Directorate Officer
Image Source: I modified a model of the UEF Klinkhammer from Supreme Commander
Intent: To provide the Republic navy with a dedicated close-quarters “big gun”
Development Thread: If necessary
Manufacturer: Galactic Republic
Model: Tyrvald-class Pulse Turbolaser
Affiliation: Galactic Republic
Modularity: None
Production: Mass
Material: durasteel armor, standard turbolaser components
Classification: ship-to-ship pulse turbolaser
Size: Ship-Mounted
Length: 25 meters
Weight: 100,000 kg (takes up 40 capital guns when mounted a starship)
Ammunition Type: Energy source (reactor) and blaster gas
Ammunition Capacity: Same as standard turbolaser
Effective Range: less than a normal heavy long-range turbolaser
Rate of Fire: same as standard turbolaser
Special Features:
Strengths
-greater damage at close-ranges than heavy long-range turbolaesr battery equivalent
-disruptor-like effects at close ranges (correspondingly stronger as the target nears the weapon)
Weaknesses
-shorter range than heavy long-range turbolaser battery equivalent
-lesser damage at longer ranges than heavy long-range turbolaser equivalent (damage drops off precipitiously after normal turbolaser ranges)
-can only be installed on cruisers or larger vessels
Description: The massive Tyrvald-class Pulse Turbolaser is the latest reincarnation of the old starship-mounted pulse-wave cannon, combining the tried and true technology of pulse-wave blasters with more modern turbolaser technology.
Where a laser cannon is the core of a normal turbolaser, an upscaled pulse-wave blaster is the core of the Tyrvald. This upscaled pulse-wave blaster is fed by dozens of capacitors, allowing it to produce an energy pulse that enters the turbolaser's main actuator. Here, the pulse interacts with the a stream of energized blaster gas (typically Tibanna, but other gases may be used) before being focused by typical galven circuity of a long-range turbolaser. The Tyrvald then releases the energy blast like a typical turbolaser.
Unlike a normal turbolaser bolt, the Tyrvald's pulsed bolt is comparatively not as stable or as coherent; its bolt rapidly degrades as the distance increases. Consequently, while it can often hit distant targets like a normal long-range turbolaser, its power is only a small fraction of that of contemporary long-range turbolaser designs. In fact, its power quickly drops off as soon as the bolt is past the standard (not long range) turbolaser engagement distance. It should be noted that the Tyrvald's maximum range is slightly less than that of contemporary heavy long-range turbolasers. At this extreme range, despite consuming vast amounts of energy (40 capital guns worth), it is about as effective as a single heavy long-range turbolaser.
At typical turbolaser ranges, the Tyrvald is equivalent in power to a heavy long-range battery, with which it costs about the same energy to operate (40 capital guns).
At distances closer than that, the weapon begins to enter its optimum engagement range.
In part, this is because its large, pulsed bolt has not dissipated much because it hasn't hit enough particles to cause it prematurely plume. But also, like its predecessor, the pulse-wave blaster, the Tyrvald exhibits a disruptor-like effect at shorter ranges that is correspondingly stronger as the target draws closer to the weapon. This makes the Tyrvald a potent close-quarters weapon that is only limited by its size.
With a long barrel and a massive turret, the Tyrvald is not well-suited to being mounted on small vessels. This turret, like those of many other large turbolasers, also means that it cannot effectively track subcapital ships or extremely fast vessels. Consequently, the Tyrvald is currently only authorized by the Republic Navy to be installed on cruiser-sized ships and above, where the mounted ship is expected to engage relatively large targets at close ranges.
