Directorate Officer
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
The Bombard is essentially an oversized scattergun designed to be used as a capital ship weapon, making it a polar opposite and complementarily weapon to the basic turbolaser. Whereas the turbolaser is a long-range, precise weapon using the latest in energy technology, the Bombard is a short-range, area of effect weapon that can call upon a whole history of projectile designs. This makes it exceptionally multi-purpose weapon that is devastating at close range.
Each Bombard consists of a short, large-bore barrel mounted in a squat, armored turret that holds a compact but exceptionally stout breach assembly. But keeping the Bombard's mass so low, the turret's motors are able to rotate it faster than many weapons of comparable size, giving it excellent tracking capability at close ranges. This excellent tracking is complemented by the weapon's ammunitions, which fire out in spread controlled by a group of variable power pressor field generators that act like a shotgun's chock. This can make a fairly focused spread that is effective at typical turbolaser ranges, or a very wide spread that is only effective at short ranges but saturates a large area of space. Because the bombard's velocity is very low, the weapon's effects and damage dealt are almost exclusively determined by the payload itself:
Proton Scattershot: This munition consists of dozens of small, spherical proton bombs separated by plasticene packing. When the shell is fired and they leave the barrel, the proton bombs activate either a time-delay or proximity fuse depending on their intended use. Time-delay fuses are typically used for demolition work (such as clearing an asteroid field or scuttling a ship) whereas proximity fuses are typically used against moving targets, especially smaller ships.
Ion Scattershot: This munition consists of dozens of ion charges separated by plasticene packing. These munitions are primed with proximity or impact fuses. Proximity fuses are typically used for use against small targets like starfighters or warheads, whereas impact fuses are typically used at short range to bombard an enemy ship or installation.
incendiary Scattershot: This munition consists of dozens of thermal wells with magnetized cases separated by plasticene packing. Unlike other weapons, these only come with timed fuses. Upon launch, the thermal wells will attach to any nearby metallic objects before they ignite on time fuse. The intense heat they generate can easily melt through thick hull plating, duracrete of fortified installations, or ignite flames in combustibles.
Radiation Scattershot: Despite its name, this munition actually consists of dozens of plasma torpedos separated by plasticene packing. Upon launch, the torpedoes home in the nearest enemy target, which is usually enemy capital ship. Upon detonation, they cause an intense burst of radiation that is exceptionally strong at overwhelming shields.
Flechette Scattershot: The munition consists of a variety thousands of variably sized durasteel flechettes and chaff coupled with light explosive to help expand their cloud. When fired, this effectively creates a dense cloud of shrapnel that is dangerous to starfighters, subcapital ships, and incoming munitions. Much like the Caltrop-5, these flechette clouds can temporarily blind sensors to objects on the other side of the cloud. Batteries of Bombards typically coordinate and fire multiple Flechette shells to make a dense billowing cloud that can obscure entire starships from long-range sensors.
Gravity Well Scattershot: This munition consists of dozens of MX-Int mines separated by plasticene packing. These are typically launched into incoming starfighters or warhead making attack runs. When triggered, the generate intense gravity waves that wreck havoc on the abilities to move and maneuver, making them easier pickings for other weapons to pick off.
Bombards can only carry two types of munitions onto the battlefield because in order to keep the system compact, it would only have two separate feeds in its magazine. Most Bombards are deployed and fire-linked in groups, allowing them to employ mass fire techniques to blanket areas in weapons fire, or to use their variable chokes to deploy fields of munitions in various layers to either initiate or deter attacks. Bombards tend to not be very effective at standard turbolaser ranges because their munitions disperse too much, which leads them to be deployed at medium to very short ranges. They are best thought of as a supplementary weapon system for close-range combat.
Intent: To provide the CSA with a unique space weapons technology
Image Source: N/A
Canon Link: N/A
Restricted Missions: N/A
Primary Source: N/A
Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
Model: Bombard-class Scatter Cannon
Affiliation: Lucerne Labs / Commenor Systems Alliance
Modularity: Ammunition
Production: Mass-Produced.
Material: Quadanium steel, typical projectile weapon components, Pressor Field generators
Classification: Scatter Cannon
Size: Ship-Mounted
Length: 10 meters
Weight: 6 Tons
Ammunition Type: Shells (projectile)
Ammunition Capacity: Effectively Unlimited
Effective Range: Capital Ship
Rate of Fire: semi-automatic
Pressor beam “choke”
Variable Munitions
improved close-quarters tracking
Each Bombard is equivalent to two turbolasers for shipbuilding and terms of rough power
Carries up to two munition types on the battlefield
Devastating Power: The Bombard-class Scatter Cannon fires exceptionally potent munitions, whose effects are derived from their payload rather than velocity.
Variable Munitions: The Bombard can fire a variety of shell types, which makes it an adaptable weapon System.
Improved Tracking: Because the Bombard has a relatively short barrel length, the turret has less mass to move, making it exceptionally fast-tracking for a such powerful weapon.
