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Galactic Citizen

Starflare-class Modular Missile

Designation: Starflare-class Modular Missile

Purpose: To produce a versatile warhead system that has limited hyperspace capabilities.

Application: Used as a capital ship missile.

Name/Type: Starflare-class Modular Missile
Designer/Manufacturer: Kashan Defence Industries
Length: 3.5 Meters
Speed: 175 MGLT, 1000 kph
Range: 50 kilometers (sublight engines only)
Hyperdrive: x10
Weapons: 1 Modular Warhead.
Countermeasures: 1 Active Jammer

Description: The Starflare-class Missile is a unique warhead system designed to give Kashan commanders versatility in dealing with their opponents. It follows the general Kashan philosophy of trying to outthink opponents. Besides its modularity, the weapon’s main strength is its one-way use hyperdrive, which allows Kashan fleets to strike at their opponents from ranges without fear of instant reprisal. The weapon is large enough that it can’t be carried by any known starfighters as of late. Thus, it is only carried by capital ships.

Fuselage Construction:
The fuselage’s frame and covering are constructed of Ferrocarbon laminated with Trimantium fibers for resiliency. To allow the missile to punch through hull plating before the weapon detonates, the missile’s front is fully composed of the Ferrocarbon. Because of the material composition, most starfighter-grade physical weapons, such as flechettes and it resistant to laser cannon fire as well. In addition, the armor has been blackened, making it hard to visually spot it.

Hyperdrive: The Starflare carries a single-use hyperdrive with a range of 2.5 light years; or about 1.5 times the radius of a typical solar system. The hyperdrive system itself is very rudimentary. For example, there are no safety cutouts or anything extraneous that could add to the hyperdrive’s size or cost. Because the weapon has only a one way use hyperdrive and no living beings, and thus does not have safety cutouts, the Starflare can be launched into hyperspace in the presence of a gravity-well, such as a planet. However, the missile can also be forced out of hyperspace by gravity-wells, both artificial and natural, like a starship.

Modular Warhead: The Starflare utilizes a modular warhead that lends Kashan officers versatility in roles and functions. Unlike most weapons, the Starflare’s warhead is actually positioned in the core of the weapon to make it difficult to detonate in flight and to allow the missile to penetrate and then detonate for maximum damage. Warhead types:

Armor Piercing: This warhead is a reinforced Ferrocarbon shaft for sustained armor piercing.

Electrite Crystal: This is the most common warhead used by the Starflare. It is based on technology derived from the Elegance message drone. In it, two electrite crystals snap together, resulting in enough force to vaporize anything(unshielded) within a hundred fifty meter radius. It is mainly effective against groups of lightly armored targets, such as starfighters and sub-capital ships. Against heavily armored opponents like most capital ships, the force is equivalent to several concussion missiles. When used against starfighters and other clouds of objects, it is programmed to explode when its sensors indicate a specified number of opposing vessels within the blast radius (adapted from EGD).

Flare Cluster Missile: This warhead releases a cluster of flares to illuminate an area or throw off enemy warheads.

Flechette: This warhead releases a cloud of explosive-tipped flechettes for use against multiple enemy missiles or starfighters. It is generally used to prematurely detonate enemy missile strikes. Flechette warheads are also used to detonate enemy minefields.

Ion: This warhead produces the same effect as the ion cannon against a capital ship. A single ion warhead produces the equivalent damage of 3 capital-scale ion cannon bolts.

Magnetic Pulse: This warhead creates an area-wide powerful magnetic pulse that temporary short-circuits communications, droids, and hi-tech equipment. It is only effective against ships equal to or lower than sub-capital ships(>100 meters).

Proton: This is the most common warhead along with the Electrite Crystal. It carries proton explosives for heavy anti-shipping attacks. A Starflare loaded with this warhead deals out the damage of 4 normal proton torpedos.

Seismic: This warhead uses a devastating seismic charge similar to those used by Jango Fett, but on a larger scale. The weapon has been proven to be quite effective in asteroid fields.

Sonic: This warhead does no damage to the external hull plating or subsystems. Instead, when it hits the target, it suffuses a high-intensity sonic vibration(sound) throughout the hull which is capable of shattering smaller objects and producing various injuries to opposing crewmembers. It can also be set on a stun setting which instead releases a high-pitched wail that causes opposing crewmembers to lose their equilibrium and become unconscious. The effects of this warhead on crewmembers can be stopped by wearing specialty armor (adapted from Sonic Pistol, EGWT).

