Kalistani Major History

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Majatran Privateers ordered back to Kalistan following fierce battle with Deltaria
Captain Coltrane lost, and presumed dead at sea
Ur Bahra, Kafrestan, Barmenistan
October 18, 5092


Coltrane's Flagship, the Marcus 1 burns following destructive attack by Deltarian Naval forces

On the morning of August 31, a pitched battle between Kalistani privateers under the command of Privateer Captain James Coltrane and elements of the refitted Deltarian Navy led to disaster for the Kalistanis. As has been reported in the Deltarian Press, a hasty task force consisting several corvettes refitted for the purpose of hunting Coltrane's crew was dispatched from Deltaria in the third week of August. Because this fleet represented a significant threat to Coltrane's mission, Coltrane moved his fleet to intercept the Deltarians. According to reports from members of the officer corps, the Kalistani's possessed almost no intelligence with regard to the size or composition of the Deltarian task force, but did know that it had departed thanks to information obtained from the crew of a private yacht that the Privateers seized in mid August.

The two groups met one another early in the morning on August 31st. Arrayed against the Kalistanis were three refitted corvettes and a number of smaller craft. On Coltrane's side was the whole of the Kalistani Majatran Expeditionary Fleet which consisted of several converted freighters, 20 LAFA craft, two remaining militia corvettes and Coltrane's Flagship, the Marcus 1, as well as most of the fleet's supply train, most of which had been seized in the year long conflict.

Coltrane was at anchor over a small bank when the Deltarians opened the engagement. Several well placed shots announced their presence, and much of the fleet scurried to get under weigh while the militia corvettes attempted to maneuver into firing position. 8 LAFAs were deployed, but the remainder were either disabled or destroyed on the decks of the Marcus 1: A direct hit from the Deltarian Main guns hit the ammo cache aboard the Marcus 1, causing massive explosions and igniting fuel stores. The battle began in earnest while the crew of the Marcus 1 began attempting to fight the massive fire, in vain, it turns out.

Following the first salvo, the Kalistani corvettes returned fire, but the bombardment was ineffective as Deltarian vessels remained out of range, and any attempt to maneuver was met with heavy gun and rocket fire by the better armed Deltarian corvettes. The LAFA who were engaged did have more success however: as soon as the light armored craft deployed they got four torpedoes into the water using hasty firing solutions. One of the four found its target, striking the aft port engine compartment and crippling the ship. The resulting explosion rocked the Deltarian ship and forced it to disengage and attempt to make for home. The LAFAs initially attempted to pursue the wounded ship, using their mounted .50calibers to machinegun Deltarian crewmembers on deck attempting to fight the fire, but the craft were forced to return to the Kalistani fleet under heavy fire from the other Deltarian vessels.

For their part, the Deltarians managed to cripple both of the militia corvettes before sinking one outright. The second suffered severe damage when Deltarian shells, complimented by rocket fire destroyed the superstructure, and forced the ship to be scuttled. Crew losses on the corvettes alone were counted as more than 50. Deltarian fire also damaged several of the freighters, but they were ordered to retreat at the beginning of the engagement, and most of the supply vessels were saved. By noon, the Marcus 1 had lost all communications, listed dangerously to her starboard, and was dead in the water, with all hands aboard presumed dead, either by fire or by drowning. At this point, the Deltarians disengaged, and the Kalistanis were left to search for survivors. The Marcus 1 finally broke apart in the early evening and sunk completely after sundown.

As it got dark, the Kalistanis limped northward to the neutral port of Ur Bahra, which had served them as a base of operations, which they arrived at six days later, and radioed Kalistan to inform them of the disaster. Following an emergency executive session, the Foreign Minister ordered the remnants of the fleet to remain in port and cease operations until a more permanent decision was made. The fleet remained in port for another four weeks, until the last of the prize ships sent by Coltrane back to the Republic could be sold off, and then Coltrane's Letter of Marque was officially rescinded. The Acting Captain of the fleet, Commander Melanie Quasny, was informed of the decision and was ordered to return to Kalistan. She was also informed that any further actions against Deltaria would be deemed piracy, as they now lacked the sanction of the Privateer Act. Coltrane's prize vessels had more than offset the loss of the Container ship and its cargo, Quasny was informed, and the Republic had been made whole.