Spread: Much like an ancient shotgun or scattergun, the Bombard fires a spray of munitions at its target, making it unusually effective against many smaller and faster ships such as starfighter groups, subcapital ships, and light capital vessels that typically rely on evasion to survive. It is also exceptionally useful against stealth or cloaked vessels as it typically blankets an area with weapons fire.
Low Rate of Fire: The Bombard's breach is very compact but very strong, which necessitated a tradeoff in its rate of fire.
Short-range: Because most of the Bombard's barrel is occupied by the shell, and not the propellant, and there is not a not enough time to build up significant pressure, the Bombard's shells are effectively short-range weapons, as they otherwise take too long to hit targets.
Low Muzzle Velocity: The Bombard's shells have a low muzzle velocity, which not only contributes to its short-range, but also make the velocity of the projectile itself rather slow. This means that the kinetic energy imparted by the projectile to an object is very minimal, and almost is entirely based on the payload itself.
Imprecise: The very same scatter effect that makes it so useful against smaller enemies can also make it a liability. A Bombard cannot make precise shots, whether it is trying to hit a particularly small target, or trying to avoid fratricide with an ally that is very close to the target.
The Bombard is essentially an oversized scattergun designed to be used as a capital ship weapon, making it a polar opposite and complementarily weapon to the basic turbolaser. Whereas the turbolaser is a long-range, precise weapon using the latest in energy technology, the Bombard is a short-range, area of effect weapon that can call upon a whole history of projectile designs. This makes it exceptionally multi-purpose weapon that is devastating at close range.
Each Bombard consists of a short, large-bore barrel mounted in a squat, armored turret that holds a compact but exceptionally stout breach assembly. But keeping the Bombard's mass so low, the turret's motors are able to rotate it faster than many weapons of comparable size, giving it excellent tracking capability at close ranges. This excellent tracking is complemented by the weapon's ammunitions, which fire out in spread controlled by a group of variable power pressor field generators that act like a shotgun's chock. This can make a fairly focused spread that is effective at typical turbolaser ranges, or a very wide spread that is only effective at short ranges but saturates a large area of space. Because the bombard's velocity is very low, the weapon's effects and damage dealt are almost exclusively determined by the payload itself:
Proton Scattershot: This munition consists of dozens of small, spherical proton bombs separated by plasticene packing. When the shell is fired and they leave the barrel, the proton bombs activate either a time-delay or proximity fuse depending on their intended use. Time-delay fuses are typically used for demolition work (such as clearing an asteroid field or scuttling a ship) whereas proximity fuses are typically used against moving targets, especially smaller ships.
Ion Scattershot: This munition consists of dozens of ion charges separated by plasticene packing. These munitions are primed with proximity or impact fuses. Proximity fuses are typically used for use against small targets like starfighters or warheads, whereas impact fuses are typically used at short range to bombard an enemy ship or installation.
incendiary Scattershot: This munition consists of dozens of thermal wells with magnetized cases separated by plasticene packing. Unlike other weapons, these only come with timed fuses. Upon launch, the thermal wells will attach to any nearby metallic objects before they ignite on time fuse. The intense heat they generate can easily melt through thick hull plating, duracrete of fortified installations, or ignite flames in combustibles.
Radiation Scattershot: Despite its name, this munition actually consists of dozens of plasma torpedos separated by plasticene packing. Upon launch, the torpedoes home in the nearest enemy target, which is usually enemy capital ship. Upon detonation, they cause an intense burst of radiation that is exceptionally strong at overwhelming shields.
Flechette Scattershot: The munition consists of a variety thousands of variably sized durasteel flechettes and chaff coupled with light explosive to help expand their cloud. When fired, this effectively creates a dense cloud of shrapnel that is dangerous to starfighters, subcapital ships, and incoming munitions. Much like the Caltrop-5, these flechette clouds can temporarily blind sensors to objects on the other side of the cloud. Batteries of Bombards typically coordinate and fire multiple Flechette shells to make a dense billowing cloud that can obscure entire starships from long-range sensors.
Gravity Well Scattershot: This munition consists of dozens of MX-Int mines separated by plasticene packing. These are typically launched into incoming starfighters or warhead making attack runs. When triggered, the generate intense gravity waves that wreck havoc on the abilities to move and maneuver, making them easier pickings for other weapons to pick off.
Bombards can only carry two types of munitions onto the battlefield because in order to keep the system compact, it would only have two separate feeds in its magazine. Most Bombards are deployed and fire-linked in groups, allowing them to employ mass fire techniques to blanket areas in weapons fire, or to use their variable chokes to deploy fields of munitions in various layers to either initiate or deter attacks. Bombards tend to not be very effective at standard turbolaser ranges because their munitions disperse too much, which leads them to be deployed at medium to very short ranges. They are best thought of as a supplementary weapon system for close-range combat.