Jammer: The Starflare carries a miniature jammer that is effective within 50 meters of the craft. This is to prevent the missile from being intercepted by enemy starfighters or other missiles. However, because the jammer takes up power as well, the missile’s speed is also reduced to 135 MGLT when the jammer is being used. The jammer is automatically triggered when the missile’s sensor system detects it being actively targeted.

Additionally, whenever the missile detects it being targetted, the missile makes a sideslip maneuver to through off incoming laser fire.

Targetting: The missile typically uses sensor data provided from the ship it was launched from. However, it can make course corrections by itself from a DER sensor. This sensor automatically locks the missile to strike the nearest weak area of the opposing vessel.

Launching: The weapon is fired from launch tubes or tubes arranged in an octet similar in concept to the proton torpedo octet.

Comments

#36 7:45pm 28/04/06

lol

That's generally true, but in many engagements, there is sensor jamming of various levels as well. In that case, one will definitely need visual sight as well. In this case, the Starflare has its own sensor jamming device which complements the blackened armor.

#35 4:18am 28/04/06

[QUOTE]visual targetting[/QUOTE]

I've always had issues with this. Fighter-craft zipping around at speeds aproaching the speed of light on a simply massive scale shooting beams of light at one another... I really can't see how the visual acuity of the pilot is gonna make too much of a difference unless he can't see the HUD. Just one mans opinion, which is why all MY starfighters are regulated to speed limits which do not exceed 30 kph in a school zone.

#34 4:09am 28/04/06

[QUOTE]However, i do feel that this system needs limitation, for example, a limited number of warhead types, and also that it can only be either ground launched or launched from a ship designed specifically to carry it.[/QUOTE]

Yes, there some limitations already, besides the sbulight range. I was thinking of it being used like the PIMs on BDE ships. Thus,the weapon is capital-scale only, and ships using have to be fitted with special launchers as well. Because this system takes up space, ships won't be able to carry incredible magazine of these weapons and as well they can only store a limited amount of the warhead types, say about 3, per engagement. Is that acceptable?

[QUOTE]Also, just because the armour has been blackened doesn't really make much difference to ones ability to track this weapon. Even starfighters have targeting computers, and considering it's slower than standard missiles, it should be easily dealt with if launched at a prepared fleet with an aware commander.[/QUOTE]

Exactly. The missile is easily detected by most sensors; the only reason the armor is blackened is to make visual targetting harder for starfighter pilots. I'm sure a few inventive defenses using existing technologies already found on ships could deal with this sufficiently.

#33 2:20am 28/04/06

No, its not. Its a fully functional droid, as opposed to a missile which requires only drives, guidance systems and warhead.

However, i do feel that this system needs limitation, for example, a limited number of warhead types, and also that it can only be either ground launched or launched from a ship designed specifically to carry it.

I can assume everyone concurs that this should not be launched from just any ship.

Also, just because the armour has been blackened doesn't really make much difference to ones ability to track this weapon. Even starfighters have targeting computers, and considering it's slower than standard missiles, it should be easily dealt with if launched at a prepared fleet with an aware commander.

So;

-Design ship to launch weapon, one who's sole basic weapon complement revolves around just a few of these

-Lower number of warhead types

#32 11:29pm 27/04/06

The difference is a probot isnt a missle

#31 9:27pm 27/04/06

I do agree that a missile will interact with a shields while in hyperspace, but I'm not sure what your basing this quote on...

[QUOTE]Missile would need to be larger, much larger to accomidate any sort of distance. Most of your missle would need to be payload oriented, and at its current size that would leave little room for sublight engines, let alone hyperspace. Im thinking a full 10m+ should suffice, which would then lower its sublight speeds.[/QUOTE]

I can't understand your case considering the info I just provided. I just provided a link showing the canon probebot pod, a mere 3.4 meters long, that can cover hundreds of lightyears with a x1 hyperdrive. And yes, that pod too is payloaded oriented with the probot taking up 80% of the room according the EGVV. The Starflare is larger and has a much poorer hyperspace performance compared to the probot pod. Is it really that unrealistic?

EDIT: Here are the stats for the Probot Hyperspace Pod according to WEG and XWA, courtesy of the Galactic Empire Data bank.