This naval disaster likely represents the end of Kalistani adventures in the Majatran Sea: It is one thing to take advantage of lack of order and security, but quite another to engaged uniformed naval forces of a resurgent power. Investors in Coltrane's expedition have certainly made many times their investment in return, but future expeditions will likely head to quieter, less lucrative waters. At least until such time that the Majatran Sea becomes lawless and open once more.

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Quasny Returns to Kalistan, is Commissioned
"Her Combat Experience is Invaluable as we rebuild the Regular Navy", says Premier
Kaliburg, Ananto
November 20, 5092


Midshipman 1st Class Melanie Quasny, last Commander of Majatran Privateer Fleet one of 7 privateer Officers to receive Commission

Melanie Quasny, the Commander of the Majatran Expeditionary Fleet returned safely to Kalistan last week. She spent the week being thoroughly debriefed about the more than 2 year mission to the Majatran Sea, including offering a full accounting of the final battle with the Deltarian Fleet. In reward for her service, Quasny and 7 of her officers are to receive commissions in the Kalistani Regular Navy in the first quarter of 5093.

The Commissions were given by the Premier of the Republic, Agnethe Bjorksdattir, who, along with Minister of Defense Jeff Broward commended Quasny's courage under fire. "We need officers who not only can keep their heads under fire and take command even when everything seems lost, but who have valuable combat experience," said the Premier. "Quasny is an asset to the Republic, and her officers will serve this Republic well. Her Combat Experience is Invaluable as we rebuild the Regular Navy."

Rumors floating in some circles suggest that at least part of the reason that these commissions were offered was to allow the members of the Expeditionary Fleet to evade any official sanction for the expedition. "Strictly speaking, privateers are private actors, and do not represent the Government of Kalistan," said Dr. Edward Bowie, who teaches International Political Economy for Kalistan Republican University in Kaliburg. "The Government did issue Coltrane a Letter of Marque, but the loss of the fleet has created a real mess for the Republic diplomatically, and those close to the Premier have publicly commented on her displeasure with the outcome of that expedition. Coltrane's Letter of Marque was almost forced from the Government after the loss of the Silver Star, and the Premier did not authorize it enthusiastically. At least some believe that Quasny and the other officers joined the Navy to avoid going before a court and answering charges of piracy."

Officially, Quasny, age 21, has been appointed to the rank of Midshipman 1st Class, and will be formally commissioned at the rank of Lieutenant O3 in February. Other privateer officers will be evaluated for service and will likely end up joining the ranks as Warrant Officers, though a handful will be made Midshipmen in January and will proceed into Officer Candidacy. Midshipman Quasny, for her part, was very excited for a career in the Regular Navy. "They are going to send me to Naval Artillery School," said Midshipman Quasny. "From there, it is possibly that I could be appointed a fire control officer on a Frigate. That would be very exciting!"

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Bozo River Fusion Facility nears Completion
First Commercial Reactor being built by KALNAPECO to offer clean Power to Ananto
Bozo River Fusion Center, Ananto
October 8, 5093


Heavy Water Plant located adjacent to Fusion Center to create D2O  and lithium from pumped Sea Water

The Bozo River Fusion Facility is nearing completion, and will begin generating energy in early December, KALNAPECO says.

"We have completed the main reactor," said BRFF spokesman Erik Hanson, "which is capable of creating a net  of up to 2.85 Gigawatts, or enough power to light nearly one million households.  The clean, pollution free power generated at this one facility will light the entire North Coast of Ananto, from here in Bozo River to Dulnerstaad."  Hanson said another reactor will be built near Kaliburg to supply power to the Capital, and a third will be built in Dahriel, to supply the remainder of the Island.  "We are at an efficiency of 2.7, and as long as deuterium and lithium is supplied, the reactor is self powering."

Hanson noted that these are the first, and likely most inefficient reactors to be built in the Republic.  "As we expand the operations to the mainland, we will continue to research in more power pinches, and methods of reducing power input to draw more power from the system.  Surpassing R=3.0 is possible within the next five years, and R=4 is even possible, at which point, one reactor will power nearly an entire District.  We are finding that the main challenge to even higher efficiency is pulse calibration, to ensure shear stabilized containment of even larger plasma cylinders than we are achieving now."  Research Continues at the experimental reactor, but a new experimental reactor will eventually need to be built, because the small size of the current reactor acts as a limiting factor in the amount of plasma which can be contained

The Main Plasma Injector at the Bozo River Fusion Facility creates a jet of superheated gas that is electrified and fuses atoms of Deuterium and Tritium into Helium

