Approved Tech MAD-51 Sensor

[Sasha Santhe]

Intent: Expanding upon a standard canon sensor
Development Thread: If needed
Manufacturer: Santhe/Sienar Technologies
Model: MAD-51
Affiliation: Available through contracts with Santhe
Modularity: No
Production: Mass-Produced
Material: Durasteel and other standard components
Description: The Magnetic Anomaly Detector 51 or MAD-51 is a starship sensor which reads the tiny anomalies in magnetic fields. In doing so the sensor can find, track and trace a ship, by measuring the effect it has on a magnetic field.

The sensor requires the presence of a magnetic field to be able to track a ship. First of all this may be achieved when near to a planet with a magnetic field*. Alternatively, another ship may generate a magnetic field that can be used as the basis for detection.

There are several inherent weaknesses with this sensor. First of all, the ship carrying the sensor needs to be distant from any clusters of large warships which either disturb the magnetic field, or generate large fields (such as those with powered up hypervelocity cannons). Secondly, vessels with a hull made of materials other than durasteel (and other like components) may not have enough of an effect on a magnetic field to be detectable.

The sensor can detect over reasonably long ranges (relative to a fleet engagement), but cannot be used to sweep over the scale of a system from a single location. A very large number of these sensors would need to be mounted and flown across a system in patterns to detect any weak changes to EM fields. Such a defence would be exceedingly costly compared to other methods of detecting cloaked vessels, and is generally disregarded as a general measure.

*Note: most planets have magnetic fields, it is not fully understood how some planets have these lost/significantly weakened.

Sources: 1. 2. 3.

 

[Netherworld]

Under review.

 

[Netherworld]

[member="Sasha Santhe"]

Alright, nice sub all around.

Going by the wikipedia article you linked:
"To reduce interference from electrical equipment or metal in the fuselage of the aircraft, the MAD sensor is placed at the end of a boom or a towed aerodynamic device."

Going by the same logic, these would be installed on the outside/fixed onto the hull of the starships, and as such a relatively easy target in a fight, correct?

 

[Sasha Santhe]

[member="Netherworld"]

I mean every other sensor is on the outside of the ship normally covered by a simple plate or cone or something akin to that... For instance the X-wing sensor is under a nose cone with a window. so it can see out... this would be no more vulnerable than that. In fact it could function in a ceramic or that whatever fiber (from the stealthx) nose cone on the front of a fighter like that. But that would be reality this is star wars where things don't make sense all the time. *shrugs*

All that being said I'd rather not put that its on the outside for one major reason... I'd prefer that any image which someone wants to use be able to work. Not all ship images have a boom sticking out of it and its a relatively small thing considering it already has weaknesses.

 

[Netherworld]

[member="Sasha Santhe"]

A fair point, but the issue I saw there was mainly this:

"To reduce interference from electrical equipment or metal in the fuselage of the aircraft,

which seems to be the reason why one would want to put the sensor on the outside.

As you wrote in the description yourself:

Alternatively, another ship may generate a magnetic field that can be used as the basis for detection.

If placed on the inside, I believe the sensor's accuracy would be subject to interference from the craft itself.

 

[Sasha Santhe]

Since I did a very poor job of conveying this in my previous post here is a picture. Look inside the tail of the plane its a MAD. Its inside not exposed or external but far enough for the planes electronics to work.

On Helicopters it has to be on the outside, but there are planes where they are in the hull just on the periphery of electronic devices. There is a plane from Vietnam that I’m trying to find where it was inside the wing and used to detect trucks and such through the trees.

Anyways it is comparable to the X-Wing nose cone, ([x]) designed to be far away from electronics but still protected by some "armor" or else otherwise integrated into the ship itself so it isn’t just out there in the breeze.

[member="Netherworld"]

 

[Netherworld]

[member="Sasha Santhe"]

Alright, I see what you mean now.

Thanks for the clarification, much obliged. With that done, I'm stamping this.

Approved, pending secondary. [member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

With clarification this seems alright.

Approved.