Directorate Officer
Intent: To create a stealth engine for the Republic designs / create a reward for service to the Republic or Lucerne Labs
Development Thread: here
Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
Model: LLT-11 Caecius Drive System
Affiliation: Galactic Republic, those awarded the engine for exceptional service to the Republic or Lucerne Labs
Modularity: None
Production: Minor
Material: durasteel, typical ion engine components, supercooled fuel, Vectrals
Strengths
-multiple stealth settings at different ranges for fuel efficiency
Weakness
-maximum stealth setting for ion engines restricts their maneuverability
-chemical thruster has limited flight time (two hours)
Description: The LLT-11 Caecius Drive System is a modernized version of the stealthy engine systems used on the New Republic's Ferret and Prowler reconnaissance vessels. Like those systems, the Caecius uses two separate sublight drives: a low-emission ion drive and a baffled chemical thrust drive. In the Caecius engine pod, the chemical thruster is surrounded by a ring of ion engines.
Ships using the Caecius Drive System typically run on the ion drive for its cost-effectiveness and long-range. The basic workings of this engine are not unlike other ion drives: it propels ions to relativistic velocities and thereby creates thrust. Unlike other ion engines, the exhaust nozzles of the Caecius are enclosed in tandem rings of vectrals, which rapidly disperse and dampen the radioactive ions into an indistinct pattern that could be confused for an ion wind or ion cloud. Unfortunately, using these vectrals to trap and slowly release the exhaust trail makes the using ship more unmaneuverable when they are in their retentive (and consequently more stealthy setting). This setting is only effective at ranges of a couple hundred meters and greater. At closer ranges, the ship's engines can still be detected by dedicated radiation sensors or ships with unusually powerful sensors. The ventrals can be used in their more normal steering role, but this does not scatter the ions as effectively, making this setting only effective at maintaining stealth at longer ranges. Regardless of which setting is chose, the radioactive ions can still be tracked by a very sensitive radiation sensors, just like the original ion engines of the NR recon vessels.
This is where the baffled chemical thrust engines come into play. Like the Whisperthrust engine, the chemical thrust engine uses supercooled, spin-sealed gases as a propellant. When the exhaust is expelled from these old fashioned chemical rockets, the vectrals redirect it to scatter around space. Since it is not radioactive, and because the gas is already supercooled, it is harder to detect at close ranges. Unfortunately, it is also very limited in fuel supply because the propellant takes up more space than a traditional power source. The Caecius can only use the chemical drive for two hours before refueling. These means that the pilots of the ships using the Caecius must be selective in their use of the chemical drive. They typically reserve its use for when they getting close in to an enemy, and make extensive use of drifting on inertia and other silent running techniques. Some larger vessels, primarily non-combat vessels such as transports, may carry extra fuel for the thrusters in their cargo holds.
The Caecius Drive System is expected to propel the next generation of stealth starfighters, light transports, and spy ships that will be entering service with the Galactic Republic, as the engine is entirely ineffective in providing any benefit to ships greater than a hundred meters in length. While most units will be used for purely governmental use, several units are being reserved as rewards for people who render exceptional services to the Galactic Republic or Lucerne Labs.
Development Thread: here
Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
Model: LLT-11 Caecius Drive System
Affiliation: Galactic Republic, those awarded the engine for exceptional service to the Republic or Lucerne Labs
Modularity: None
Production: Minor
Material: durasteel, typical ion engine components, supercooled fuel, Vectrals
Strengths
-multiple stealth settings at different ranges for fuel efficiency
Weakness
-maximum stealth setting for ion engines restricts their maneuverability
-chemical thruster has limited flight time (two hours)
Description: The LLT-11 Caecius Drive System is a modernized version of the stealthy engine systems used on the New Republic's Ferret and Prowler reconnaissance vessels. Like those systems, the Caecius uses two separate sublight drives: a low-emission ion drive and a baffled chemical thrust drive. In the Caecius engine pod, the chemical thruster is surrounded by a ring of ion engines.
Ships using the Caecius Drive System typically run on the ion drive for its cost-effectiveness and long-range. The basic workings of this engine are not unlike other ion drives: it propels ions to relativistic velocities and thereby creates thrust. Unlike other ion engines, the exhaust nozzles of the Caecius are enclosed in tandem rings of vectrals, which rapidly disperse and dampen the radioactive ions into an indistinct pattern that could be confused for an ion wind or ion cloud. Unfortunately, using these vectrals to trap and slowly release the exhaust trail makes the using ship more unmaneuverable when they are in their retentive (and consequently more stealthy setting). This setting is only effective at ranges of a couple hundred meters and greater. At closer ranges, the ship's engines can still be detected by dedicated radiation sensors or ships with unusually powerful sensors. The ventrals can be used in their more normal steering role, but this does not scatter the ions as effectively, making this setting only effective at maintaining stealth at longer ranges. Regardless of which setting is chose, the radioactive ions can still be tracked by a very sensitive radiation sensors, just like the original ion engines of the NR recon vessels.
This is where the baffled chemical thrust engines come into play. Like the Whisperthrust engine, the chemical thrust engine uses supercooled, spin-sealed gases as a propellant. When the exhaust is expelled from these old fashioned chemical rockets, the vectrals redirect it to scatter around space. Since it is not radioactive, and because the gas is already supercooled, it is harder to detect at close ranges. Unfortunately, it is also very limited in fuel supply because the propellant takes up more space than a traditional power source. The Caecius can only use the chemical drive for two hours before refueling. These means that the pilots of the ships using the Caecius must be selective in their use of the chemical drive. They typically reserve its use for when they getting close in to an enemy, and make extensive use of drifting on inertia and other silent running techniques. Some larger vessels, primarily non-combat vessels such as transports, may carry extra fuel for the thrusters in their cargo holds.
The Caecius Drive System is expected to propel the next generation of stealth starfighters, light transports, and spy ships that will be entering service with the Galactic Republic, as the engine is entirely ineffective in providing any benefit to ships greater than a hundred meters in length. While most units will be used for purely governmental use, several units are being reserved as rewards for people who render exceptional services to the Galactic Republic or Lucerne Labs.