The funding for the project has been shifted entirely to KALNAPECO, for the time being.  "I think the Government imagined a holding company for investment," said Hanson, "but private sector investors remained skittish about buying in to the National Fusion Project, given the full nationalization of the energy industry in Kalistan's Law.  So last year, the decision was made to shift the entire project back to KALNAPECO, and slowly move KALNAPECO's energy generation assets toward fusion."  Hanson noted that as Ananto Fusion plants come online within the next three years, oil and LNG plants will eventually be shuttered and dismantled.  "The dismantling project, which will begin five years after Ananto moves to 100 percent fusion power, will be overseen by the NSP, and all plant employees will be retrained for other jobs in the company."

KALNAPECO says they hope to have the fusion infrastructure, including heavy water plants in Vrassa, Odufaray and Suldanor, completed across the Republic within 15 years, at which point, all of Kalistan's electric will be provided by clean fusion.  "After that point, KALNAPECO will operate primarily for export, and our charter will need to be significantly revised, though there will remain a significantly reduced market for petroleum products in Kalistan, primarily in plastics, tars, and asphalts.  But we will see our domestic utilization reduced from 23% of capacity to something around 6-7% of capacity."

Whatever happens to the Kalistani National Petroleum Company in the future, the present is filled with three tiny, artificial stars to begin producing unlimited, safe, and virtually pristine energy for the people of Ananto, and then for the rest of the Republic.

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Socialist Defense Ministry Launches Major Naval Construction Project
Aims to accomplish Full Naval Strength within 5 years
Kaliburg National Shipyards, Ananto
October 31, 5093


Major refitting of the Fleet begins in Kaliburg, Bozo River and Sulari Shipyards

The Republican Government has abandoned efforts to procure weapons from other nations. "This administration has been plagued for decades by other nations promising to sell us weapons and then nothing coming through," said Defense Minister Broward, as he announced the Government's new initiative to refit the Kalistani Regular Navy. "It is time that the Republic stop relying on the supposed good will of people claiming to want to sell us weaponry. It is clear that nobody is at all interested. So we'll build it ourselves."

Working off of classic designs, the Naval Acquisition Program, as it was titled in executive Order, shall allocate more than K150 Billion to the effort to refit those ships which can be brought up to date, and rebuild those which are beyond saving. "Our engineers have updated our destroyer designs to allow for more powerful main guns, as well as surface to surface rocket artillery, and anti submarine measures. We have also fitted our cruisers with additional capacities, based on the joint cruiser program we had with Hutori years ago.. Our Submarine designs are still top notch in the non-fission reactor classes, and we have substantially updated the design and armaments of our corvettes to include GPS targeting, advanced radar, anti-air and anti electronic warfare measures. Patrol Boats are patrol boats, and of course, we can mass produce ship launched LAFA's, given the new insights we gained from the Majatran conflict. We have also added ship based helicopter capacity to the Cruisers, and will be converting our existing helicopter designs to allow for forward observation, and interception, taking inspiration from the Deltarians."

In addition to more modern armament for the classic ships of the line, the Kalistani navy will benefit from advances made in lightweight construction and power generation. "Where our non-submarine vessels have used hydrogen fuel cells for centuries to get closer to the capacities of the nuclear submarines, our surface vessels will now be outfitted with fuel cell driven electric engines as well, rather than the diesel engines we have thus far run on."

The Defense Minister has placed a top priority on sea defense, and acquisition will be "first, last, and complete" agenda of the KALMILINCO until the fleet is completely rebuilt. The Defense Minister expects the full compliment to be in service within 5 years. "A relatively unlimited Budget, lack of external security concerns, and a narrow and laser focus doing something we not only know how to do, but also have the capability to do, will ensure success, and Kalistan will once more be able to push back any incursions in our National Waters."

The acquisition is already under way at the three major ship yards in the Republic.

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Premier Bjorksdattir to leave office before next election
“35 years is long enough,” says long serving Socialist leader
Kaliburg, Ananto
August 31, 5094


Bjorksdattir will be stepping down to focus on her personal life

The long serving Premier of the Republic, Agnethe Bjorksdattir, has announced that she will step down as Party Leader and Premier of the Republic ahead of the next election. She has been taking a reduced role in developments of the Republic over the last four years and has decided that three and a half decades at the helm are long enough.

