From: "Doomriser" <doom.riser@3web.net>
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.vs.starwars
Subject: [PDD] ISB Ch. 9-10
Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 18:47:58 -0400

Chapter Nine
Combat Artillery

"To survive on the modern battlefield, artillery must either be very mobile,
or have heavy enough FPR (Fire Position Relative) shielding to protect it
against orbital bombardment and fighter attack. Hence, because of this
vulnerability problem, actual use of artillery formations in the Empire is
on the decline. Most modern guns are now mounted on vehicles of one sort or
another and are classified as armored fighting vehicles (AFV)."

Tactics: Artillery on the modern Imperial battlefield.

"2. v-. "v-" is a measure of deliverable energy in a single artillery tube
charge, an approximation of a single shot. The units are obscure, developed
by Republic Sienar Systems (now Sienar Fleet Systems) based on the amount of
energy required to excite a double-packed particle emission of approximately
10^24 g2-ions in a coherent beam from a 400 cm. by 8.5 cm. rod of vacierite
(standard purity)."

Misc: Can anyone make sense of this?

"Light Anti-Vehicle Laser Cannon
The Atgar 1.4 FD P-Tower, a light laser cannon, was first introduced in the
Clone Wars as an anti-vehicle weapon. Primarily used by the Rebellion now, a
few ancient Atgar 1.4 FD P-Towers still see service on the Empire's lower-
tech Outer Rim worlds. The main problem with the Atgar 1.4 is its low fire
rate. This is due to the weapon's power system.

The Atgar 1.4 uses an energy dish with micro-power routers spaced evenly
along the dish's outer edge. When firing, energy is fed directly to all 16
power-routers. These hold their charge until the computer registers that the
ECP (Energy Conversion Point) has been reached. At that instant, the firing
computer simultaneously channels the energy from all 16 routers into the
main power converter in the center of the dish. This fires the laser
cannon."

Tech: Is that anything like the Superlaser or Gunship laser, I wonder?

"Atgar 1.4s pack a punch equal to many standard artillery units, and on
occasion have taken down vehicles as large as AT-ST walkers."

Tactics: This may explain why we didn't see any AT-STs at the end of the
Hoth battle.

"The C3 unit is a unique sensor/brain combination. The C3 unit analyses and
tracks target countermeasures - such as jamming. dropping chaff, or flying
with drones, as well as evasive flight maneuvers - extrapolates and predicts
the target's continuing true flight path, and compensates for this when the
Tri-Tracker is fired.

The Tri-Tracker continues to extrapolate the position of receding targets
even at long range. The fire control operator can shoot at a departing
target even when at extreme ranges with exceptional accuracy. This
long-distance "parting shot" has accounted for many downed craft whose
pilots thought they were safely out of range.

Firing accuracy is improved by the use of a tri-beam burst which brackets
the target's predicted location. The C3 unit handles minor ad-justments in
beam angle up to the microsecond before firing. The destructive power
delivered by the Tri-Tracker is comparable to that of many turbolasers.

Specially programmed droids are capable of operating a Tri-Tracker in lieu
of a qualified crewmember."

Tech: Capabilities of an Imperial AA gun

"Speizoc "Grandfather Gun"

When shield technology was less refined than it is today, siege warfare and
bombardment remained effective strategies to use against cities. At that
time, Speizoc Arms created the "ultimate answer" in siege warfare: the
C-136, perhaps the largest land-based ion cannon ever built. Popularly
called the "Grandfather Gun," it was a refinement of ion cannon technology
built to penetrate the primitive urban shields of the time."

Shields: This passage indicates that not only do cities have their own
shields, but that they have improved since the time of the gun.

"Massive and unwieldy, the C-136 was designed for line-of-sight attack
against large scale targets. It was used predominantly against cities, but
has also been applied creatively to bridges, dams, other engineered
structures, and stationary low-orbit targets. With its extremely long range,
it can be deployed well behind friendly lines, where it delivers devastating
blows to the target seemingly out of nowhere."

Tactics: Range of Grandfather gun

"Grandfather Guns" quickly became obsolete with improvements in shield and
laser weapons systems. However, the C-136 remains in use on former frontier
worlds and less advanced planets where ground-based bombardment remains a
practical tactic. It is most popular because of the psychological appeal of
pin-point long-range destruction. This is especially true of worlds where
atmospherics, gravity, or other circumstances limit the use of air-borne or
orbital bombardment systems."

Tech: Unusual planetary conditions can limit the effectiveness of airborne
or orbital bombardment systems.

