Ala Crescent
Director, Special Projects
"Let's play a game of Chicken."
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: Creating a neat kinetic missile/countermeasure
- Image Source: N/A
- Canon Link: Spiral-class Assault Ship, Density Projector, Ramship
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Kiribian Systems Armory
- Affiliation: Kiribian Systems Armory, Select Customers
- Market Status: Closed Market
- Modularity: No
- Production: Minor
- Material: Depleted Baradium, Proton Explosives, Electronic Components
- Classification: Kinetic Kill Vehicle/Missile
- Size: Extremely Large (75m)
- Weight: Extremely Heavy
- Explosive Type: Kinetic (Primary), Explosive/Fragmentation (Secondary)
- Delivery Method: Initially launched by mass drivers, then uses maneuvering thrusters for course correction.
- Effective Range: Long-Range (Capital Grade)
- Area Of Effect: Personal (Capital Grade)
- Damage Output: Extreme
- Density Projector - Originally debuting with the B3 Ultra Battledroid, this device allows the penetrator to greatly augment its density and kinetic energy output to increase damage potential.
- Maneuvering Thrusters - Small ion thrusters covering the entire penetrator allow for rapid, albeit minor, course correction to remain on an intercept path during flight. These are remote-controlled via jam-resistant, laser line, or biocomm. An additional layer of evolving encryption is provided by robust Mithril Security Software.
- Secondary Fragmentation Charge - Following successful impact, a proton charge lodged within the core of the penetrator detonates to create a large explosion of fragmented molten depleted baradium shards to cause additional internal damage.
- Tandem Penetrator Charges - A series of proton charges located in the tip of the penetrator can disrupt multiple layers of shields and armor to improve the chances of successful impact.
- Tractor Shroud/Sensor Jammer - Upon entering the typical tractor range of a capital ship, the penetrator will fire off a shroud ahead of itself, which consists of a detonation of waves of highly reflective particles that can confuse sensors and break tractor locks.
- Sledgehammer: When used correctly, each Ramrod has the potential to inflict catastrophic damage against targets with a corvette-sized missile that hits with the equivalent energy of a speeding cruiser.
- Shredder: Special features like tandem penetrator charges and density projectors greatly enhance the Ramrod's ability to pierce multiple shields and armor layers.
- Limited Deployment: The launch vehicle needs to be at least 300 meters to accommodate the system. Furthermore, it's a costly extreme emplacement (100 turbolaser equivalent) that also requires the removal of some hanger space to mount (additionally costs one hanger rating).
- Tiny Magazine: The size of each Ramrod limits total magazine capacity to about 3-10 penetrators depending on the size of the launch vehicle.
- Wide Load: When used offensively, Ramrods have a low chance of hitting anything smaller than a cruiser. This isn't much of an issue when used defensively for interception because ramming vessels are usually locked on a relatively straight predictable trajectory on the way to their target.
The increasing ubiquity of ship ramming tactics and dedicated ramships made fleet commanders increasingly wary of deploying capital ships larger than a cruiser, particularly precious Battlecruisers and Super Star Destroyers that could turn the tides of battle. KSA originally tried to address this issue with their own type of counter-ramship, the Kometa-class, but in live combat, the performance of the craft in its intended role proved to be subpar.
On their second attempt, KSA developed a relatively simple kinetic kill vehicle that could initially impact and puncture a target object with the pure, extreme kinetic energy of a dense depleted baradium penetrator, then fragments within the object thanks to a secondary charge located within the core of the body. The corvette-sized penetrator is already devastating on its own but is made more so by the addition of a density projector that artificially boosts its penetrating ability and gives it the equivalent kinetic energy of a speeding cruiser. However, because of each penetrator size, the mass drivers must be spinal mounted or set in fixed emplacements on larger vessels (e.g. port facing).
Deployment is straightforward. The launch vehicle rotates in the general direction of the incoming ramming object(s), then sets each penetrator on an intercept course. While initially launched to high velocities by mass drivers, maneuvering thrusters studded along the penetrator help provide immediate course correction. This is controlled remotely by the launch vessel via laserline or biocomm.
While originally conceived as a defensive countermeasure to protect flagships, the qualities of the ramrods make them effective offensive weapons in limited scenarios against large enemy vessels. However, the small size of magazines should make any user careful about their deployment.
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