“I am getting close to my mid 50s,” said the perennially youthful Premier, “and the Republic does have a mandatory retirement age. Being the Premier has been the most rewarding and most challenging job I can ever imagine, but now it is time to move out of the way to let someone else take the helm.”

The Premier has recently begun making noise about retiring from office, and the pace of her comments picked up after the second Majatran expedition. Close associates have noted her frustration with the glacial pace of naval and aircraft procurement, the continuing conflict in Lourenne, and associated refugee crisis which has seen more than 2 million refugees resettled in Kalistan, and a number of other issues that have been left unaddressed by the Assembly as its attention is turned to things going on in other nations.

“She also would like to get married and settle down,” said government watcher Chris Jolli. “It is very difficult to have a personal life when you can be called in to work at any hour of the day to deal with some ridiculous crisis that isn’t if your making but that others decide to make your problem because they want to act like children.” The Premier would also like to focus more on her faith, which she has noted is difficult when you have to focus on rebuilding a military.

It is unknown who will replace the Premier, but that decision is still a few years in the future. Meanwhile, Comrade Bjorksdattir is focused on getting the various fusion power centers built across the Republic and sharing that technology abroad.

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Kalistani Defense Representatives meet with Lourennais Aerospace Engieers
Meeting Attended by AeroKal, KALMILINCO, and Lourennais Foreign Minister
Kaliburg, Ananto
September 25, 5094


Mid level talks between Kalistani and Lourennais engineers signal new cooperation between the two Anantonese Nations

Minister of Defense Broward convened a series of meetings over the past three weeks which sought to ascertain the possibility of cooperation between Kalistani Aircraft manufacturers and Lourennais aerospace engineers who have resettled in the Republic following the outbreak of the Civil war in Lourenne six years ago. During the summer, Kalistani and Lourennais officials began to identify individuals who possessed aerotech experience, as well as those who have experience working in military fighter propulsion, maneuverability, and avionics systems.

“We approached more than fifty individuals who have settled in Kalistan to wait out their country’s civil war,” said Minister Broward. “We then facilitated several initial meetings between these individuals and Kalistan’s military industrial company KALMILINCO and our primary civilian aircraft manufacturer, AeroKal to see if it would be feasible to begin building at least two new fighter models to form the backbone of a new Kalistani regular air force.”

Following the initial meetings, it was clear that a deeper cooperation between the two Anantonese nations could be possible. “We discussed a joint creation of new models of the Lourennais Rafale’s, with two new variants,” one for close support, and a multi role land based fighter designed for interception and for air supremacy. “Our primary air threats,” said Broward, “are Carrier-based aircraft. We need fighter craft that can match them in armaments, and can put maneuver them. On the surface, we need craft that can evade radar and can attack surface targets. Having an array of load outs to provide a certain flexibility is a must. I believe the experience we have identified can help us accomplish this goal, to neutralize even great power incursion into our region.”

The new Fighters will be designed in Kalistan at AeroKal, and will represent the first forays into modern aircraft design. Once designed, AeroKal will work with KALMILINCO to build and test the aircraft in a series of tests. Once approved, AeroKal will begin building the planes, both to assist Lourenne’s efforts to restore their nation, and to form a new Kalistani Air Force. The Defense Minister and the Loyalist FM, Laura Miraud, also discussed the extension of Lourenne’s long range radar to Kalistan, to increase Lourenne’s defensive net beyond The Republic, and the possible rebuilding of the AOTO treaty to provide a framework for defensive coordination between the two Anantonese militaries.

“We have a great advantage over Lourennais defense industries at the moment,” said Broward. “I say that because ours are opened while the factories and labs in Lourenne are closed to the Loyalist Government. But here in Kalistan we also benefit from more than 700 years combined experience and expertise in the field of aircraft and electrical design among the diaspora, who are here right now. It makes sense that we should seek to put these minds back to work and build something that will not only aid the Loyalists in the resolution of their war, but also the enhancement of regional security in general and Kalistani security. We look forward to a long and cordial partnership.”

Design will proceed immediately. Broward had no estimates or timelines, given the recent nature of this agreement.

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Kalistan celebrates the end of the Lourennais Civil War
Relocated Nationals welcome to remain as long as needed
Kaliburg, Ananto
May 18, 5095


Fireworks over Port Davon to celebrate end of the Lourennais Civil War

The Kalistani Government greeted the news of the surrender of the usurping force in Lourenne with fraternal celebration and congratulations. As the Loyalist forces were accepting the surrender of the rebels in Lourenne's largest cities, representatives from the Foreign Ministry launched to Eveari to conduct hasty discussions about the developing situation in the Kingdom.