"The energy blast from the cannon is of such magnitude that unusual
atmospheric effects are commonly reported all along the path of energy
discharge, and sometimes create ionization hazards for friendly troops."

Tech: Does that give us any sort of meaningful yield?

"The v-150 is a massive independently powered ion cannon, specifically
designed for use against orbital and super-orbital space craft. V-150s are
strictly fixed-placement guns, typically mounted on a rotating base covered
by a semi-circular, reinforced penmacite shell. These emplacements are
modular, designed to be installed within a matter of hours. Each gun comes
with its own reactor, which is then buried 40 meters beneath the actual
emplacement. Between the reactor and the gun are three levels of crew
quarters and storage space. A v-150 emplacement holds about three months of
supplies."

Tech: Capabilities of a KDY-150

"V-150s are often used in conjunction with planetary shields. These shields
are extremely expensive to maintain, so systems typically leave them down
until hostiles arrive. To further complicate matters, most large shields
take several minutes to reach full power. It is during these critical
minutes, between an attacker coming out of hyperspace and the shields
reaching full strength, that the v-150 is expected to perform."

Shields: Planetary shields are extremely expensive to maintain. The ion
cannon fires before shields reach full power. Maybe that's part of how it
fired from under the theatre shield at Hoth.

"Shield generators are always the first target of orbital bombardments.
V-150s are designed to disrupt attackers until the shields reach full
strength. The v-150 is well designed for this mission. Superb fire control
allows the v-150 to hit orbital ships almost at will, and a single ion bolt
from the gun can disrupt even Imperial Star Destroyers for short periods.:

Tech: More KDY-150 capabilities
Tactics: Shield generators are the primary target in OBs.

"The biggest draw back to the v-150 is its extremely high price, nearly
one-quarter the price of a full planet shield. Still, many Imperial planets
have elected to buy 150s as an alternative to keeping shields on full
power."

Shields: For many planets, buying a v-150 is cheaper than running shields at
full power. Note that 'many Imperial planets' have planetary shielding.

"Powering the guns is a specially designed light ion unit, which also feeds
energy to the repulsorlift chassis the guns are mounted upon. Surrounding
the entire unit is a 2.5 centimeter thick hull."

Tech: The IA uses a DF9 anti-infantry 'battery' (why do they sometimes call
guns 'batteries'?) which is like the similar gun on Hoth except that it can
move on repulsors.

"The Leveler I self-propelled concussion missile launcher was developed by
Bryn and Gweith, a subdivision of CoMar, as a hardened fortification and
long range siege weapon. Each Leveler I carries 28 concussion missile tubes
mounted atop a heavy-track chassis in a four tube by seven tube formation.
These tubes can be fired individually, in salvos of seven, or all 28 at once
for maximum effect...
...For spotting over-the-horizon targets, Levelers are equipped with DER
(dedicated energy receptors). These receptors feed target information to the
gunner's holo-display who then programs what salvo pattern to fire - narrow,
medium, or wide."

Tech: Capabilities of the Field Missile Launcher

"Presently, the Leveler I is standard issue to Imperial assault forces,
although there have been some complaints about their tracked chassis'
inability to deal with weather extremes."

Tech: Walkers must be superior to tracked vehicles in mobility then, if
crewers complain about the all-terrain capability of tracks.

"Turbolasers are the queen of the modern battlefield, with more range, more
firepower, and better fire control than any other gun in service.
Turbolasers are typically classified as either medium or heavy. The
Turbolaser System I is actually a single heavy turbolaser with independent
range gear and fire control.

Ground installed System Is are usually encased in pure permacite and powered
by a boron fission reactor. Each reactor is capable of powering a number of
guns, so a single reactor is usually connected to multiple turbolaser
emplacements. These multiple emplacements, called "hives," often share an
underground system of living quarters or at the very least have a tunnel
network leading back to the main base or city they are protecting.

The biggest drawback to the System I is its tendency to overheat. Poor
coolant restrictor circuits allow gunners to fire up to 20 rapid shots using
sustained fire. However, at this rate most gun batteries experience
emergency shutdown after just five or six shots. Green gunners, in battle
for the first time, often lose sight of their thermal monitors with
predictable but often tragic results. A gun which experiences emergency
shutdown can be out of service in-definitely, depending on the external
weather conditions."

Weaponry: Overheating seems to be the main limitation of turbolasers.

