Kainan Wolfe
Shadow of War
- Intent: To create a hypervelocity cannon for the EE
- Image Source:
- Banners: My own work, for use by EE members only
- Turret 3D model: My own work, please do not reuse
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Karavin Concern
- Affiliation: Eternal Empire | Closed-Market
- Model: KC-T93S 'Troika' Rail Driver
- Modularity: Yes - Ammunition
- Production: Minor
- Material:
- Impervium-334 Turret
- Hypervelocity Cannon Components
- Electronic Components
- Classification: Mass Accelerator Cannon
- Size: Very Large
- Weight: Extremely Heavy
- Ammunition Type: Kinetic Projectiles (Different types of warheads)
- Ammunition Capacity: Very Small - Requires reloading after each shot
- Effective Range: Battlefield
- Rate of Fire: Very Low
- Stopping Power: Extreme
- Recoil: Very High
- Modular Munitions: The KC-T93S is designed to use any kind of ammunition that conforms to a standardized caliber and form factor, from tungsten rods, to explosive, ion and other kinds of projectiles
- Independent Targeting Array: The KC-T93S is outfitted with its own sensor suite for tracking and targeting and does not require this data from the ship's main sensors
- Long Range Firepower: The KC-T93S can propel projectiles at extremely long distances, maintaining combat effectiveness up to battlespace ranges
- Highly Destructive: The size, power and modular ammunition of the KC-T93S combine to create a weapon capable of inflicting massive amounts of damage against a target
- Slow Reload: The size of the KC-T93S' projectiles, as well as the weapon's considerable power draw result in a very low rate of fire, the weapon needing a significant amount of time to recharge and reload after each shot
- Blind Spots: The size of the KC-T93S' three barrels and the turret's weight mean that the weapon traverses very slowly and the barrels can not be raised by more than thirty degrees, requiring the entire ship to turn and adjust its position if an enemy maneuvers into its blind spot above the turret
Over the years, the Eternal Navy has acquired a vast amount of experience in space combat, its doctrine gradually evolving towards preferring long range, highly powerful and versatile weapons. This also meant a move away from the more standard hypervelocity cannon designs it previously employed, towards an entirely brand new system who's development was handed out to the military-industrial conglomerate Karavin Concern, a partially-state owned enterprise which has historically been the Eternal Empire's main supplier of military equipment.
The conglomerate's answer to the specifications drawn up by the Eternal Navy's Board of Requisitions, was the KC-T93S 'Troika' Rail Driver platform, named so because of the three mass accelerator barrels it incorporates into its design. Fundamentally, the design of the KC-T93S system is very simple, relying on tried-and-tested principles and technologies, but with an extremely high degree of refinement, increasing reliability and power efficiency, as well as adding features such as the ability to utilize modular munitions and its own independent targeting and tracking sensors, all housed in a low-profile turret.
Powerful and effective at extremely long, battlespace-wide ranges, the KC-T93S represents the pinnacle of the Eternal Empire's mass driver technology, capable of launshing devastatingly powerful projectiles at high speeds towards a target, while also maintaining a high degree of versatility due to its ability to utilize multiple kinds of ammunition, from solid tungsten rods, to explosive and ion warheads as well as any others that would fit into the weapon's standardized form factor and caliber. All these advantages do come with several notable drawbacks, however.
Firstly, the sheer size and weight of the weapon mean that turret traversal and adjustment of the cannons' angle is a slow process, making the weapon ill-suited for engaging small, fast targets such as light cruisers, frigates, or smaller vessels. Additionally, the low profile of the turret creates a blind spot above it, as the guns can not be raised more than thirty degrees, requiring the entire ship to adjust its orientation if an enemy maneuvers into that blind spot.
The size of the projectiles and cannons, also means that the weapon system requires massive capacitors due to its significant power draw, which are slow to recharge, as well as the lack of an internal magazine, which means that projectiles must be loaded into the weapon from the ship itself, further increasing the time between each salvo of three projectiles, reducing the weapon's rate of fire to a single salvo every two minutes, a significant amount of time.
Despite these drawbacks, the KC-T93S can be an extremely effective weapons system when mounted onto the right ship and in the hands of a skilled commander and crew, which can properly employ its advantages while keeping in mind the shortcomings of its design.
