Bombshell Genius
The cutaway of the 380mm Findel HVC
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To provide a 5.0-compliant consolidation HVC
- Image Source: 16in/50 Mk7 on Wikipedia (removed reference to powder)
- Canon Link: N/A
- Restricted Missions: N/A
- Primary Source: Summer heavy long-range mass driver
- Manufacturer: Ringovinda Systems
- Model: 380mm/50 triple-barrel Findel heavy long-range hypervelocity cannon
- Affiliation: Open-Market
- Modularity: Yes; Can fire a wide variety of ammunition
- Production: Mass-Produced
- Material: Superconductor coils (in the barrel), standard hypervelocity gun components, quadranium plating (turret), durasteel
- Classification: Heavy long-range hypervelocity cannon
- Size: Very large
- Length: 40m (turret included; barrels fully extended)
- Weight: Very heavy (1,500 tons dry)
- Ammunition Type: Shells
- Ammunition Capacity: Varies (from 30 rounds to ca. 300 rounds, depending on mount vehicle)
- Effective Range: Battlefield
- Reload rate: Very low
- Rate of Fire:
Individual barrel rate of fire: Very low - Total rate of fire: Low
[*]Stopping power: Very high
[*]Recoil: Very high
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Acceleration coils
- Integrated targeting computer
DESCRIPTION
While the Summer 380mm HVC proved to be of use for fighting enemy capital ships at long ranges, it was found that the sheer size of its magazine limited deployment to cruisers and larger ships, and that, by reducing the size of the magazine, one could mount even larger ammunition on smaller ships, and even more turrets on a ship, so, while the 380mm caliber was retained, with the magazine being adjustable in size for an even wider variety of uses. As with its predecessor, the massive ammunition makes it so that the three barrels are fired in a sequence with an overall firing rate equivalent to a heavy long-range turbolaser. The acceleration coils allow it to fire shells at muzzle velocities nearing 10 km/s. Also, the integrated targeting computer allows it to establish its own targeting solutions using sensor data fed from the mount's main sensor array.
It also shares many of the weaknesses commonly associated with such massive emplacements: slow traverse (which makes the Findel much less effective against ships faster than an average frigate), the turret must be integrated into the vessel due to the projectile-loading assembly taking up significant amounts of space. Accuracy and range are comparable to standard heavy long-range HVC accuracy and range, but the nature of acceleration coils makes it so that it requires a lot of maintenance outside combat to ensure the hypervelocity cannon will work when in combat.
With the most common rounds (high-explosive, armor-piercing, gas, ion, smoke, illum, stun, flechette), the blast radius of each round is about 400m, with the greatest explosive effect within 50m. Penetrators may also be used but they also are very risky to use at point-blank range (ca. 500m)
Important note: For shipbuilding purposes, counts for 90 capital guns towards an armament rating; in ground use, each round has an equivalent firepower to four proton bombs
Strengths:
- Can penetrate and bypass ray shields (damage is then absorbed by particle shields)
- Can fire a wide variety of ammunition
- Heavy firepower: equivalent to 90 capital guns as a hardpoint, with three barrels each having the firepower of four proton bombs
- Long range: equivalent to standard heavy long-range HVC range in a spaceborne setting, battlefield range in a ground setting
- Particle shields must be lowered to fire: an enemy closing in can fire at the barrel and thus score a firepower kill
- Slow-tracking (the utility of the Findel decreases sharply when used against ships faster than an average frigate in a spaceborne setting, or a target faster than a slow tank in a ground setting)
- Very large emplacement: it is an easy target when deployed on a ship or a vehicle
- Low rate of fire: each tube can only fire once per post, and each tube can only be fired once every thirty seconds
- Very low rate of reload: takes one or two posts to reload in full, depending on the size of the magazine, during which it cannot fire
- Indiscriminate (unless using penetrator rounds)
- Minimum range of 500m