"The Government of Kalistan has informed the Lourennais Government in Exile at Eveari that we will be happy to work with them to transition their operations back to Lourenne when the security situation permits," said government spokesperson Sean McGinty. "In the meanwhile, We have assured the Government in Exile that the resettled Lourennais are welcomed to remain in Kalistan as long as it takes, with full rights and privileges, until such time that the country is rebuilt to the point that it can accommodate the return of such a large group of people. In addition, we will make all National resources available to Lourenne to assist in the rebuilding of its electrical, road, water and housing infrastructure as requested by the Lourennais government as it is requested. As always, Lourenne can count on the security of all deposits of all Lourennais nationals and government entities in Kalistani Banks."

Meanwhile, members of the Lourennais diaspora in Kalistan worked with four local Kaliburg bands to put on a free concert on Revolution Plaza to celebrate the day. Kaliburg residents, never ones to miss out on public music, attended the celebration and rocked out to a show that featured Canrillais hip hop band Les Enfoirés, as well as veteran Alternative Band Moonshine, Kaliburg punk act Smokeshow, and the RF act Metal Bikini. The concert lasted for more than 3 hours and was accompanied by food, alcohol, and fireworks.

The Republic looks forward to the new relations with the restored Government of Lourenne, and will stand by to assist as needed.

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Government to Split Energy Industry off from KALNAPECO
New Entity called KALENCON will join Nationalized Industries as Separate Entity
Kaliburg, Ananto
November 18, 5095


The New Logo for KalEnCon, the proposed National Energy Company represents a Fusion powered Future

The Minister of Infrastructure today was tasked with creating legislation to officially separate the energy infrastructure from KALNAPECO, who has overseen energy creation in the Republic for the last two years.

"In officially splitting energy generation from our increasing number of fusion power plants across the Republic from KALNAPECO," said Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Tori Pierce, "We will set our National Power Plant on a course for growth and development independent of the National Petroleum Company. As the Republic aims to move away from reliance on Fossil Fuels to something more sustainable and environmentally friendly, this proposal will lay the ground work for a post oil future, where Kalistanis can have virtually unlimited power without destroying the environment."

The creation of a new bureaucracy is not without its detractors within the National Assembly. Fourteen Deputies from Suldanor raised concerns with the growing size of the budget to accommodate these new "innovations" as they termed them, in Government. Franco Pena, deputy from Yoshimi, who represents more than 14000 oil workers, said the move would devastate the workforce in southern Suldanor. "Con is RIGHT! Our oil men and women rely on those jobs," said Pena. "And rather than retraining them as the Government has promised, you're just going to end the jobs? What happens to my constituents? Perhaps the Government will explain to me why we need a completely new national industry, when we've existed for thousands of years with nationalized energy, and never needed this job killer before?"

The Government responded to Pena and his colleagues in the opposition to this Bill by stating that "Comrades. Fusion power is not the only source of power the Republic plans to rely on. We are focused on this just now, because as we speak, more and more houses are being powered by new fusion plants in all five districts. But, the Kalistani Government seeks to adopt an "all of the above" strategy when it comes to energy. Fusion will be the centerpiece: We have put more than a decade and hundreds of millions of Rubles into the technology. It has been our national obsession. And now we start to gain a return on our investment. But we will still be building solar centers, wind generators, and gas stations for those who refuse to switch away from gasoline powered vehicles. Additionally, we will always need tars, plastics and various industrial chemicals from petroleum. And not to mention the maintenance of an export capacity."

The Government's position has not calmed the opposition to a new Nationalized Monopoly, but it seems those opposed are in the minority on the issue, as the overwhelming body of deputies seem to concur with the Government's evaluation that a new Nationalized Industry will pay off in the long run. "It will allow KALNAPECO to get back to doing what it does best," said Deputy Michelle Martin from Dahriel, "and should even be a net creator of jobs, even in the shorter term. I think Comrade Pena ought to give the effort a chance, and if it turns into a black hole, I'll be the first to join him in voting to abolish it."

The Government is expected to put forward formal legislation this winter. More than 40 percent of the citizens of Kalistan's cities now receive their power from fusion reactors, with more to come in the near future, and nearly the entire island of Ananto is now powered by fusion power. Plants have already begun operating outside of Eshar, Odufaray, and Eshar and Senvias Vrassa are the first two cities to be powered by Fusion. So far, five plants have beein established with a running total of more than 175 million Rubles to date.

