Teynara Jeralyr
Resident Sig Lord
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: To create a standard beam weapon for Sith Ascendancy vessels.
Image Source: Original Image
Canon Link: N/A
Restricted Missions: N/A
Primary Source: N/A
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Sith Ascendancy Engineering Corps
Model: SA-172c Thermal Beam Cannon
Affiliation: Sith Ascendancy
Modularity:
- Can be mounted on a variety of ships with varying fire output
- Varying focusing lens can change wavelength of beam
Production: Mass-Produced
Material: Durasteel, Crystal Focusing Lens
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Classification: Thermal Beam Cannon (Ship-Mounted Weapon)
Size: Stationary and Ship-Mounted
Length: 12m
Weight: 900kg
Ammunition Type: Power Cell and Focusing Lens
Ammunition Capacity: Effectively unlimited.
Effective Range: 20km Optimal Range, 100km Optimal Range
Rate of Fire: One shot every 15 seconds.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Fires a sustained thermal beam rather than a standard laser blast
- Can have the focusing lens swapped out to adjust the frequency of the beam
- Increasing the power output will increase the damage sustained
DETAILED SPECIAL FEATURES
Due to the sustained nature of the beam, the SA-172c draws energy directly from a built-in power generator, and can have the power output adjusted to enable it to fire a weaker beam that can be fired for longer, or to fire a stronger beam that can fire for a much shorter burst.
The configuration of the crystals has been designed to be modular, so when the weapon is not firing, it can have the focusing crystal swapped out to one that focuses energy on a different thermal wavelength, thus altering the frequency that the beam fires at. This can therefore enable it to adjust to different shield frequencies in combat, and thus proves more effective at adapting to shields than standard turbolasers.
DESCRIPTION
Designed primarily as an anti-capital ship weapon, the SA-172c is a sustained thermal beam that can fire from anywhere between 1 to 5 seconds in a single shot, projecting a beam of coherent energy with pinpoint accuracy on a target. Sith engineers at the Bastion shipyards had been looking for a means to create something that might provide better fire support in battle situations, and settled on a sustained design rather than the standard single-shot mechanism used by traditional turbolaser designs.
It is designed to be entirely modular in design, and can be fitted onto starships of varying size, as well as used in ground-to-space emplacements to fire on ships in orbit. The Ascendancy Engineering Corps discovered a means of using ground crystal lenses no more than two centimeters thick to focus a projected energy packet into a sustained beam, and manufacture each cannon to have multiple firing crystals, each focusing on a different light wavelength, enabling the output frequency to be adjusted. Since the crystals are of varying origin, this will also change the colour of the beam, shifting along different EM frequencies.
Due to the high power requirements of the cannon, each one must have a dedicated power generator attached, and uses a power buffer that needs to be charged between shots: this results in a slow recharge time of 15 seconds after firing before the weapon can be used again. This also makes it ineffectual against starfighters and smaller vessels: combined with the tracking issues it possesses as a result of requiring a pinpoint firing solution (rather than lead targeting, as on standard turbolasers), their sole use is in anti-capital ship operations, and they are thus only used against ships rated as Corvette or higher, and will struggle against anything smaller.
Strengths
- High-Yield beam can cause significant damage to enemy targets
- Adjustable frequency crystals allow for the shots to be adapted to suit varying target defenses, using EM bands against shields, Thermal against hull armour etc
- Power output can be adjusted to alter the damage output of the shot, allowing for longer-range weaker shots or shorter-ranged stronger shots
- Stronger against large vessels, primarily capital ships
- Requires an independent power generator to function, which therefore take up more space than a standard turbolaser, so any ship possessing them will likely have fewer weapons available
- Cannons require charging over 15 seconds between shots, giving them a slow recharge rate
- Pinpoint targeting systems required: beams will fire directly upon a target, rather than leading them
- Lack of mobility: due to the nature of the emplacements, the cannons have a limited firing arc, and are slow to adjust aim on a new target
- Slow tracking: unable to lock onto starfighters or other fast-moving craft due to the nature of the tracking hardware and shot recharge system, so can only be used against larger vessels
