The Rebel Faction

Starflare Mk II-class Modular Missile

Designation: Starflare Mk II-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 Mk IIA-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 Mk II version of the missile differs little from the original in concept and use. However, it has more warhead options and increases the stealth of the missile to an extent where it is as difficult to detect as one of the Kashan stealth starfighters. 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. Starflare Mk IIs can be fired from normal Starflare missile tubes, such as those employed on the Seraph-class or the Colonial Mk II.

Stealth: Because stealth was a key concern in designing the missile, the normal ambient glow of the engine could not exist to prevent its detection. As such, the engine’s exhaust, controlled by electromagnetic plates, is actually channeled through several areas to both the disperse the ion trail and leave no engine glow with which to visually trace the craft. The Mk II incorporates many more smaller vents to vent the exhaust quicker, in smaller amounts, and over a wider area. As such, the smaller and diluted amounts of the trail disperse in the stellar wind in a matter of milliseconds. This ensures that there is no ion drive trail with which to detect or follow the craft

Unlike the Mk I, the Mk II does not incorporate a special gloss paint. Instead, the entire craft is coated in reflec: a black polymer stealth coating that hides the starfighter from visual sensor scans. Reflec bends light and most types of sensor probes away from ship, making the fighter practically invisible to light probes(adapted from WEG).

As a result, the Starflare Mk II is exceptionally difficult to detect.

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 aside from the reflec coating, 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.

Fusion: This warhead is based on the SAC shell. Each warhead is filled with hydrogen molecules about to start the fusion process. When the Warhead hits the target, the impact provides the energy necessary to start the fusing, creating a relatively large amount of energy which damages the opposing ship’s hull or shields. The nature of the reaction also causes relatively heavy blast, heat, and radiation damage to the target. And since the warhead is armor piercing, the damage is inflicted directly into the ship.

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).

Starstreak: This version of the weapon carries a quartet of starfighter grade advanced concussion missiles. Thus, the warhead top falls off to allow the deployment of those missiles. This warhead allows its users to precisely and independently target multiple enemy starfighters.

Jammer: The Starflare carries a miniature jammer as a back-up stealth option 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 the unlikely event of 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.