Name/Model# : Probot Hyperspace Pod (Probe-mate Hyperspace Pod) <<Stats taken from WEG and XA>>
Designer/Manufacturer : Arakyd Industries
Combat Designation : Probot Hyperspace Pod
Scale : Starfighter
Length : 3.4 Metres
Crew : Droid Brain
Astrogation 6D and space transports 4D
Troop Capacity : 1 Probot
Consumables : 1 Month
Cost : 22,500 Credits
Nav Computer Limited to 1 Hyperspace Jump
Sublight Speed : 8 Space Units
Hyperdrive Rating : Class 1
Atmospheric Speed : 1,200 kph (Note descent capable only)
Sensors : Passive : 100 Space Units/1D
Scan : 200 Space Units/2D
Search : 300 Space Units/3D
Focus : 10 Space Units/4D
Shield/Hull Rating : Shields None. Hull 2 RU (RPG=Shields None. Hull 2D)
Special Ability : Sensor Baffler: +2D difficulty to detect pod with sensors

#30 8:20pm 27/04/06

I tried designing an R&D that would hyperspace inside a craft a few years ago but Kas or one of the mods then told me it wouldn't fly.

#29 4:07pm 27/04/06

I don't think the plan was ever to have the missile hyperspace into the craft. I think it is designed to come out of hyperspace before it hits the ship and subspace in the rest of the way.

#28 3:49am 27/04/06

Fair enough. I wasn't sure if such a thing had already been nailed down. Hell, I was still uncertian about Sheilds in hyperspace. Still am. I mean does Superstring Theory even take into account the probablity of encountering objects in a forth dimensional wormhole? Buuut, not to get mired in physics, what really matters here is how this weapon is used in RP and as such I totally agree with Mr.Gue on the issue of sheilds (rather, I will defer to his experiences in fleeting).

But, really?

#27 3:35am 27/04/06

Well, its less theoretical and more ruled... Phage thread... if my missles could hyperspace through shields, they would have done so, they cant so I didnt...

#26 3:04am 27/04/06

As I stated before, I have no issues with the size. Another meter or two at best would suffice, imo. As for the application of this missile as a hyperspace weapon I'll leave that to the authors, considering any statement on how this thing would work is purely theoretical, much like reactive "shields" and "hyperspace".

Anyway. The ball is in your court, Corise.

#25 1:59am 27/04/06

Missle would need to be larger, much larger to accomidate any sort of distance. Most of your missle would need to be payload oriented, and at its current size that would leave little room for sublight engines, let alone hyperspace. Im thinking a full 10m+ should suffice, which would then lower its sublight speeds.

In addition, I want to make sure that your aware that an object in hyperspace enountering a shield would be effected just as it would in realspace. This means a missle can not jump at a ship in hyperspace and emerge behind its shield, it would slam into the shield in hyperspace harmlessly.

#24 12:09pm 26/04/06

[QUOTE]Corise: please work on your submission to remove the contradictory/unrealistic elements.[/QUOTE]

Certainly. What exactly are the contradictory/unrealistic elements in this case?

For people who still have misgivings about the hyperdrive...[URL=http://www.galacticempiredatabank.com/ProbotHPod.html]HERE[/URL]

#23 11:38am 26/04/06

About the arms-race thing, I remember when that came up during one of Telan's R&Ds - after fighting the rapid Sword line, he designed a ship that could slow everything in the field around it to a crawl. I said that such a technology was disproportionately powerful, since the Coalition at the time relied on fast ships, but in the end I think the consensus was that the important thing was how it was used in a roleplay, and that the mistake was my own for making the Coalition overly dependant on a simple concept, which was remedied by diversifying the fleet so that the weapon was no longer devastatingly uncounterable.

I don't know how that applies here, but that was my experience with 'Arms-race' R&Ds, that a technology that does something bright to exploit an obvious weakness is okay (Like a ship that slows vessels to counter fast ships) but creating something that just plain one-ups someone (they make tough armor, so you make a weapon and say "It ignores your armor because it is awesome", or some such thing) was discouraged. I could be wrong, just my input.

#22 5:13am 26/04/06

No, you're right. What happened and what we intended to happen are two different things. But short of aborting every single design and starting from scratch, all we can do now is to moderate the future.

Corise: please work on your submission to remove the contradictory/unrealistic elements.

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