Velok the Younger
When I Was A Young Warthog
Intent: To create a viable alternative heavy warhead inspired by the real-life Project Excalibur and the works of David Weber
Development Thread: Battle of Mundas
Manufacturer: Iron Crown Productions
Model: HELIX Submunition Warhead
Affiliation: Fringe Confederation, open market (if RP'ed)
Modularity: No
Production: Minor
Material: Durasteel shell, helium isotopes in neutron flux apparatus
Description: The HELIX is a nuclear-pumped laser warhead. It does not do its damage by shockwave, radiation wave, shrapnel, or all-encompassing explosion. Instead, excitation of helium-3 inside a neutron flux creates a very brief fifty-megaton nuclear reaction, which charges twenty laser emitters for one simultaneous burst each. These are lasers in the classic sense of light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Each one-half-second X-ray laser beam contains the power of a standard medium turbolaser blast; as an actual laser beam, it is primitive but invisible and travels at the speed of light. Some point forward, but the majority are angled back in stages to a full ninety degrees from forward, only sending out beams around and ahead of the missile, to avoid friendly fire. The warhead emits its beams once, for half a second, and then succumbs to the force of the nuclear reaction, melting down.
As these missiles are not fired directly at enemy capital ships, and are not impact or short-range explosion weapons, but as targeting programmers could reasonably assume their course to be such, point-defense weapons lose significant effectiveness against them. They are vulnerable to flak, like all heavy warheads, but not to sympathetic detonation, as they contain no explosives.
The HELIX warhead has severe drawbacks. Most importantly, despite precautions incident to design and wise use, friendly fire remains a concern. Similarly, use near a planet or starbase is strongly discouraged. It is also very important to note that the space between beams grows proportional to the cube of distance from detonation. In other words, it is possible for a HELIX to detonate near an enemy formation and hit with only the equivalent of a handful of turbolaser shots, hardly worth the trouble. This is a highly situational weapon, best employed at range. In a close-range fight between capital ships, assault concussion missiles are somewhat more reliable and effective. Fratricide may occur when too many missiles detonate near-simultaneously. Maximum effectiveness requires balancing detonation range against attrition rates from flak or starfighter interception. Again, this weapon is highly situational.
Classification: Heavy Warhead
Size: Ship-Mounted
Status: Military
Length: Comparable to a standard Assault Concussion Missile.
Weight: Comparable to a standard Assault Concussion Missile.
Ammunition Type: Bomb-pumped laser
Ammunition Capacity: Each warhead can detonate once. Each warhead takes up as much space as a standard Assault Concussion Missile.
Effective Range: Comparable to a long-range turbolaser.
Development Thread: Battle of Mundas
Manufacturer: Iron Crown Productions
Model: HELIX Submunition Warhead
Affiliation: Fringe Confederation, open market (if RP'ed)
Modularity: No
Production: Minor
Material: Durasteel shell, helium isotopes in neutron flux apparatus
Description: The HELIX is a nuclear-pumped laser warhead. It does not do its damage by shockwave, radiation wave, shrapnel, or all-encompassing explosion. Instead, excitation of helium-3 inside a neutron flux creates a very brief fifty-megaton nuclear reaction, which charges twenty laser emitters for one simultaneous burst each. These are lasers in the classic sense of light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Each one-half-second X-ray laser beam contains the power of a standard medium turbolaser blast; as an actual laser beam, it is primitive but invisible and travels at the speed of light. Some point forward, but the majority are angled back in stages to a full ninety degrees from forward, only sending out beams around and ahead of the missile, to avoid friendly fire. The warhead emits its beams once, for half a second, and then succumbs to the force of the nuclear reaction, melting down.
As these missiles are not fired directly at enemy capital ships, and are not impact or short-range explosion weapons, but as targeting programmers could reasonably assume their course to be such, point-defense weapons lose significant effectiveness against them. They are vulnerable to flak, like all heavy warheads, but not to sympathetic detonation, as they contain no explosives.
The HELIX warhead has severe drawbacks. Most importantly, despite precautions incident to design and wise use, friendly fire remains a concern. Similarly, use near a planet or starbase is strongly discouraged. It is also very important to note that the space between beams grows proportional to the cube of distance from detonation. In other words, it is possible for a HELIX to detonate near an enemy formation and hit with only the equivalent of a handful of turbolaser shots, hardly worth the trouble. This is a highly situational weapon, best employed at range. In a close-range fight between capital ships, assault concussion missiles are somewhat more reliable and effective. Fratricide may occur when too many missiles detonate near-simultaneously. Maximum effectiveness requires balancing detonation range against attrition rates from flak or starfighter interception. Again, this weapon is highly situational.
Classification: Heavy Warhead
Size: Ship-Mounted
Status: Military
Length: Comparable to a standard Assault Concussion Missile.
Weight: Comparable to a standard Assault Concussion Missile.
Ammunition Type: Bomb-pumped laser
Ammunition Capacity: Each warhead can detonate once. Each warhead takes up as much space as a standard Assault Concussion Missile.
Effective Range: Comparable to a long-range turbolaser.