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Premier Bjorksdattir to Retire following Passage of last Rectification Omnibus
New Bill Re-nationalizes some Aspects of the Economy, while turning some areas to private Sector
Kaliburg, Ananto
April 4, 5097


Premier of the Republic, last fall, explaining transition to a new Generation

The long standing Premier of the Republic, Agnethe Bjorksdattir, who has served the Republic for more than 30 years in this office, has finally set her retirement date: July 1, 5097. She arranged this date in coordination with the Central Committee of the Socialist Party, who have committed to holding a National Convention to select a New Party Leadership, who will then move into Government of the Republic.

Premier Bjorksdattir addressed the National Assembly one final time, in putting her final bill to a vote. The General Rectification Omnibus "completes the work I began thirty one years ago, when I was named Interim Party Leader, and charged with overseeing internal investigation of the massive corruption that plagued our Party and our armed forces. From the start, we were committed to clean forward looking government. We have seen full economic integration with our neighbors in Lourenne, as well as sheltered their masses as their country suffered civil war and fraternal strife. We have begun the process of modernizing our airforce and navy, a process which remains incomplete. We have overseen the research and development of a new form of energy that will light Kalistan's cities for centuries into the future, and will allow Kalistan to be a beacon of clean renewable energy for the rest of the world. And we have maintained our cultural dominance, over not only Northern Seleya, but the entirety of Terra. I am happy to say that unlike most of my predecessors, I leave Kalistan on a much healthy and forward looking foot than when I began this job, and we did so honestly and transparently."

The Premier then put her final piece of legislation on the floor before the Government Bill which will eventually replace her and the entire government. The General Rectification Omnibus corrects the last "misalignments" of Kalistani Law which have for many years served as artifacts to non-Socialist Government. "When this bill passes, we shall finally restore Kalistan, for the most part, to its traditional legislative positions. Though we have made a few changes that reflect developments in the Republic which should be encouraged."

The Bill renationalizes large banks, the entire defense industry under KALMILINCO, most farm operations, all forests, homeless shelters, sales of recreational drugs under ODEN, and all train operation within the Republic. Offsetting the nationalizations are privatizations in ISP provision and housing. The Bill extends regulation and direct Government oversight to the National Bank, cryptocurrency, private farm size, fishing quotas, political appointments, civil torts, the National Police force, funding of Districts, privacy protection for public officials, private education, advertising by religious organizations, wearing of religious clothing by Government Officials and surrogacy, while directly outlawing usury, extradition of Kalistani Nationals, restrictions on the issue of Passports, Government appointment of Officers in the Regular Force, the keeping of prisoners of war, and whaling. Other provisions include a reduction of the corporate income tax, which the SP has long held is a backdoor sales tax, the reduction of age of adulthood from 18 to 16 to expand citizenship rights and duties to a larger segment of the population, an increase from 1/3 to 2/3 worker participation on boards of directors for all corporations, an increase in the amount of aid given to nations in need, primarily in response to the ongoing needs in Lourenne, a restoration on the protection against executions of criminals, taxation of religious income, a drop in retirement age to 55, an ideological exception to vaccination, and elimination of DWC mandates, given the requirement of worker participation on boards of directors.

"This finally moves Kalistan fully back to the Dual Economy and Zero Growth, at the same time as it expands some areas of the private sector and allows for some innovation in the private sector," said the Premier. "Its passage will leave the Republic in a good position for the next steps it needs to take in not only the defense of our homeland, but protecting the excellent standard of living of Kalistani Citizens, maintaining our strong position in the world, and building a strong foundation for Kalistan to become a world leader not only in finance, but also as ethical leaders of the World. In an age of rising conservatism and imperialism, it is imperative that Kalistan retain its role as a land of freedom for our people, justice in our government, and excellence in our culture, that others can look to and emulate. We may not be liberals, but when you look at the countries that are, I personally wake up every day thanking my God that Kalistan has long ago eschewed that nonsense in exchanged for a well ordered society, economy and government, rather than leave important matters that can make or break lives to the whim of fickle and ignorant bare majorities, or worse yet, pluralities."

As the Speaker of the Assembly called for a vote, all Socialists Present loudly acclaimed their support for the legislation. It will remain open for voting for the next 9 months, as the Premier prepares to exit the Government and move into private life.

