400 to 209,500 meters, regardless of E.C.M., with time to lock between 0.035" and 0.126" The Bow I.O.W.T. was able to positively track a M. SG. Warcruiser (Cloaking system status - ON) at ranges between 372,000 and 134,000 meters, and to positively lock on and aim the G.O.D. cannons.(See also attached table Nr. 6 - Interferometric Optical Weapon Tracker performances on Targets)

-Glossary-

EGAD = Enhanced Gravitic Anomaly Detector
ELINT = ELectronic INTelligence
EMCON = ELectro-Magnetic emission CONtrol
I.L.S.S. = Integrated LIDAR Scanner system
I.O.W.T. = Interferometric Optical Weapon Tracker
L.P.I. = Low Probability of Intercept
N.C.T.I. = Non-Cooperative Target Identification

****** CONCLUSIONS *******

1-The EGAD is totally effective in detection and tracking of gravitic anomalies (jump gates/gravitic drives) at very high ranges, With resolutions better than 0.08 deg., regardless of E.C.M. and cloaking devices (M). The system can generate the Tactical Battle Order in a few seconds, and has effective early warning capability against targets jumping in from the Hyperspace and/or operating gravitic drives, M. included. The forecast time on a jumpgate opening is related to the distance from the jump point, and close jump points are detected with large lead times, making virtually useless the tactic to jump directly into a formation. The detection range of a gravitic drive is related to the dimensions of the ship and, in a lesser measure, to the actual acceleration (engine output) of the target. The shutoff of the artificial gravity and of the two gravitic enhanced engines of our ship nearly doubled the operating range. Better filters/algorithms are needed to allow the operation of gravitic propulsion systems/A.G. continuously. The liquid helium circuit worked well, and the vibration problems of the antenna array seems almost totally resolved. The library of gravitic prints and the N.C.T.I. elaboration system must be improved. The software of the N.C.T.I. suffers of minor bugs, and performed at a good level of functionality.

2-The I.L.S.S. is an effective, extremely accurate and affordable system, but MUST be used ONLY AFTER the positive detection by the enemy. It can provide detection and ranging for the whole weapon and navigation system. It can positively provide active and unjammable illumination for the Mk.V-E2 missile homing head.

3-The optical tracking system (I.O.W.T.) is totally immune to E.C.M. and cloaking, able to discriminate between real and false (either olographics) targets, easy to operate, and more accurate at greater ranges than the actual fire control systems. The maintenance of the optical windows and of the whole devices is not difficult, but can be easily improved.(See also attached report Nr. 7- Technical Report). The system itself is rugged and very effective and is a quantum leap in the weapon targeting systems and in the whole tactical capability of a Warship.

Please, accept my Best Regards.

Cdr. Roderick Thorne - E.A.S. Styx - E.F.N.I.

****EYES ONLY*********EYES ONLY***********EYES ONLY*********

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* NOTE 1 - After 20 years, some former classified informations can be disclosed: as can be clearly understood from the attached document, the Styx, that still today is the Flagship of the EFNI, was the test platform for the EGAD, ILSS and I.O.W.T. systems, outcome of the EFNI "Deep Eyes" project, that as a whole integrated sensor system, enabled the EFNI, and consequently the Earth Alliance, to definitively break through the Minbari stealth system. (Note to the attached document: "M" = Minbari).
The Warlocks were developed as ships able to go against a Sharlin and defeat it (or,at least, survive), but, while this overall target was reached in terms of firepower and armor, (see also the Strelas'tha incident of 2263) the gap in the sensors was still deep enough to put the EA ships in a condition of relative inferiority, until the inception in service of the Early Warning (EGAD-G subsystem), long range detection (EGAD-L), short range detection and tactical missile control (ILSS), and weapon tracking (I.O.W.T.) subsystems of the EGAD. - This system was extremely effective even against the Shadow ships, and was instrumental in the first tactical confrontations against the Thirdspace Aliens (Thirdspace Incident of 2273) and in the following war, to ensure the survival and the tactical and operational success of Earthforce, and the victory of the ISA against the powerful enemy. Must be remarked that, in the early days of the development of these sensor systems ( 2250's) and in the full-scale reserch period (2260's), the possibility of a backfire of the Earth-Minbari conflict could not be deductively excluded, given the internal political tension in the Minbari society that later broke out in a civil war, (see Chronolgy, Year 2261), and the perceptible resentment of the Minbari warrior caste for the sudden and unexpected conclusion of the Earth-Minbari War.

* NOTE 2 - In 2280 a second unit of the class, the E.A.S.Phoenix, has been commessioned in the EFNI Naval Service.