Historic Timeline in the BETAverse (Part 03)

Divergence Point and Timeline (Continued)

  • Late 1974
    - October: Reconnaissance by satellite reveals a ground structure similar to the one in Kashgar, in the old Iranian territory of Masshad. After further investigation confirms the presence of Gates and a Stab, it is named H02, the Mashhad Hive, confirming beyond doubt that Hives undergo branching and differenciation. Accordingly, the Kashgar Hive is designated H01.
    - The @The United States of America (USA), after analysis showed the difficulty of implementing the SDI concept alone, due to the massive number of orbital weapons required, has the @United Nations successfully adopt the it as an international defence plan. The UN Aerospace Force and the other nations involved begin an overhaul of their low-orbit space fleet in accordance to the plan.
    - @The United States of America (USA), which valued highly the results and fundamental technology research in the Prometheus Project provided by the @Empire of Japan, requests for Japanese participation in the Strategic Defense Initiative. Although the Imperial Diet perceives the US' true intention to be one of economic cooperation, they declare Japan's decision to participate in the SDI, as they perceive US military power to be integral for Japan to be able to resist a BETA incursion.

  • 1975
    - A BETA group moving north along the coast of the Black Sea invades the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. Construction of H03, the Uralsk Hive, begins in Kazakhstan.
    - In the face of mounting pressure by the BETA invasion, the Communist Party of the @The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) government relocates the state capital, from Moscow to Khabarovsk in the far east, near the border with China. Evacuation of major domestic industries and the defense industry begins.
    - The HI-MAERF (HIgh-Mobility AERial Fortress) Project begins in great secrecy, with the project goal being the development of an aerial fortress capable of independent invasion of enemy territory and Hive destruction. Development of the @XG-70 Susanoo, in which the G-Element Gray 11 is to be used in, and the dedicated escort TSF XF-108 Rapier, commences as a three-way joint project between Lockweed, North Americana, and McDaell Doglam.
    - In response to the two BETA landing units that have reached Earth thus far, the UN Security Council decides to build a system to intercept them outside the Earth's atmosphere. Construction of Spaceward Hardwares for All-Round Defensive Ordnances and Warheads, SHADOW begins, comprising three components: a lunar orbit surveillance network, an early stage nuclear launch platform at Lagrange 1, and a final interception line made up of a group of nuclear attack satellites in Earth orbit.
    - The @Empire of Japan dissolves its Air Force and reorganizes it into the Army, Navy, and Space Force branches of the military.
    - The @The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) further modifies its license-produced F-4Rs by adding in cold-weather countermeasures, and making the unit more lightweight for better close-combat performance. The result, the @MiG-21 Balalaika is deployed into live combat.
    - The armed forces of the People's Republic of China, using the @MiG-21 Balalaikas supplied to them by the Soviets, proceed to further modify it into the J-8 and deploy it into live combat.

  • 1976
    - Having achieved dominance over Eastern Europe, the BETA group moving west from @Kashgar Hive, Objective 01 proceed further north into Soviet territory. Construction of @Velsk Hive, Objective 04, in Arkhangelsk Oblast of the Russian SFSR, and @Minsk Hive, Objective 05, in the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, begin.
    - To combat the worldwide shortage of @Tactical Surface Fighter (TSF)s, the @The United States of America (USA) encourages allied nations to develop their own TSF types, and begins accepting TSF engineering training teams from many nations. Disappointed at the de-prioritization of their order of @F-4 Phantoms, the @Empire of Japan's Ministry of Defense, which strongly advises independent domestic development, answers with the Akebono Program, by sending a combined team of 219 personnel from both private and military enterprises to the USA for the purposes of TSF development and application of related technologies.
    - As part of attempts to resolve the shortage of TSFs, the USA converts the easily mass-produced T-38 training unit into the @F-5 Freedom Fighter. @Europe is prioritized for the unit's export supply; @Asia receives less than 30% of the total F-5 production.
    - The USA first deploys the F-11 Tiger. The manufacturer, Grunnan, begins marketing it to Asian nations, that are still awaiting delivery of their supply of @F-4 Phantoms, such as the @Empire of Japan. A model with increased output would also be marketed towards the Japanese Royal Guard. The F-11's high-stability frame was offset by its low output, however, and it was quickly replaced in service by the F-4.
    - Marketing of the @F-5 Freedom Fighter and the F-11 Tiger to Japan intensifies. McDaell, fearing the cancellation of Japanese orders for the @F-4 Phantom, delivers 12 units and their necessary peripheral equipment and parts as a countermeasure against that possibility, allowing the Japanese to begin live testing of the @Type-77 Gekishin.
    - The French Army begins deployment of the F-5F manufactured by Dass-Ault named the @F-5F Mirage III according to traditions.
    - The @United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy, begin deployment of the @F-5E Tornado, E/G/I variants respectively. All three variants are manufactured by the multinational merged company, Palavia Industrial.
    - Sweden, with F-5Fs supplied by France, further modifies them into the F-5S, also known as the J-35 Draken, and deploys them. The J-35 is considered of the same lineage as the @F-5E Tornado, @F-5F Mirage III, F-5G Tornado, and F-5I Tornado, as European modifications of the @F-5 Freedom Fighter; these 5 TSFs are referred to as the "Five Sisters" by military personnel.
    - Israel's TSF manufacturer, IEI, further modifies @F-5F Mirage IIIs supplied by France with desert battle specifications. These TSFs are then deployed as the F-5F Kfir.

