From Yamato 2199 to REBEL 3199, a series explaining the mechanics of battleships and other vessels appearing in the Space Battleship Yamato remake series. Part 19 focuses on Ajax, a small unmanned interceptor ship operated by a limited-type autonomous air defense system commonly known as an unmanned fleet. This page delves into this highly mobile, integrated autonomous expandable interceptor ship, of which a total of 49 forms of fleet accompanying the command ship Gladiator.
Explanation: Yuka Minagawa
● Specifications & Performance
Ship type: autonomous interceptor ship
Identification number: AI-101
Name: high mobility, integrated autonomous extend extended interceptor ship Ajax
Total height: 56m
Overall width: 50m
Total length: 180m
● Armament
Small Wave-Motion Gun (bow) X 1
Triple barrel large rotating gun turret X 2
Rear twin non-rotating gun turret X 1
Triple missile launchers (both sides) X 2
High-explosive missile launchers (both sides) X 2
Twin pulse laser turrets (both sides) X 4
Quadruple pulse laser turret (upper part) X 6
Interceptor missiles (large anti ship/anti-fortress missiles, mounted on pylon rings) X 6
Unmanned fleet
Each Ajax ship is piloted by four operators stationed on the command ship’s bridge (each operator is responsible for 12-13 ships). The crew leader is responsible for part of the third deck from the lead ship, while the other three operators are responsible for the remainder of the third deck and the fourth deck.
Fire control radars
The fire control radars, mounted on the top and bottom of the hull, are used for target acquisition, tracking, and detection, and the ship’s built-in autonomous system allows it to make its own maneuvering decisions. The navigation radar is located on the upper part of the bow.
Interceptor missile
After firing, projectiles that hit the enemy’s front penetrate their armor and detonate internally. However, those that miss the enemy due to evasion or other reasons cause directional explosions on the enemy’s side as they cross paths, damaging them from the outside.
Triple-barrel large rotating gun turret
This is used for anti-aircraft purposes and is capable of rapid fire. The targeting sensor mounted on top differs from that install installed on Yamato’s main gun, with emphasis placed on its function as a fire control radar.
B Triple barrel, large rotating gun turret
C Rear twin non-rotating turret
D Triple missile launcher
E Twin pulse laser Tourette
F High-explosive missile launcher
G Quadruple pulse laser turret
H Composite sensors
J Control system radome
K Fire control radar
L Small thruster
M Missile mounting pylon section
N Remote control antenna
O Navigation radar
The Ajax is a small, unmanned interceptor ship operated by a limited-type autonomous air defense system, commonly known as the unmanned fleet. A total of 49 Ajax ships accompanied the command ship Gladiator to form a fleet. Its official name is “high-mobility integrated autonomous extended interceptor ship Ajax” (identification number: AI-101), and it has been assigned the codename “Bulbul.” It was ordered by the Earth defense force Air Force and built by Nanbu industries.
The ship incorporates know-how gained from the Wave-Motion Gun Fleet Project during the Gatlantis war, giving it high maneuverability and agility. As a result, it far surpasses manned ships of the same size in the space navy, becoming a space vessel with characteristics that could be described as a “super large fighter.”
Particularly noteworthy are the multiple thrust reversers located around the main engine at the tail. These bypass the main engine’s energy thrust and release it forward, providing braking far more powerful than that of ordinary small thrusters. This equipment is a feature unique to unmanned ships, since there is no need to consider the G-force load on the crew.
This ship utilizes the maneuverability provided by its thrust reversers to employee hit-and-run tactics as its basic strategy. As a result, it is equipped with what could be considered excessive armament to accommodate each direction of movement. For frontal attacks, it has one small Wave-Motion Gun, treated as the main gun by the Air Force, of the same type as the space navy’s Dispersion Wave-Motion Gun mounted on the bow, two triple-barrel large rotating turrets as secondary armament mounted above and below, and one triple-barrel missile launcher on each side, prioritizing penetration power. (The Air Force uses the term “missile” instead of “torpedo.”)
For flank attacks when crossing paths, it is equipped with two high-explosive missile launchers on each side, prioritizing explosive power. For rear attacks when disengaging, it has a twin-barrel non-rotating turret at the rear. For air defense, it is equipped with a total of 10 pulse laser turrets. In addition, six interceptor missiles (large anti ship/anti-fortress missiles) manufactured by the Ageha Group are mounted on pylon rings on the sides of the hull. This was realized when Gladiators captain, Daisuke Shima, suggested equipping the ship with solid projectiles as a counter-measure against phase-shifting armor. The missiles communicate with each other and coordinate with a simple autonomous system, and are designed to detonate directionally on the enemy’s flank when crossing paths, even if they avoid a direct hit.
Each ship was designed to make its own independent decisions regarding maneuverability. However, it was anticipated that the ship’s autonomous system might malfunction and refuse to accept stop or self-destruct orders from the command ship. In such a scenario, surrounding Ajax units would attack and destroy the runaway ship. Thus, the excessive artillery was designed not only to attack the enemy, but also to ensure that these friendly-fire incidents would succeed. This design reflects a strong sense of caution regarding the military use of AI.
Following the issuance of “Operation DAD” the unmanned fleet, consisting of this ship under the control of the Gladiator, sortied into Earth orbit to intercept the Grand Reverse. However, a system failure occurred during the operation, rendering all ships inoperable. They were then subjected to a fierce attack by the Dezarium fleet that had warped in. With the command ship heavily damaged, the remaining ships, having lost control, were deemed worthless by Dezarium and abandoned in Earth orbit, along with the heavily damaged Gladiator.
3199 Chapter 5 dioramas
For a limited time, the kits featured in Hobby Japan were displayed at the Yodobashi Camera store in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Photos below posted on Facebook by Hideki Endo.
