Historic Timeline in the BETAverse (Part 06)

Divergence Point and Timeline (Continued)

  • Late 1986
    - The 2nd-generation JA-37 Viggen, developed by SAAG using the J-35 Draken as a base, enters deployment with Sweden.

  • 1987
    - Unable to resist the full-scale westward BETA advance, the governments of various nations holding out in Portuguese territory, in order to support refugees escaping from mainland @Europe, relocate their capital functions to the @United Kingdom, @Greenland, and @Canada. Military forces belonging to nations that have lost their territories are henceforth incorporated under @United Nations command.
    - With the decline in national power of the permanent member nations of China, @The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), and France of the @United Nations Security Council, the @Empire of Japan, which held great influence in technology, economic, and military matters, and @Australia, with its immense national influence due to its provision of a stable food supply, are inducted as new additions to the list of permanent members of the UN Security Council, bringing the total number of permanent Security Council members to — in addition to @The United States of America (USA) and the @United Kingdom — seven nations. However, the right of vote for Japan and Australia is frozen for the next 20 years (until 2007).
    - July: The controlled Fifth Dimensional Effect Bomb experimental detonation, the Morpheus Experiment, which was carried out in the White Sands Desert, New Mexico, @United States of America (USA), is successful. This paves the way for practical implementation of G-bombs.
    - November: The HI-MAERF Project is discontinued due to technological issues, and the prospect of the implementation of the cheaper and more practical G-bombs, for which the limited quantities of BETA-produced elements would be put to better use in.
    - In light of the worsening war situation on the Indian subcontinent, the @Empire of Japan begins considering dispatching troops that had previously been requested by the @United Nations. Dredging of Lake Biwa Canal begins for the re-servicing of the Lake Biwa canal. The canal is expanded to connect Osaka Bay, Ise Bay, and Tsuruga Bay together via Lake Biwa, as an important traffic route, and to allow passage of the Imperial Navy's Kii-class battleships and 300,000-ton class tankers. Despite incomplete work on the section of canal that connected Tsuruga Bay to the network, the Lake Biwa canal still allowed for the deployment of the USS Theodore Roosevelt TSF carrier during the BETA Invasion of Japan in 1998.
    - @The United States of America (USA) Navy first deploys the @F-18 Hornet, a 2nd-generation TSF developed by Northrock from the YF-17, the TSF that had lost to the @F-16 Fighting Falcon in the LWTSF Program.
    - Due to France's withdrawal from the ECTSF Program and the loss of the European mainland, the @United Kingdom, which had become the only nation left providing substantial development to the development program, announces the shift in the ECTSF's specifications to that of a 3rd-generation @Tactical Surface Fighter (TSF), with emphasis on close-combat and maneuvering capabilities.
    - @The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) first deploys the Hive capture-specialized @MiG-25 Spirt-Voz, the heavy TSF taking its place as a front-line unit alongside the @MiG-27 Aligatori.

  • 1988
    - The @Empire of Japan completely revises its Fundamental Law of Education to focus on the cultivation of future Eishi pilots, completing the changes to the system that were first carried out in 1979. Truncation of compulsory subjects and reorganization of university departments begins.
    - @The United States of America (USA), disappointed in the stagnation of Alternative III, presents their proposal for the next Alternative Plan to the @United Nations, without waiting for the UN's call for contingency plans for the next Alternative plan. The USA presents an anti-BETA strategy that entails the use of the currently-under-research G-Bombs to eradicate Hives; by using limited application of G-bombs to capture the outer Hives, repeating the cycle of acquiring G-elements to mass-produce G-bombs, and finally, using a saturation attack with a large number of G-bombs to purge the Hives in the center of Eurasia, including @Kashgar Hive, Objective 01. The UN, seeing the lack of progress on Alternative III, agrees to consider the USA's proposal.
    - The @United Nations carries out the Triad exercises. UN Joint Space Force and @The United States of America (USA) Strategic Orbital forces jointly conduct material drop experiments to verify the interception standard of the @BETA - Laser Class. Regardless of the contents of the load, only @BETA - Heavy Laser Class in the vicinity of the predicted end point intercept the load, and it is found that they do not react beyond a certain fixed range. While the detailed principle behind this behavior remains unknown, this results in a significant boost in regular deployment of low Earth orbit satellites and HSSTs.
    - A 14-year-old @Yuuko Kouzuki begins examining quantum causality theory.
    - The @United Nations rejects the United States' anti-BETA strategic proposal. Objections by Eurasian nations over the unpredictable effects of the new weapons with regards to the differences in the evaluation of the results of Alternative III is the main reasons for rejection. As a result, @The United States of America (USA) is deeply disappointed in the UN, and decides to enforce their own anti-BETA strategy. From then on, the US' open lobbying towards member nations of the UN, and the radicalization of the rejected plan into what would eventually lead to Alternative V, begins.

  • 1989
    - In response to an object suspected to be a BETA landing unit flying in from the Moon's surface, SHADOW successfully executes its first interception, deflecting the object's Earthbound trajectory. However, there is controversy over whether the object was actually a BETA landing unit or not.
    - The BETA attempt to expand into @Africa, even as other large-scale BETA groups invade @Europe and the Indian subcontinent. They are met by the forces of the @Middle Eastern Union at the @Suez Canal Defense Line in a defensive battle, intensifying the fighting on the @Arabian Peninsula.
    - The Imperial Ministry of Defense begins trial introduction and licensed production of the @Type-89 Kagerou in the @Empire of Japan, the TSF being jointly manufactured by Mitsuhishi Heavy Industries, Fugaku Heavy Industries, and Kawazaki. 12 units were originally introduced for the purpose of obtaining technology for the troubled development project of their domestic TSF, but another 188 F-15Js would later be produced.
    - June 15: A roughly four month long battle to defend the @Suez Canal front begins in North @Africa.

  • 1990
    - Construction of the @Bhopal Hive, Objective 13, begins in India. Following the evacuation of mainland @Europe, humanity focuses towards India to prepare for the capture of the @Kashgar Hive, Objective 01, and begins a do-or-die resistance in the area.
    - A large BETA group from Kashgar begin an all-out eastward push. Northeast Eurasia, East @Asia and Southeast Asia become the main battlefields as the @Unified Front of China, @The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), and various Southeast Asian nations wage a furious defensive war, but the frontline is gradually pushed back by the overwhelming numbers of the BETA.
    - The ASTF Program ends. As the result of the four-year development competition between Lockweed's YF-22 and Northrock's YF-23, @The United States of America (USA), which determined the YF-22 to be superior in terms of cost and conformation to existing US tactical doctrine, is selected as the next mainline TSF. After a year of trial operations, it is decided for formal deployment, and given the official designation of @F-22A Raptor.