Directorate Officer
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Kraytscale series armor plating is designed to provide CSA starships and vehicles with general protection on the battlefield from a variety of threats, but especially kinetic weapons. Kraytscale is composed of many, relatively small hexagonal plates that are connected to each other through multiple layers of embedded carbonite nanofibers. In this respect, it resembles the 'scale mail' used by ancient warriors of the Core or by low-tech civilizations today. Each plate can partially disperse kinetic energy throughout these carbonite nanofibers to the rest of the hull. This makes the whole system exceptionally useful in lessening the effects of high velocity, penetrating kinetic attacks such as hypervelocity rounds.
But each scale individually is an exceptional example of non-energetic reactive armor. Each Kraytscale is composed of a pair of quadanium steel plates separated by a thicker layer of synthmesh sheets. When an object strikes the scale, the synthmesh underneath the steel plates gives way (or elastically deforms), causing the point of impact to also shift to an different angle. If it is a particularly high velocity attack coming perpendicularly to the armor plate, it may pass through the armor, but it may does so at angle that sends it into the more superficial sections of the hull rather than deep inside. If the attack is more low velocity or comes in at an acute angle, it may simply glance off, as the synthmesh regains its form after being compressed. Similar principles also make Kraytscale effective against shaped explosive charges, such as proton torpedoes, as the point of impact for the explosive jet will shift to lessen penetration.
For all of its advantages against projectile weapons, Kraytscale is notably less effective against conventional energy weapons such as turbolasers. The individual quadanium steel plates remain as effective as they would be as part of a conventional armor scheme, but the small gaps between the individual scales area areas where it is easier for thermal attacks to reach the hull. Lucerne Labs partially compensated for this flaw by introducing VACX gel into these gaps. However, this coating vaporizes quicker than conventional armors as it absorbs more and more heat, which can lead to its complete dissolution far quicker than conventional armor. This makes Kraytscale armored ships and vehicles more vulnerable to sustained energy fire barrages, especially without shields.
Kraytscale is produced in a variety of sizes for use in a wide diversity of CSA vehicles and vessels, from landspeeders to space stations. Depending on the type of vehicle and the forces it is expected to experience, the armor usually is anchored to the vehicle's hull by more carbonite nanofibers while the plating itself rests on more VACX gel and quadanium steel brackets. It is a not unheard of punishment or disciplinary measure for soldiers to have all of the VACX gel stripped and reapplied, an obnoxiously tedious process.
- Intent: To provide the Commenor Systems Alliance with a standard vehicle/starship armor system
- Image Source: N/A
- Restricted Missions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Name: Kraytscale-series Armor Plating
- Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
- Homeworld (optional): N/A
- Production: Mass-Produced
- Affiliation: Lucerne Labs / Commenor Systems Alliance
- Modularity: No
- Material: Quadanium Steel plating, VACX, Synthmesh, Carbonite Nanofibers
- Classification: Compound
- Weight: Heavy
- Resistances
- - Blasters (And other plasma type weapons): Average
- Kinetic: High
- Lightsabers: Low
- Other: Explosive: High
- Color: Blue-Gray
- Kinetic Resistance: Kraytscale plating is designed to resist kinetic energy through material choices and structural layout.
- Dispersion: Kraytscale uses layered approach to each plate and integrally connects them together to effectively redirect and disperse energy from kinetic and explosive attacks elsewhere.
- Thermal Ablation: Kraytscale relies on VACX to provide thermal protection between its "scales". VACX can protect these gaps for a short time, but it will quickly vaporize as sustained heat is applied to it, eventually leaving no protection between the scales. The use of VACX is also something of a maintenance issue because of the time and cost needed to replace it after use.
Kraytscale series armor plating is designed to provide CSA starships and vehicles with general protection on the battlefield from a variety of threats, but especially kinetic weapons. Kraytscale is composed of many, relatively small hexagonal plates that are connected to each other through multiple layers of embedded carbonite nanofibers. In this respect, it resembles the 'scale mail' used by ancient warriors of the Core or by low-tech civilizations today. Each plate can partially disperse kinetic energy throughout these carbonite nanofibers to the rest of the hull. This makes the whole system exceptionally useful in lessening the effects of high velocity, penetrating kinetic attacks such as hypervelocity rounds.
But each scale individually is an exceptional example of non-energetic reactive armor. Each Kraytscale is composed of a pair of quadanium steel plates separated by a thicker layer of synthmesh sheets. When an object strikes the scale, the synthmesh underneath the steel plates gives way (or elastically deforms), causing the point of impact to also shift to an different angle. If it is a particularly high velocity attack coming perpendicularly to the armor plate, it may pass through the armor, but it may does so at angle that sends it into the more superficial sections of the hull rather than deep inside. If the attack is more low velocity or comes in at an acute angle, it may simply glance off, as the synthmesh regains its form after being compressed. Similar principles also make Kraytscale effective against shaped explosive charges, such as proton torpedoes, as the point of impact for the explosive jet will shift to lessen penetration.
For all of its advantages against projectile weapons, Kraytscale is notably less effective against conventional energy weapons such as turbolasers. The individual quadanium steel plates remain as effective as they would be as part of a conventional armor scheme, but the small gaps between the individual scales area areas where it is easier for thermal attacks to reach the hull. Lucerne Labs partially compensated for this flaw by introducing VACX gel into these gaps. However, this coating vaporizes quicker than conventional armors as it absorbs more and more heat, which can lead to its complete dissolution far quicker than conventional armor. This makes Kraytscale armored ships and vehicles more vulnerable to sustained energy fire barrages, especially without shields.
Kraytscale is produced in a variety of sizes for use in a wide diversity of CSA vehicles and vessels, from landspeeders to space stations. Depending on the type of vehicle and the forces it is expected to experience, the armor usually is anchored to the vehicle's hull by more carbonite nanofibers while the plating itself rests on more VACX gel and quadanium steel brackets. It is a not unheard of punishment or disciplinary measure for soldiers to have all of the VACX gel stripped and reapplied, an obnoxiously tedious process.
