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The Almaz-class Manned Observation Platform was the product of the paranoid nobles of Parma, a Federated Suns planet noted for the feuding between its countless city-states. The Almaz was specifically the brainchild of the Duke of Parma, Antonio Garibaldi, in the 3034. Having recently seen the wonders of Tikonov's Tikograd Museum of History and its huge wing on Tikonov and Russian aerospace successes, the Duke was inspired to acquire a network of observation satellites that would allow him to monitor the activities of the many feuding city-states to which he played mediator.
Federated-Boeing and a number of other major defense contractors were happy to offer complete system defense and planetary observation networks (including extensive service plans), but the cost (in hard, interstellar currency like C-Bills) was astronomical. So, Duke Garibaldi set about utilizing more accessible technology from Parma (preferably his own city-state of New Brescia) and other nearby worlds.
The result was an interesting juryrig of off-the-shelf life support systems and spacecraft amenities, improvised astronomical and surveying equipment with custom-written (and not entirely adequate) controlling software, and a chassis and power system that could be built and maintained with local technology, roughly equivalent to that of the 22nd Century.
Because the sensors ganged to the task were only meant for staring into deep space or looking at the ground from 10km altitude, and because the Duke's engineers could not obtain existing orbital surveillance software without ruinous fees, they had to improvise their own software. The end result was a set of fairly powerful sensors able to study Parma's warring city-states in detail, but in deep need of manual input to select and track targets. The Duke named this manual observation platform "Almaz" in honor of one of the inspirations for the project, a 20th Century manned observation satellite.
http://www.astronautix.com/graphics/a/almaz1.jpg
The original Almaz was built around a radar and high resolution optical camera, with some variants mounting an infrared imager instead. Reliability was mixed and crew health became an issue during multi-month missions, but the intelligence garnered by the Duke's three original Almaz platforms went a long way to quelling feuding on the planet (especially by being able to say that, "No, Noble X is not mustering an army to attack Noble Y.") With a highly efficient, if primitive and bulky, fusion drive, the Almaz was able to shift orbit relatively quickly to scout problem areas and the constellation of 3 stations allowed the Duke to keep the planet under steady surveillance.
The original Almaz worked well for almost a decade until other nobles became aware of that the "relay and weather monitoring satellites" were actually manned spy satellites. Despite the dense network of informers and subterfuge, the cover story lasted a decade because, actually, the Almaz performed double duty as weather satellites (a side effect of the civilian roots of their look down radars) and because few nobles on Parma had enough engineering background to recognize a weather satellite from a DropShip. However, once the story was blown, other nobles rushed to acquire their own satellites.
The Duke of Parma did not object, much, though he would later exert his right to control the affairs of Parma outside the walls of the city-states' nobles to control orbital traffic. The Parma Space Race inhaled the fortunes of nobles that would've otherwise gone to further feuding and killing. However, he could also not ignore the competition, and thus introduced an upgraded Almaz in 3049.
The upgraded Almaz, presented below, was heavier and more capable than its predecessor. Its low tech roots remain obvious, and it sensors were still borrowed from conventional civilian surveying equipment, even the new Hyperspectral Imager that replaced the Hi-Res Imager. It also gained a low-pressure, vacuum-optimized, rapid-fire recoilless rifle on its nose, for dispensing with competing satellites. Unlike the many low-tech, open-market observation satellites that Parma's nobles were pressing into service as spy satellites (without the least clue of how to use the results, they were just Keeping Up With The Joneses), the Almaz used a fusion motor that could sustain long burns, even interplanetary journeys, and had no difficulty chasing down satellites that the Duke disliked.
The addition of a gunner led to a crew of three, which was deemed big enough to require the coordination of an officer, thus resulting in the new Almaz having a crew of four - double that of its predecessor. The extra hands enable the new Almaz to be better maintained than the older platform.
With the expanding wealth of the 3040s, the Duke was able to afford a half-dozen of the new satellites.
In operation, the new Almaz's notional 1-ton cargo capacity is often significantly overloaded with additional supplies for the crew to last a 3-month deployment. In orbit, the extra mass rarely matters, though crews dislike needing to eat a month's worth of food to get access to the shower.
Type: Almaz-class Manned Observation Platform
Chassis Type: Satellite, Medium
Tonnage: 60 tons
Equipment Rating: C/X-X-C/D
Equipment Mass
Chassis/Controls: 8.5
Engine/Trans: Fusion 9
SI: 1
Heat Sinks: 2 2
Fuel: 5000 burn-days 2.5
Armor Factor (BAR 5): 25 1
Internal Armor
Structure Value
Front 7
Sides 6/6
Rear 6
Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
LRM 5 Front 2
Ammo (24) Body 1
Crew: 4 (2, 1 gunner, 1 officer)
Cargo: 1 ton standard (1 door)
Notes: Advanced Fire Control (0.5 tons), Look-Down Radar (5 tons), and Hyperspectral Imager (7.5 tons).