CHAPTER TEN
INFANTRY SUPPORT WEAPONS

"In addition to blaster rifles and pistols, thousands of other infantry
weapons exist. Some of these, such as repeating blasters, are common and
carried by the majority of Imperial trooper and stormtrooper formations.
Others are only issued to specially trained trooper units. All of these
weapons, classified as Infantry Support Weapons (ISW), are designed to be
carried, emplaced, and fired by four or fewer men."

Tactics: Repeating blasters are commonly carried by most Imperial infantry
formations.

"While the modern Imperial trooper is the best equipped soldier the galaxy
has ever seen, he still needs help when facing enemy armored fighting
vehicles (AFVs), particularly those that are shield equipped. To immobilize
shielded opponents, SoroSuub created the shoulder-launched Equalizer."

Misc: Some Trekkie cultists claim that the Empire is 'bargain basement' when
it comes to equipping its troops.

"This disposable weapon system, designed to be carried by an individual
soldier, holds four ion bolts. each in its own two-meter tube. Together, the
entire system (four bolts in four tubes) weighs just 12 kilograms. When
firing, the Equalizer is held on the shoulder and the targeting gear,
located on its side, is aligned on the target vehicle. The Equalizer's
sensors then compute the target's range, speed and angle of deflection, and
feed this data into a microcomputer which adjusts each bolt's flight angle
accordingly.

Each ion bolt is launched individually. Once all four tubes have fired the
empty casing is discarded. Vehicles struck by the Equalizer's highly charged
ion bolts experience power shortages (particularly to their shield power
converters), leaving them vulnerable to attack by more standard weapons,
like blasters. Smaller vehicles may have their entire electronic system
fused by a single Equalizer bolt."

Shields: Do these bolts cause interference through shields, then?

"The PLX-2, or "Plex," combination missile and rocket launcher is the newest
standard-issue weapon for rapid, high-powered projectile response. It is
used against vehicles, fortifications, atmospheric craft and other
projectiles. It is especially suitable as an anti-repulsorcraft weapon.

The launcher is an over-the-shoulder device operated by one person. It fires
"dumb" rockets in a line-of-sight attack, or can program and fire the smart
Gravity-Activated Mode (GAM) guided missile designed for use with this
weapon. The Plex chambers one projectile and holds a second in reserve.

Guided missile tracking modes are selected with the push of a firing stud on
the launcher housing. Two different modes are supported. In EPR mode, the
GAM homes on intense infrared sources, such as vehicle or missile exhaust.
In the Gravity-Activated Mode for which the missile is named, its onboard
computer first records the target's silhouette. It pursues that image until
it is close enough to lock onto the gravity-wave anomalies that are the
signature of repulsorlift propulsion. The GAM missile can pursue a target
for 40 kilometers before its fuel expires."

Sensors: Gravity-wave anomanly tracking is useful against repulsorlift
vehicles.

Tech: Excellent capabilities for the PLX-2.

"Internal components are hardened against EMP effects as a matter of course
in manufacturing, to enable devices to withstand the rigors of space and
unpredictable alien environments. However, a modified-frequency pulse effect
developed by Merr-Sonn weapons is capable of penetrating shielding and
hardened circuitry. The DEMP gun incorporates this technology. It is a
weapon capable of "stunning" a droid as an alternative to damaging it."

Tech: Droid are manufactured to be EMP resistant.

"The DEMP gun is available in a handgun or carbine configuration with
adjustable power settings. Setting one does one-half the normal stun damage
of a blaster pistol. Setting two inflicts the stun damage indicated in the
weapon specifications. Setting three inflicts physical damage to internal
components. A droid damaged with setting three cannot be repaired, but must
have its components completely replaced."

Tech: Power settings, not technobable, seem to be key here.

"The CSPL ("Caspel") Projectile Launcher fires canister projectiles
containing smoke, gas, and chemical agents as needed in tactical combat
situations. Canisters containing the desired agent are mounted in the
projectile launcher or stored in the weapon's four-canister magazine. An
adapter for launching grenades, the PL/1G, is available as optional
equipment.

Canister effects vary depending on the load fired. When undisturbed by wind,
gas clouds affect all within a 30-meter radius after impact."

Tactics: The chart attached to that description gives the variety of smoke
and gases than the mortar-thingy can fire.

"Thermal Detonators

Thermal detonators are small grenade-sized explosives; the Empire's combat
engineers uses ones manufactured by Merr-Sonn Munitions. These bombs produce
an extremely powerful but tightly contained explosion capable of blasting
through two meters of pure permacite. Operation of one of these thermal
detonators is fairly simple; slide the thumb guard out of the way and
activate the detonator. From that point, there are six seconds to either
clear the area or switch the detonator off.

