Directorate Officer
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create an updated version of the old Angon-class Hypervelocity Cannon
- Image Source: here
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: Angon-class Hypervelocity Cannon
- Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
- Affiliation: Directorate, Silver Jedi Concord, Lucerne Labs Customers
- Market Status: Closed-Market
- Model: Angon II-class Hypervelocity Cannon
- Modularity: software; mounting hardware (can be fixed in place on small ships, fitted on turrets on capital ships, etc)
- Production: Mass-Produced
- Material: Dallorian Alloy Barrel, typical mass driver cannon components, Biolux series Organoform Circuitry, Calor Series Bio Computers, various electronics
- Classification: hypervelocity cannon
- Size: Large
- Weight: Very Heavy
- Ammunition Type: projectiles / Deutrium-Baradium Nitrate propellant
| Cluster Fire Mode | Sniper Mode | Rapid Fire Mode | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition Capacity | Average | Average | Average | |
| Effective Range | Average | Extreme | Average | |
| Rate of Fire | Average | Average |
| |
| Damage Output | Extreme |
| Average | |
| Recoil | Average | Average | Average |
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Electrothermal-Chemical Gun: Rather than taking the high tech mass driver or low technology slugthrower route, Lucerne Lab's engineers opted to take the less traveled middle route of an electrothermal-chemical gun. In essence, the Angon II starts a combustion reaction that will propel an inert physical munition by igniting a liquid Deutrium-Baradium Nitrate propellant with a laser. This liquid turns into rapidly expanding plasma which pushes the munition out of the barrel. Because the liquid fuel is not part of the munition itself, and it is pumped in separately, it does not need have an ejection or extraction equipment. This both somewhat simplifies equipment design and removes a frequent point of failure from conventional slugthrower weapons. From a physical performance standard, the expanding plasma tends to generally apply more uniform pressure while the projectile travels down the barrel, leading to enhanced exit velocity.
- Variable Fire Modes: The Angon II's unusual electrothermal-chemical gun design means that its chamber can be filled with different amounts of projectiles and/or propellant. In "cluster fire mode", the Angon's breech holds multiple projectiles of the same type, and then fires them simultaneously with a smaller amount of propellant. This mode can consequently create a fair amount of damage in a short period of time as this cluster of projectiles usually hits targets within milliseconds of each other. Conversely, the Angon II's breach might only hold a single projectile but put a large amount of propellant behind it, giving it excellent range in "Sniper Mode". Lastly, the Angon II can quickly load a projectile and ignite a small amount of propellant, allowing it to very quickly spit out rounds at a rate comparable to traditional hypervelocity cannons at around 120 rounds per minute, making it very equivalent to the older HVs-2 hypervelocity gun in "Rapid Fire Mode".
- Variable Munitions: Like many projectile cannons, the Angon II can fire a wide variety of different ammunition types, from very simple solid metal slugs to smart munitions. A wide variety of warheads can similarly be fitted into sabots to fired out of the cannon, whereas hollow shells can similarly contain a wide variety of chemical agents.
- Hefty Weapon: The Angon II is a large weapon, taking up roughly the space and power requirements of a ten typical turbolasers or a single hypervelocity cannon on most ships. While this makes the Angon II efficient at damaging and destroying cruisers and larger capital ships, it does have trouble hitting small, fast moving corvettes, frigates, and other lighter vessels.
- Versatile: The Angon II is a versatile weapon, capable of releasing a wide variety of projectiles in different firing patterns.
- High Rate of Fire (Rapid Fire Mode): Angon II can rapidly fire by using a very small amount of liquid propellant and rapidly igniting it.
- Heavy Hitting (Cluster Fire Mode): The Angon II can fire multiple projectiles at once, which quickly to significant, simultaneous damage to a target.
- Excellent Range (Sniper Mode): By igniting a large amount of propellant behind a projectile, the Angon II can accurately strike targets that are very far away.
- Bulky Weapon: The Angon II, like the traditional hypervelocity cannon, is not a small weapon. Its size often limits its ability to be mounted on smaller ships, and its slow tracking typically makes it difficult to target fast moving corvettes and smaller craft.
The Angon II is Lucerne Labs's attempt to consolidate weapon production by effectively fusing the old Trident-class Autocannon: and the Angon-class Hypervelocity Cannon into a single weapon. Effectively, the Angon II takes the versatile electrothermal-chemical operating system of the Trident-class and puts into the form factor and role of a traditional hypervelocity cannon like the original Angon. The resulting cannon is fairly large and powerful, but depending on the amount of liquid propellant and projectiles placed into the firing chamber, the Angon can fulfill a number of different roles. With a few seconds of calibration, the Angon II can act like an oversized scatter gun, long-range sniping weapon, or rapid fire autocannon. In addition to the versatility of these fire modes, the Angon II can use a wide variety of different projectiles:
Solid Slug: Perhaps the most common ammunition of the Angon II on account of its cheap cost, this shell is composed of depleted baradium encased in a durasteel jacket. The high density of depleted baradium makes this projectile more suited for piercing through armor compared to the most munitions and it does tend to produce expanding clouds of shrapnel inside target. Consequently, it's not uncommon for the target to appear almost normal from the outside, while the internals of target are completely gutted and wrecked.
