Operation Gaetweard

Operation Gaetweard
Test Flight of Gaetweard Craft
Date 1000AJ - Current Location Britannic Home Island Military Zone, North Eastern Keltia Status Ongoing
Belligerents
Kingdom of Nova England
Commanders and leaders
Colonel Hereward Smoker

Gaetweard Poster Circa 1000AJ

Operation Gaetweard is a Nova English initiative to combat space based threats against Nova England and humanity as a whole on Micras. The project began in 10/02/997AJ following a series of reports produced by the Ungecyndee Review Board. The Gaetweard deterrent was viewed by the URB as the most economical method to creating a weapons platform capable of countering proliferating space based weapon systems and aggressive alien species. In late 1000AJ the first successful test launch of the system occurred within the Britannic Home Islands Military Zone. Shortly after the Witan under the Reclamation Force authorised the Operation to enter into full production.

The Gaetweard Space Deterrent is a spacecraft directly propelled by a series of nuclear pulses in the form of low level nuclear charges. The use of nuclear propulsion enables the craft to quickly respond to threats within Micras’ orbit or immediate surroundings. Whilst enabling production through technology currently available to Nova England unlike Gravmetric engine systems.

The GSD is piloted by a crew of two and has an operational limit of five days before life support systems are depleted. Re-entry into Micras is achieved by a detachable module which is slowed initial by a parachute system prior to a solid-fuel breaking system. Each craft is armed with a 5 inch gun, 20mm CWIS turrets, modified Malus Anti-Grav Missiles, Forerynel-1 Missiles and a 1.1 Mt Nuclear Explosive. This range of weapons enables to GSD’s to counter a variety of threats with appropriate tools. The nuclear charge is only utilised as a weapon of last resort at the cost of the crew being martyred. According to current Nova English Military Doctrine this was established as a deliberate design feature to ensure the responsible use of the craft’s weapon of last resort.

Launch locations are scattered throughout Nova English territories to ensure that pre-emptive strikes by aggressors cannot negate the deterrent. These launch pads are typically built in underground silos or specialised bunkers.