Directorate Officer
Image Source: N/A
Intent: To flesh out a Lucerne Labs version of the Proton Beam Cannon
Development Thread: If necessary
Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
Model: Cascade-class Proton Beam Cannon
Affiliation: Lucerne Labs, Closed Market
Modularity: None
Production: Mass-Produced.
Material: Durasteel casing, various particle accelerator components
Classification: Particle Accelerator Weapon
Size: Capital Ship-Mounted
Length: 120 meters
Weight: 600 metric tons
Ammunition Type: Power
Ammunition Capacity: Dependent on host ship; in practical gameplay terms, infinite
Effective Range: Normal Turbolaser range; most effective at short capital ship ranges
Rate of Fire: Variable; typically twenty second pulse followed by 60 second cool down
Special Features:
Variable Fire Rate: The duration of the Cascade's particle stream can be altered for different roles, though this proportionally affects both the powering up and cool down phases.
Equivalent to 75 turbolasers for Shipbuilding purposes
Restricted to frigates and larger vessels
Strengths:
Heavy Hitting: The Cascade, like other proton beam cannons and particle cannons, is known for its exceptional power, which its sustained pulse can potentially overwhelm a shield quicker than it can regenerate.
Radiation: The disintegration of the accelerated protons from the beam releases high-energy radiation, which can cause radiation sickness and potentially death to target's crews who are hit by the proton beam. It is possible for ray shields to compensate and provide comprehensive radiation protection against such strikes, but that also increases the workload and strain on ray shields.
Weaknesses:
Slow Fire Rate: The Cascade has a lengthy cool down and power up time, which means that it is a weapon best fired selectively at just the right time.
Poor Tracking: The Cascade falls into the area of spinal-mounted weapons because of its length, which means that it cannot be turreted. Electromagnetic fields can alter the beam's trajectory to a small degree, about 15 degrees variation from the beam's centerline, but the weapon is grossly aimed by the host ship's maneuvers.
Description: While Lucerne Labs has had a variety of starship weapon designs on hand, it was found that the company lacked a product that was optimized for use against large starships such as star destroyers. On overview of weapon concepts brought the concept of a proton beam cannon, popularized most recently by the One Sith's Immortals, to the forefront of discussion. Under the code name of Cascade, the weapon was developed in competition with an electromagnetic acceleration weapon codenamed Archer to become the next weapon to equip the company's proposed line of star destroyers.
The Cascade-class Proton Beam Cannon is Lucerne Lab's version of a relatively small capital ship scale proton beam cannon, much like the experimental weapon used on the Accuser during the Galactic Civil War. It is a large, particle beam weapon that accelerates protons over the length of a hundred meters to near-light speed velocities at a target. The exceptional length of this barrel means that it must be mounted axially on a vessel and restricts its fire arc to a narrow field of fire. Normally such a weapon would have no ability to track a target, but the Cascade makes use of electromagnetic fields positioned near the tip of the weapon's barrel that allow it small degree of elevation and transverse from its baseline. The resulting beam that emerges from the weapon appears as a bright blue-white beam that appears in sustained pulses, followed by a lengthy gap in firing. When the beam hits a target, the resulting impact of the protons against the target causes local superheating along with a burst of high energy radiation which either can cause further strain on the target's ray shielding or irradiation of the crew. If the ship's shields come down, the beam can cause disintegration in the beam's path and widespread superheating in adjacent sections of the target's hull. The Cascade pumps electrons into the beam near the end of the firing process, which causes the beam to initially be very focused, but as the particles travel farther and farther apart, the overall polarity of the beam becomes more and more positive, resulting in the charged protons repelling away from each other and becoming more diffuse. In practical terms, this means that while the Cascade can damage targets at standard turbolaser range, it is much more effective the closer the target is because the beam is more concentrated the closer it is to the Cascade's barrel. Combined with its exceptional slow fire rate, the Cascade is most often used as a close-range assault weapon to breach through exceptionally large and well-protected targets. It is an ineffective weapon against small and fast vessels because its poor tracking abilities.
