Approved Tech L2 Marrab-class ECM Drone

[Gir Quee]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To provide a defensive ECM drone in Lucerne Labs product line-up in the vein of the anti-ordnance EM probe
• Image Source: here
• Canon Link: N/A
• Permissions: N/A
• Primary Source: N/A

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
• Affiliation: Directorate, Silver Jedi Concord, Lucerne Labs customers
• Market Status: Closed-Market
• Model: L2 Marrab-class ECM Drone
• Modularity: none
• Production: Mass-Produced
• Material: Starskimmer-series Hull (Carbo-plas, condensed-matter composite, corellian epoxy), Psykhe series Droid Brain, Bia series Portable Fusion Generator, typical battle droid droid components

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

• Classification: 4th Degree
• Weight: Heavy
• Height: Large (approximately 2 meters in diameter, 6 meters long)
• Movement: ion engine / repulsorlift
• Armaments: none
• Misc. Equipment:
  • General
    • Psykhe series Droid Brain with "Space (environment)" knowledge cartridge and "space tactics" knowledge cartridge
    • Droid automated repair upgrade
    • retractable solar panels
    • electrite crystal based self-destruct mechanism copied from the Elegance Messenger Drone
  • Sensors
    • StarSight-class Sensor Array
    • navigational sensor
    • life form indicator
  • Communications
    • Comm Laser
    • radionics package
  • Defense Systems
    • sensor scrambler
    • Missile deactivation transmitter
    • 4x-Phantom Sensor Jammer
    • NEEDLE remote slicing unit
    • Buckler-class Shield Generator
  • Resistances (Optional):
    • Energy (And other Blaster type weapons): High
    • Kinetic: Very High
    • Lightsabers: None
    • Ion/EMP: Average

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Soft Killer: Marrab is meant to be deployed as a standoff ECM platform that is designed to degrade the performance of enemy starships, munitions, and other small objects. It's primary two systems in this regard are sensor scrambler and 4x-Phantom Sensor Jammer, which make sensor readings difficult in the immediate area around the Marrab. Additionally, the 4x-Phantom comes with a communication's jammer that is fairly effective against most small craft and munitions communications system, while the sensor scrambler may deactivate some missiles. Adding to this last effect, the Marrab also sports a missile deactivation transmitter. In similar vein to that, the Marrab also has a remote slicing units, which while unlikely to be effective against many larger ships, tends to cause all sorts of quirks and malfunctions in hostile, nearby small craft and similarly small platforms. Thus while Marrab isn't likely to actually physically harm enemies, it tends to make them far less capable - especially small craft.
• Network Drone: Marrab is designed to work in conjunction with other friendly sensor, ECM, and ECCM platforms. Most commonly is it fielded in conjunction with other Marrabs to cover designated zones as "safe havens" for friendly craft, but it sometimes is also used in conjunction with the larger jamming systems found on large warships or with various types of sensor decoys, such as the Tamor. In all of these cases, the droid brain of the Marrab is capable of selecting certain frequencies of sensors and communications to leave "unjammed" or in the "clear" for friendly craft to use, and it can engage in coordinated frequency hopping with other friendly systems in order to mitigate the possibility of an enemy taking advantage of those breaks.
• Easy to Deploy: Marrab can be launched from dedicated probe launchers, many warhead launchers, or even launch itself out of hangars or airlocks by using its own repulsorlifts.

STRENGTHS

• ECM platform: Marrab is a fair reasonably effective spaceborne ECM platform, capable of jamming sensors, jamming subspace communications, deactivating missiles, and even possibly slicing into enemy small craft.
• Hard to Kill: Marrab is not only a relatively small target with a very narrow front profile, but it also sports starfighter-grade shields and tends to be hard to electronically target due to its jamming equipment

WEAKNESSES

• Soft Kill: Marrab does not (largely) physically harm opponents, and its entirely possible for some ships, technologies, or other opponents to be entirely unaffected by its systems, such as Vong coral skippers, mynocks, or exceptionally powerful sensors found on some of the largest capital ships.
• Limited Mobility: Marrab's engines are very limited in size and fuel capacity due to the drone's small size. It usually simply coasts on momentum, using its engine sparingly only to adjust its course.

DESCRIPTION
Electronic warfare is a common among most developed galactic militaries, though the exact extent and sophistication varies widely among the powers themselves. The Marrab was largely developed as a personal extension of Admiral Quee's philosophy of employing a diversified and distributed scale of ECM platforms in order to improve redundancy in case of new technological developments or battlefield casualties. The Marrab itself is not terribly impressive, having more in common with a common satellite than either a typical droid or starship. The drone itself is little more than a capsule with basic guidance, propulsion, shielding, sensor, power, and communications systems. Similarly, its ECM payload consists of already existing, almost prolific technology. But the Marrab is device that is greater than the sum of its part. Most of its ECM systems have some overlap in function but not in the exact method of operation, almost guaranteeing some effectiveness on the drone's part. Perhaps the greatest advantage of the Marrab is it's simple convenience. While a ship may not have room or the facilities to be modified to support a dedicated jamming or ECM system of its own, most ships have a warhead launcher or even a simple airlock from which one of these drones can be deployed from. This simplicity of deployment is probably one of the Marrab's greatest strengths, likely to ensure that it will always be produced, if even at a trickling rate.

 

[Listib Hibin]

APPROVED!
Gir Quee