  • 1977
    - A BETA group from Kashgar reaches the southern part of the Urals and invades Soviet territory. Construction of @Ekibastuz Hive, Objective 06 begins to the north of Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan.
    - Worldwide, nations attracted the Alternative Plans begin to move. As Alternative III had yet to show results, nations disfavoring other countries' anti-BETA strategic initiatives begin large-scale budget allocation in the field of fundamental researches in anticipating the next Alternative Plan. With aggressive research into BETA-derived technology, the USA becomes dominant in the fight to lead the Alternative Plan.
    - Beginning of Alternative III's anti-BETA diversionary effectiveness experiments. Examination of anti-BETA diversionary experiments validated by Alternative III begins in earnest across all fronts in Eurasia. The result is an estimated BETA tactical information propagation model. (The idea that each Hive has its own independent strategic planning functions and supporting chain of command, and that information gathered by the BETA is disseminated throughout the entire population of the Hive in nineteen days, at which point it immediately propagates to all Hives derived from the same Original Hive as the source Hive, and after which all Hives that received the information will have countermeasures based on the information gathered).
    - The tactical information propagation model is incorporated into anti-BETA strategic planning. Prior to its integration into strategic concerns, human forces were defeated in 8 out of 10 engagements during the experiments.
    - In @Empire of Japan, Kawazaki, Mistuhishi, and Fugaku Heavy Industries begin the full-scale license-production of the @Type-77 Gekishin. The TSF's deployment is prioritized to the Western Army's 8th Division.
    - Initial deployment of Grunnan's @A-6 Intruder, the world's first Tactical Surface Attacker (TSA), by the USA. The amphibious A-6 was designed in the shoreline assault role in conjunction with its carrier craft, the Swordfish-class medium-size carrier submarine, which also begins deployment at the same time.

  • 1978
    - The Moonlit Night Incident occurs. An attempted coup d'etat in the German Democratic Republic (Soviet East Germany) by dissidents led by high-ranking Nationale Volksarmee (NVA) officers.
    - Operation Palaiologos is launched in @Europe. A joint operation by a combined NATO/Warsaw Pact force attempts to seize the @Minsk Hive, Objective 05. After two months of fierce fighting, with the combined forces of all of Europe acting as a diversion, the Volk Regiment of the Soviet Army 43rd Tactical Armored Division successfully enters the Minsk Hive, but is wiped out after a few hours. Though the operation to seize H05 is unsuccessful, humanity obtains valuable information from their observations of the Hive interior from the data left behind by the Volk Regiment. This data would hereafter be known as the Volk Data.
    - The @The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is divided east and west by a massive BETA counterattack, as if in retaliation for Operation Palaiologos. Exhausted from the previous fighting, the European Front collapses entirely. The Warsaw Pact nations are cut off from the USSR and fall back to Western Europe with the NATO forces. BETA gain total control of northwest Eurasia.
    - Construction of @Surgut Hive, Objective 07 begins in Russia.