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AeroKal and KALMILINCO test new afterburner at National Proving Grounds
Kalistani designers declare successful test to be foundation of new Lightweight Fighter Program
Sulari, Suldanor
October 18, 5097


AeroKal and KALMILINCO's experimental Light weight Fighter design, tentatively titled EF-18

New AeroKal T340 Afterburner Turbofan Engine, to form the powerplant of a new Lightweight Fighter

The new centerpiece of the revitalized Kalistani Airforce has been revealed. Tentatively called the EF-18, the new multi role fighter will be prototyped within the next year for extensive testing and refinement. "We expect to go into production of the new jet within the space of 5 years, and expect to field a fleet of these multipurpose fighters before 7 years," said Defense Ministry Representative Justin Tran, who was responsible to brief the Republican Press on the progress of the designs.

The design, completed by a cooperative effort between AeroKal and KALMILINCO aims at creating a versatile, durable, and easily replaceable fighter that can act as a "LAFA of the Sky." "We want to be able to produce these fighters cheaply and quickly. The Ministry required a few things of the design team: They must be able to match the speed of the most advanced modern carrier based fighters in service, at least match the maneuverability, and perform both air to air interception and air to surface attack. The Design team came back with two design variants, the Single Seat A and double seat B variants. The A variant would be armed for air-to-air combat, while the B variant would be armed to attack ground targets, especially floating targets." Tran noted the small size and lightweight of the fighter, when built, will easily permit speeds up to Mach 1.5, or possibly beyond. The design was based on an earlier Likatonian fighter jet, the HF-18L, and is expected to greatly exceed the performance of the earlier jet.

"As the earlier Likatonian Model was designed for carrier Launch, and Kalistan does not pursue forward projection," said Tran, "we needed a model which can take out without catapult assistance. Therefore, we needed to add a greater fuel capacity, and designate a lighter weight airframe for the plane. We will reap the benefits of this, however, as we expect a noticably greater range over the plane's earlier counterparts. We also wanted a fighter that resolves some of the weaknesses of foreign fighter models, such as fuel compressor stalls, where the plane will enter a steep climb or dive and the fuel compressor will lock up due to gravity, and one which improves flight control responsiveness, to make our pilots more nimble in the air. All of these conceptual concerns are addressed in designs and models that KALMILINCO has created."

Tran also noted that the new aircraft will be designed to allow rapid interchange of parts by small crews requiring no special tools. "Easy repair and replacement of parts is paramount to the functioning of this fighter jet," said the spokesman. "A competent and small ground crew should be able to turn around service on these planes in a matter of minutes rather than hours, and have them back in the sky as soon as possible. This includes engine and avionics service and maintenance, rearmament and refueling." The new jet will feature simple flight controls and design innovations (such as canted vertical stabilizers) that will reduce training times while maximizing maneuverability, common sense HUDs, external computer port to allow updates to avionics and a state of the art radar system that will allow Kalistani Pilots to detect incoming threats in the air and on the ground which will be on par with the more advanced militaries. "We have the Lourennais to thank for that," said Tran, noting the limited but important contribution made by Lourennais engineers while they were in Kalistan.

"When built, this plane will be able to swarm ground forces at dive angles up to 70 degrees, deliver their payload to enemy surface forces, and be out of the area before the enemy can respond," said Tran. Such a high angle will help protect the fighters from ground fire, by presenting a smaller profile, and preventing the operation of all but specifically high-angle guns."

The EF 18 will feature two AeroKal T340 turbofan afterburner engines, one of which was tested this afternoon for the Press. The Defense Ministry was thrilled to demonstrate the new design and said it is a key to the realization of the new jet. "We do not have a lot of jet engines designed for supersonic performance," said Tran. "Our engineers have experience with these types of engines, but AeroKal usually designs for the commercial market. But this is not an entirely bad thing: Many of the safeties and efficiencies that are built into civilian engine construction have found their way into the T340 engine. The result is a focus on dependability, at the expense of at least a little performance. But as the jet is intended to be lightweight, this should make up at least a portion of the performance deficit."

"We are very excited to begin building and testing this weapon system" said Tran. "Construction is already proceeding on the first of several prototypes, which will eventually be fitted with avionics, radar and armaments. Following windtunnel testing and refinement, as well as testing with various construction materials, we expect to have a pilotable jet by next year at this time, and from there, we will have more idea as to the actual performance specs of this plane. Until then, stay tuned."