Rusty
Purveyor of Fine Weaponry
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create an updated version of the AA-3 Tribarrel
- Image Source
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Oxidation Industries
- Affiliation: Oxidation Industries
- Market Status: Open Market
- Model: AA-6
- Modularity: No
- Production: Minor
- Material: Minigun components, blaster components
- Classification: Rotary Barrel Blaster
- Size: Very Large
- Weight: Very Heavy
- Ammunition Type: Power Generator
- Ammunition Capacity: Extremely Large
- Effective Range: Long Range
- Rate of Fire: Extremely High
- Damage Output: Very Low
- Recoil: Average
- Extremely high rate of fire
- Advanced radar
- Set and forget capabilities
- Double The Barrels, Double the Fun- Boasts twice the number of barrels as the previous model, and with it, double the rate of fire. Since each bolt is relatively weak, and there's a built in liquid cooling system, it can keep up a blistering rate of fire for extended periods of time.
- Fast Bolts- It doesn't take that much energy to burst a mortar or artillery shell in the air. It does, however, require that bolt to get a move on. At the expense of stopping power, muzzle velocity has been trebled by a series of electromagnetic accelerators in the barrels. Based off Rusty's work with the Shelby prototype, there's a hard limit on how powerful the bolts can be in order to hold together at increased velocities, but the payoff is worth it.
- Advanced radar- In order to detect incoming shells, the AA-6 relies on an advanced radar designed to detect incoming shells at greater range, combined with advanced targeting algorithms that makes the targeting of said shells more precise.
- Set and Forget- When mounted as an independent platform, the AA-6 requires little in the way of operator attention. Provided that the weapon system is properly maintained, it can cover its area of responsibility automatically without a sapient operator in the loop.
- Thicc- Unlike the AA-3, which was considered man portable, the AA-6 absolutely cannot be used in such a manner. It's simply too big and too heavy to be carried and fired by a single individual. While it can be mounted on any vehicle which can accept the AA-3, it must be mounted on something, or it's a very expensive and heavy paperweight.
- Weak bolts- Though the range far exceeds that of the average holdout blaster, the stopping power does not. Each individual bolt is pathetic in comparison to even a standard blaster rifle. Given enough time, it might chew through light armor through sheer volume, but it's neither designed for nor effective at antipersonnel work.
- EM Signature- Because of the use of active sensors, the AA-6 is relatively easy to locate using radio direction finding equipment. While it has limited effectiveness against missiles, assuming they're detected from far enough away, antiradiation missiles and other forms of bombardment that don't follow the typical trajectory of mortars or artillery present an existential threat.
The AA-6 "Calliope" derives its name from an ancient steam-powered musical instrument commonly associated with fairs and carnivals. The high pitch, almost musical quality of the bolts reminded Rusty of a distant past when the galaxy was a simpler, safer place. The irony of taking that memory and associating it with a weapon of war isn't lost on him.
At its heart, the AA-6 is an air defense weapon, designed to handle incoming indirect fire. It can also target and engage air and spacecraft within its sensor bubble, but the low powered bolts aren't likely to do much damage to a shielded starfighter, for instance.
Unfortunately, in order to get the desired performance, using anemic bolts was a requirement. The electromagnetic acceleration principle that allows weaker bolts to hold together for longer and at greater velocities renders more powerful bolts highly unstable. As such, each individual bolt has no more stopping power than the average holdout blaster: dangerous to humans and humanoids only in the most technical sense. A sufficiently thick leather jacket will stop one cold. On the other hand, that first bolt is followed by dozens of others in rapid succession, and it doesn't take much in the way of stopping power to cook an artillery shell and render it inoperable.
None of that means anything if the bolts don't reach the target, however, and in order to accomplish that, the AA-6 incorporates an extremely powerful and precise search radar. Unlike the previous iteration, which relied on a weaker radar backed by other sensors, the AA-6 dumps all its eggs in one basket. The radar is a dual stage unit, with a search phase, which is less precise but has a longer range, and a targeting phase, which can pinpoint incoming objects with millimeter precision. In search mode, the radar keeps a watch out to the horizon for incoming shells. Once incoming is detected, the targeting radar slews to that quadrant of sky and gets to work pinpointing where the shells are. Meanwhile the targeting computer prioritizes shells based on projected time to impact and engages.
Because of the relatively inconsequential drain on tibanna resources incurred by the bolts, all you really need is a sufficiently energetic power source, either in the form of a standalone generator or a vehicle power supply. The tibanna reservoir is rating for 6 months for standard use and 3 months for heavy use. Under worst case continuous use, it is advised to change them out daily, though that can be stretched if necessary.
As with the AA-3, the AA-6 is designed to be networked, rather than work as a standalone. As it can only effectively cover a 90 degree arc on its own, at least four are needed to provide 360 degree coverage, and overlapping fields of fire are preferred.
