E.A.S. GLADIUM
The Gladium is an heavy assault ship (In fact, a derivation of
the Centurion class Dreadnought) developed by the E.F.N.I. with
the economical support of the Earth Force Navy and of the E.F.
M.O.D. It is officially classified as "Frontal Assault
Vector".
The hull is a direct derivation of the Centurion frame, but the
design is sleeker,the ship is smaller, and the overall concept is
far more specialized than the big dreadnoughts. The main engines
are the same eight Gravitic Enhanced Plasma Engines of the former
battleship, with a different, more compact installation, and the provisions for
the "Waverider II" gravitic drive are retained. The
power installed, matched with a ship lighter than the Centurions,
allows high linear acceleration and acceptable maneuverability.
The main energy grid includes eight main reactors, four high
power auxiliary reactors for the weapon feeding, and an enormous
capacitor bank that allows to fire a burst of 88 discharges of
the main spinal laser in 15 seconds.
A new installation is the "encased" crew module: the
whole command deck, that is well deep inside the hull, is an
heavily armored capsule, that holds the whole crew of the ship in
combat situations, and, in emergency conditions, can be ejected:
the module holds life support facilities, an autonomous
propulsion and navigation system, a booster that allows high
"one shot" acceleration and a pre-charged small vortex
generator, that allows the capsule to quickly open a jump point.
The exit from the hyperspace can be done only through jump points
opened by other units, or through jump-gates.
The Weapon system is singular: the turret installed weapon system
is similar but less articulated than the one of the Centurions,
eight M381 Gravitic Fusion Pulse Cannons and four twin railgun
turrets, and a large number of pulse/particle A.A. emplacements,
but instead of the G.O.D. cannons, the hull holds the biggest
spinal pulse laser known, with an energy capacitor bank that
allows to fire a quick burst of high rate of fire high energy
discharges. The spinal laser can then cotinue the fire, but with
a slower rate. The weapon itself is more than a kilometer long,
and it is able to pierce through "about a mile of solid
steel", as declared by the builder: the destructive power is
lesser than the last models of G.O.D. cannons, but the incredible
penetration seems unmatched even by the Quantum Discharge Cannon
of the Victory class cruisers (Whose power is higher, of course),
and, as known, it's well enough to pierce the hull of a ship of
"First Ones" level of protection. It's important to not
forget that, as known, the only races seeming able to shield
themselves from the visible light ray of a laser are the Walkers
of Sigma957 and the Triad, and both of them with the others First
Ones left this Galaxy.
The armor protection, particularly in the frontal arc, is very
heavy, and the interceptor/energy web grid is the most effective
ever installed on an Earth Alliance ship. Technologies for the
sensors, the Fire Control Systems and the armour have been
provided by the Technical division of the E.F.N.I.
The ship is well able to cover the dreadnought/battleship role,
but the whole design it's aimed to a particular purpose: a fast
linear attack to a single target, against which can be fired a
devastating burst of the most piercing weapon ever developed. The
ship is conceived to flank and support Warlocks and Centurions in
situations of high menace. The care placed in the crew protection
and escape installations seems to indicate that an high speed
ramming of the target is something that cannot be deductively
excluded.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Class: Gladium
Type: Assault (Frontal Assault Vector)
Lenght: 2450 meters (2250 w/o antennas)
Mass: 170 millions metric tons.
Acceleration: 5,07 g, emergency overboost of 7+ g for 90 seconds.
Crew: 512
Troops: None
Fighters: 48 Mitchell-Hyundane SA-26A Thunderbolt Starfury or 48
Mitchell-Hyundane SA-32 Firebolt Starfury.
Power/Propulsion:
8*Westinghouse "Event Horizon-II" Gravitic Enhanced
Fusion Reactors.
4*Westinghouse GRCK-3000 Gravitic Enhanced Fusion Reactors.
1*General Electric "SHIVA 1" Capacitor Bank
8*Lockheed-General Electric I-110LGE900 gravitic enhanced plasma
engines.
2*Lockheed-Mitchell M185 Jump engines.
-Provisions for -
1*Lockheed-Mitchell GWR-2 "Waverider-II" Gravitic
Drive.
Weapons:
1*A.M.S. QSL - T1000
Q-spoiling Hard-Ray Heavy Laser.
8*Westhinghouse-O.T.O. Melara M381 Heavy Gravitic Fusion Pulse cannons
4*O.T.O.Melara 127/762 Heavy
railgun turrets.
54*Walther-Raytheon WRX1028 Light Pulse Cannon Turrets.
60*Sandia"Shillelagh" Missiles,15*launching tubes with automatic
loading.
Defense:
18 to 35 meter armored hull,Carbonat
VIII (Multi-layer composite
armour), anti-neutron ablative armour, Double layer Nanotechnological
armour. Frontal plate of 45
meters of thickness multi-layer/Nanotechnological armor.
56*Interceptor Mk.IV Defense Grid Energy Projectors.
E.A.S. GLADIUM FRONTAL ASSAULT VECTOR