Proton Shell: This is a high explosive shell that uses refined Nergon-14, just like the average proton torpedo, to produce an explosion upon impact with the target. Commonly used for saturation bombardment, especially in support of ground operations or against relatively static targets such as space stations.
Plasticene Thermite: This shell is mostly filled with plasticene thermite gel mixed with liquidified oxygen along with a detonite charge. On impact, the gel spreads out across the target while the detonite ignites due to the physical impact. The Plasticene Thermite gel consequently ignites to 5000 °C, which allows it burn through many materials. This is typically used to defeated composite armors made out of layers of material, or to cause widespread destruction of external subsystems, such as weapons and communications antennae, while leaving the insides of the target intact.
Ion: This shell is an ion bomb, used to fry circuitry and otherwise disrupt electronics. For practical purposes, this shell turns the Angon II into an ion cannon.
Radioactive Incendiary: This shell has a dense ferrocarbon shell that contains conflagrine powder and tritium gas. The density of the shell shields the radioactive nature of the shells from the host vessel and the weapon's crew and also helps improve penetration of the target. When the shell strikes the target, the mixture of conflagrine and tritium is released into the target. Both substances are radioactive and flammable. Thus, this may cause a firestorm that quickly consumes much of the oxygen and breathable gas in the immediate vicinity of the target, or if no such spark occurs to ignite the gas or if the fire is quickly extinguished, it fills an area with powerful but quickly degrading radiation that is very harmful to organic life and frequently disrupts nearby electronics.
Corrosive: This shell contains plank gas, which quickly eats away at metal and flesh within seconds.
Flak: This shell essentially turns the Angon II into an oversized flak gun. The shell uses a thin durasteel casing to enclose bundles of durasteel flechettes arranged around an seismic charge rigged with proximity/timed fuse. When the shell detonates, it briefly fills an area with durasteel shrapnel in an attempt to destroy or damage small objects like warheads, spacetroopers, and many small craft. The durasteel shrapnel may also act as chaff, causing brief sensor disruptions and visual obscurance until the cloud disperses after several seconds.
Cluster Explosive: This shell contains dozens of 7-PrG proton grenades along with a dispersal charge linked to a proximity fuse. Upon detonation, it disperses these grenades in a large cloud around the target(s). The magnetizing nature of the grenade along with the short distance to these targets means that most grenades quickly clamp onto their target before their timers go off after several seconds. This is typically used as a more potent type of flak shell against starfighters (though it is less effective against missiles and many other smaller threats than the flak shell), as the shaped charge is significantly more dangerous than flechettes. It is also sometimes used to create a many small breaches on larger ships to either damage subsystems or create breaches for subsequent boarding parties.
Engineer: This shell is a mostly hollow container composed predominantly of a mirrsteel and tekonite frame which encapsulates a compartment filled with shock-absorbing thermal gel fluid and eight L2/4 Mechanicus Repair Drones. Upon impact or proximity, the drones are released. On friendly craft, the droids can begin to make repairs or stay on standby to make hasty repairs in the future. On enemy craft, these drones act like the classic buzz droids, sabotaging external systems and starting to dismantle them.
Boarding Shell: This shell is a mostly hollow container composed predominantly of a mirrsteel and tekonite frame which encapsulates a passenger compartment filled with shock-absorbing gel fluid and a shield disruptor. Each shell can carry a single large humanoid wearing heavy armor or another equivalent. Ideally, the shield disruptor allows passage of the shell through shields while the frame and gel fluid provide protection to the passenger to withstand the impact. This construction typically does not allow the boarding shell to penetrate through a hull or otherwise damage the target vessel, but rather gets the passenger on top of the hull. Because this is an exceptionally hazardous mode of travel, most passengers are disposable battle droids, though exceptionally foolhardy or desperate organics have been known to use the shell from time to time.
Munition Sabot: This shell is actually a warhead or space mine encased in a plasteel sabot that fully seals the barrel, allowing the expanding plasma from the deutrium-baradium nitrate mix to impart velocity to the projectile. The warhead travels in this protective sabot for almost half of is journey through space. When it peels off, the warhead typically coasts forward under is high velocity before activating its engines as it nears its target or deploying if a mine. This sabot shell can encapsulate payloads up to eight meters long, which allows it to effectively carry some larger warheads, though it cannot carry ultra-heavy warheads such as assault concussion missiles, strategic missiles, intruder missiles, or other exceptionally powerful warheads. This shell can also hold half dozen Starcore II-class Concussion Missiles or several dozen Starbolt-class Missiles, which automatically can lock onto different small targets, giving the Angon II a reasonably good method of attacking enemy starfighters and smaller vessels.
Like traditional hypervelocity cannons, the Angon II is typically the main battery on cruisers and star destroyers. However, they can be employed in small numbers as heavy armament on smaller corvettes and frigates or as secondary batteries on the largest warship.