Thermal detonators are packed with baradium, a powerful but unstable
synthetic element. Once detonated, baradium generates a particle field which
contains the "exploding" baradium inside it. As the baradium reaction
continues, internal pressure causes the particle field to rapidly expand
until the energy being consumed by the field surpasses the energy within the
sphere. At that point the sphere collapses in upon itself, consuming the
last of the baradium. The end result is that anything outside the sphere is
undamaged, anything inside is exposed to a concentrated baradium explosion
(consisting mainly of heat).

Generally, thermal detonators carry enough baradium to create a five-meter
sphere. One disadvantage to thermal detonators is the instability of
baradium. Detonators have been known to explode after being dropped or,
occasionally, for no reason at all. Thermal detonators rarely function as
grenades or projectiles, since the harsh motion could activate the baradium.
Instead, Imperial engineers use thermal detonators to destroy fixed targets,
attaching a bomb with magnetic couplers and then detonating it via remote
control or with the six second delay.

Distribution of thermal detonators is extremely limited, although some
stolen detona- tors are available on the black market. Illegal possession of
a thermal detonator is a capital offense in many systems."

Tactics: Thermal detonators are demolition explosives used by engineers, not
common grenades.

Tech: Can anyone get a yield figure from the 2 metre blast?

"Heavy Repeating Blaster
The "E-Web" heavy repeating blaster takes its name from "Emplacement Weapon,
Heavy Blaster." As indicated by its name, the E-Web was designed for use in
small- and medium-sized unit gun emplacements. Heavy enough to provide
devastating fire, the EWHB-10 can also be carried on maneuvers by its
two-man crew. It can be set-up as needed in temporary emplacements by an
experienced crew in 15 minutes. If necessary, it can be moved already
assembled on its tripod mount, although this is not recommended procedure."

Tactics: Bullshit. Those troopers on Hoth were almost ready to fire after
about 30 seconds. The 15m setup time must be for setting up sustained fire
upon faraway targets, which takes more precision.

"The weapon comes with a high-demand portable Eksoan power unit and is
fitted with the Gk3 Cryocooler for continuous fire capability. The limited
fire control system includes Starvision and IR sensing for night targeting
and unusual environments. A built-in corn [I think Sheppard's scanner meant
'com'] unit enables the crew to coordinate fire with other E-Web
emplacements if command communica-tion channels should become disabled."

Tactics: It's got all this fancy fire control, communication, and sensor
equipment. That's probably what it needs the setup time for. If you just
want to blast away, you can probably set it up in less than a minute.

"First introduced during the Begali Uprising, force pikes are primarily used
by planetary patrols and local military units to stun opponents or disperse
crowds. However, they are also used by Imperial troops to eliminate
opponents in situations where blaster fire is inappropriate or unavailable.
Personal bodyguards to high officials also carry force pikes, although these
pikes are primarily ceremonial (except in the case of the Royal Guard, in
whose hands a pike is more dangerous than anyone would care to find out)."

Tactics: We see the Emperor's guards carrying these in ROTJ

"The main purpose of a proton mine is to establish a defensive perimeter. To
do this effectively, a mine must be deadly against both enemy soldiers and
vehicles. Such a weapon is Merr-Sonn Munition's LX-4 Proton Mine.

Typically buried about half-a-meter beneath the surface, the LX-4 is
actually a refitted proton torpedo warhead attached to two sensors. The
first, a gravity-sensitive sensor, scans for magnetic disturbances (such as
those created by a large vehicle). The second, a thermal sensor, searches
for body heat. Both sensors are programmed to detonate the LX-4 if they
detect an intruder within five meters."

Tech: Dual purpose mines.

"BlasTech's Sharpshooter V is actually a modified blaster carbine fitted
with a multi-spectrum targeting sight for increased accuracy. This sight,
equipped with infrared enhancers for night battles, magnifies the target
image while its micro-computer clears the scene of any haze or smoke. The
Sharpshooter V fires a smaller, tighter energy bolt than other blasters,
which dissipates less rapidly, giving the Sharpshooter V a range advantage
over most other light weapons. But this sacrifices some of the power.

Imperial orders for the Sharpshooter V are kept at a modest level because of
the weapon's high price tag. Instead of being standard equipment, these
blasters are issued to special commando units. They are assigned to regular
formations sparingly."

Tech: Maybe this is the targeting system type used by the assassin at the
beginning of AOTC.

--
-=Doomriser

"We've been very careful. The continuity is airtight. Believe me. We know.
We know."
-Brannon Braga
