Look buddy, I'm an engineer...
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To flesh out and bring to market the main gun found on the Queen Amelia
- Image Source: GAU-8 Avenger wikipedia entry
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Graenge Armaments & Industries
- Affiliation: Ezekiel Graenge, The Support Corps
- Market Status: Closed-Market
- Model: Graenge Armaments - Rotary Auto Slug Cannon, 30mm
- Modularity: Somewhat -- Its capable of firing different payloads as any large bore projectile weapon is.
- Production: Mass-Produced (Kind of. If you want one of these it's going to be special ordered and hand made.)
- Material:
Weapon - Chrome-lined Durasteel barrels
- Alusteel frame and feed system
Ammunition - Chepatite primers
- Brass casings
- Copper jackets
- Detonite filler (High Explosive rounds)
- Lead projectile w/ Tunqstoid dart penetrator (Armor-piercing tunqstoid penetrator rounds)
- Classification: Slugcannon
- Size: Very Large
- Weight: Very Heavy
- Ammunition Type: Slugs(High Explosive or APTP most commonly)
- Ammunition Capacity: Large
- Effective Range: Long Range
- Rate of Fire: Extremely High
- Damage Output: Very High
- Recoil: Extreme
- The GA-RASC30 is an an enclosed nitrogen system cooled rotary autocannon that utilizes chemical propellant, firing 30x228mm cased munitions.
- The firing mechanism is hydraulic based utilizing a system of cams. Each barrel has it's own breach and bolt assembly, actuated by rotating the barrels. Safety warning! This means that if the cannon is linked to a loaded feed system and is rotated by hand that it will fire!
- The entire cannon with feed system fully loaded weighs in at 2 metric tons.
- The feed drum is capable of holding a maximum of 2,000 rounds, which are fed utilizing a linkless system. Rounds are pushed out of the drum utilizing the same hydraulic system that rotates the barrel assembly, ensuring that feed keeps up with barrel RPM. They are then kicked out by the extractors on each of the barrel's breech mechanisms.
- The weapon has a variable fire-rate depending on setting. The three modes are as follows: Low rate of fire, abbreviated as "LO" if linked to a headsup display or other display, fires at 1,300 rounds per minute. High rate of fire, abbreviated as "HI" fires at 2,600 rounds per minute. Cyclic rate of fire, abbreviated as "BRRRT!" fires at the maximum cyclic rate of 3,900 rounds per minute.
- BRRRRRRRTT!: By creating a firing mechanism for each barrel that's cam actuated by the rotation of the barrel assembly and then spinning that barrel assembly with the most powerful hydraulics that can be reasonably gotten away with, this weapon's rate of fire is awesome in the biblical sense of the term. At its highest rate of fire setting the weapon fires so quickly that individual discharges cannot be discerned. It sounds as though a giant zipper is being undone in the sky. The effects on the ground from this rate of fire are equally as awe inspiring, capable of carpeting an area in explosions so rapidly that the flashes of explosions within the dust clouds of previous impacting rounds resemble lighting rolling in a stormy sky.
- Shield Chewer: Most deflector and ray-shields are not built to handle the inertia of such heavy rounds combined with such incredible rate of fire. It is much more taxing on the integrity of such defenses to withstand under sustained fire than most other weapons.
- Multi-feed system: The GA-RASC30 includes a dual-feed line system for the cannon. This allows there to be up to two ammunition types loaded in the feed system and allows the operator to switch between them at relative will. There is a delay of three shots before the new ammunition type will be fired next due to the rounds being loaded three positions in the barrel rotation before being fired. This is essentially negligible due to the rate of fire of the weapon, but may hold significance in fringe cases.
- Big Fracking Gun: This weapon weighing in at 2 metric tons, with more than 5 meters in length, is impossible to mount on conventional starfighters. Even light freighters may find trouble as the weapon's loaded weight along with a full cargo bay may result in the starship being overburdened for its maneuvering thrusters, resulting in a starship that struggles to defeat gravity while in atmosphere.
- Like a mule: This weapon's recoil is so extensive that it is fully incapable of being mounted in any turret system short of a capital ship style heavy turbo-laser mount. Any smaller ship looking to mount this weapon system will have to have it mounted in a fixed configuration to the hull, otherwise the turret system will be incapable of staying on target, or worse -- that extensive recoil may tear the mount apart. In addition, if mounted to a light freighter ship the recoil force during fire is enough to slow the starship in flight against the power of the engines.
- The flame that burns twice as bright...: Naturally, the insane fire rate of this weapon leads to ammunition problems. Namely, you can never have enough of it. The standard feed drum included with this weapon holds 2,000 rounds. On the lowest rate of fire, this lasts 90 seconds of continuous fire. On the medium setting this drops to 60. And on the cyclic rate you guessed it, it lasts a mere 30 seconds of continuous fire.
- That's a lot of heat: The weapon maintains an enclosed nitrogen cooling system to attempt to deal with the utterly massive amounts of heat this weapon generates. Each barrel is cooled by pipes running their length and banding around at regular intervals with supercooled nitrogen that passes through them. Of course, in space all of the heat removed to cool that nitrogen can't just be sunk into the atmosphere via a radiator. Seeing as there is no atmosphere and all. Instead, its radiated into a large brick like array of aluminum fins accessible during weapon service. This heatsink composes 30% of the weapon's weight and is required for its ability to operate in the vacuum of space. These regularly need to be replaced as extended fire will eventually change the temperament of this heat sink to the point of melting it or otherwise ruining its utility. Even with the heatsink barrel life is estimated at 5,000 rounds. Much less if long bursts of cyclic fire are used often while outside of atmospheric conditions.
- Premature Stoppage: One disadvantage that slugcannon automatics cannot get around is the potential for a jam. Utilizing a linkless feed system lowers the potential for this, but none-the-less, it requires regular maintenance and changing of an oil reservoir to minimize the possibility of carbon buildup from inhibiting weapon function. During extended cyclic fire, the chance for a jam increases to a not-insignificant level. Once the weapon is jammed it requires manual intervention and servicing to function again.
As a young adult Zeke found himself being fascinated with the production of arms. The invention of the GA-RASC30 was his first forray into weapons technology. A multi-year long project being prototyped with his ship lead to its eventual development. He based the weapon around an old munition meant for repulsor tank mass-driver cannons with the intention of imparting upon the Queen Amelia a main gun that would act as a deterrent to outer-rim pirates. At the same moment he had produced a weapon that would not be identifiable to sector patrol scans as any previously known model of starship weapon. The power readouts from a scan would pick up the hydraulic system but wouldn't necessarily correlate to it being linked to a weapon system as its energy signature is new and unregistered. Were it to be identified properly it probably wouldn't necessarily be legal for a civilian to have mounted to their starship. As of yet however, he has had luck with no system authority being able to properly categorize it due to the primitive technology used in its function.
With his grandfather's passing, the Queen Amelia is no longer a smuggling ship. It just isn't Zeke's calling. What the GA-RASC30 represents however, is. With the creation of his company -Graenge Armaments and Industries - the first product he has listed for sale is this weapon. As a one man design and manufacture team however, it'll likely take weeks to fulfill a single unit order while working full time on it.
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