Primary Source: N/A
Intent: To flesh out a Lucerne Labs version of the Proton Beam Cannon
Development Thread: If necessary
Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
Model: Cascade-class Proton Beam Cannon
Affiliation: Lucerne Labs, Closed Market
Modularity: None
Production: Mass-Produced.
Material: Durasteel casing, various particle accelerator components
Classification: Particle Accelerator Weapon
Size: Capital Ship-Mounted
Length: 120 meters
Weight: 600 metric tons
Ammunition Type: Power
Ammunition Capacity: Dependent on host ship; in practical gameplay terms, infinite
Effective Range: Normal Turbolaser range; most effective at short capital ship ranges
Rate of Fire: Variable; typically twenty second pulse followed by 60 second cool down
Special Features:
Variable Fire Rate: The duration of the Cascade's particle stream can be altered for different roles, though this proportionally affects both the powering up and cool down phases.
Equivalent to 75 turbolasers for Shipbuilding purposes
Restricted to frigates and larger vessels
Strengths:
Heavy Hitting: The Cascade, like other proton beam cannons and particle cannons, is known for its exceptional power, which its sustained pulse can potentially overwhelm a shield quicker than it can regenerate.
Radiation: The disintegration of the accelerated protons from the beam releases high-energy radiation, which can cause radiation sickness and potentially death to target's crews who are hit by the proton beam. It is possible for ray shields to compensate and provide comprehensive radiation protection against such strikes, but that also increases the workload and strain on ray shields.
Weaknesses:
Slow Fire Rate: The Cascade has a lengthy cool down and power up time, which means that it is a weapon best fired selectively at just the right time.
Poor Tracking: The Cascade falls into the area of spinal-mounted weapons because of its length, which means that it cannot be turreted. Electromagnetic fields can alter the beam's trajectory to a small degree, about 15 degrees variation from the beam's centerline, but the weapon is grossly aimed by the host ship's maneuvers.
Description: While Lucerne Labs has had a variety of starship weapon designs on hand, it was found that the company lacked a product that was optimized for use against large starships such as star destroyers. On overview of weapon concepts brought the concept of a proton beam cannon, popularized most recently by the One Sith's Immortals, to the forefront of discussion. Under the code name of Cascade, the weapon was developed in competition with an electromagnetic acceleration weapon codenamed Archer to become the next weapon to equip the company's proposed line of star destroyers.
The Cascade-class Proton Beam Cannon is Lucerne Lab's version of a relatively small capital ship scale proton beam cannon, much like the experimental weapon used on the Accuser during the Galactic Civil War. It is a large, particle beam weapon that accelerates protons over the length of a hundred meters to near-light speed velocities at a target. The exceptional length of this barrel means that it must be mounted axially on a vessel and restricts its fire arc to a narrow field of fire. Normally such a weapon would have no ability to track a target, but the Cascade makes use of electromagnetic fields positioned near the tip of the weapon's barrel that allow it small degree of elevation and transverse from its baseline. The resulting beam that emerges from the weapon appears as a bright blue-white beam that appears in sustained pulses, followed by a lengthy gap in firing. When the beam hits a target, the resulting impact of the protons against the target causes local superheating along with a burst of high energy radiation which either can cause further strain on the target's ray shielding or irradiation of the crew. If the ship's shields come down, the beam can cause disintegration in the beam's path and widespread superheating in adjacent sections of the target's hull. The Cascade pumps electrons into the beam near the end of the firing process, which causes the beam to initially be very focused, but as the particles travel farther and farther apart, the overall polarity of the beam becomes more and more positive, resulting in the charged protons repelling away from each other and becoming more diffuse. In practical terms, this means that while the Cascade can damage targets at standard turbolaser range, it is much more effective the closer the target is because the beam is more concentrated the closer it is to the Cascade's barrel. Combined with its exceptional slow fire rate, the Cascade is most often used as a close-range assault weapon to breach through exceptionally large and well-protected targets. It is an ineffective weapon against small and fast vessels because its poor tracking abilities.
Primary Source: N/A
