Topic Actions

Topic Search

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 42 guests

SLN Energy Weapon Oddity

Join us in talking discussing all things Honor, including (but not limited to) tactics, favorite characters, and book discussions.
Re: SLN Energy Weapon Oddity
Post by Jonathan_S   » Thu Mar 08, 2018 1:01 pm

Jonathan_S
Fleet Admiral

Posts: 8269
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2011 2:01 pm
Location: Virginia, USA

cthia wrote:Textev is oftentimes misremembered, ill-forgotten, miscontrued or just plain missed. If it is true that you don't or didn't want to entertain any inadequacies you may perceive I might have, then why didn't you just abstain from posting?
True - but he did point you to exactly where the textev was. And the laserhead section of that 'Introduction to Modern Warship Design' essay runs for about 1/3rd of it - a little excessive to paste (and seriously pushing the bounds of allowable fair use excerting).

But I can select a few of the most relevant snippets. Others will have to judge whether I've misconstrued them or applied biased secelection.

In Fire Forged: Introduction to Modern Warship Design wrote:[1826], a small Solarian defense contractor, Aberu and Harmon, developed the unique combination of a state of the art grav lens array with a series of multiple submunitions carrying rods that emitted short wavelength X-ray laser light when exposed to the broadband X-ray pulse from a nuclear explosion
[snip]
Initially called a laser enhanced nuclear gravitically directed energy weapon (LENGDEW), the device quickly earned the handier title of “laser head.”
[snip]
The Solarian League Navy, however, was less than enthusiastic about the effect of a potentially destabilizing weapon on its unchallenged naval supremacy. Strong Aberu family influence within the SLN and the lure of being first eventually won modest funding for a short series of live tests in 1833.
The tests proved embarrassing failures. Characterized by one Solarian League Battle Fleet observer as “anemic,” the system’s submunitions proved difficult to position accurately, focus-ing was much harder than predicted, and the beam output itself was too low to make an effec-tive weapon.
[snip]
Their work took over thirty years, but it produced the first complete laser-head-armed impeller-drive anti-ship missile system in 1866.
[snip]
Astral eventually began advertising the weapon for export. The Imperial Andermani Navy was their first official buyer in early 1872
[snip]
The Star Kingdom of Manticore pursued an independent path to laser head armament
[snip]Manticoran work paid off in 1870 with the introduction of their first laser head capable missile—the Mark-19 capital ship missile.
My bolding.
The combination of disasterous early tests, and the SLNs disinterest in any technology that would obsolete much of their dominant naval position does seem to led them to lag badly behind systems like Mantiore or th Andermani in the adoption of laserheads.
Top
Re: SLN Energy Weapon Oddity
Post by cthia   » Thu Mar 08, 2018 2:31 pm

cthia
Fleet Admiral

Posts: 14951
Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:10 pm

I would think arriving at workable solutions from entirely different paths would produce different yields between Manticoran and Andermani designs. Perhaps similar results between Andermani and Havenite since they used the same starting point in research.

Son, your mother says I have to hang you. Personally I don't think this is a capital offense. But if I don't hang you, she's gonna hang me and frankly, I'm not the one in trouble. —cthia's father. Incident in ? Axiom of Common Sense
Top
Re: SLN Energy Weapon Oddity
Post by pappilon   » Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:05 pm

pappilon
Rear Admiral

Posts: 1074
Joined: Tue Sep 05, 2017 11:29 pm

cthia wrote:I would think arriving at workable solutions from entirely different paths would produce different yields between Manticoran and Andermani designs. Perhaps similar results between Andermani and Havenite since they used the same starting point in research.


That, and Manticore's aggravating ability to miniaturize components, getting more bang out if a relatively same sized package.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The imagination has to be trained into foresight and empathy.
Ursula K. LeGuinn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Top
Re: SLN Energy Weapon Oddity
Post by Armed Neo-Bob   » Sat Mar 10, 2018 5:52 am

Armed Neo-Bob
Captain of the List

Posts: 532
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 7:11 pm

cthia wrote:I would think arriving at workable solutions from entirely different paths would produce different yields between Manticoran and Andermani designs. Perhaps similar results between Andermani and Havenite since they used the same starting point in research.


They did; it is in the novella in House of Steel. The Manti version was both higher in energy on target, and longer ranged.

That is still the case in 1920 irt the League. The League's brand new cruiser/Battlecruiser Javelin missile is replacing the Pilum, which rather resembles the Havenite missiles at the start of the war. Pilum range from rest: 5.9Mkm; Mk-13, 6.7Mkm. The extended range Mk-13?? was mentioned in passing, irt Barregos and Roszak, with no specs in sight.

And the original advantage of energy on target was related to grav lensing; which is another advantage in their current missiles, too. :D

Rob
Top

Return to Honorverse