Re: (3690) tank-mounted meson guns...

>From: [email removed] (Steve Higginbotham)
>Scott:
>>Striker Book 3 P-39
>>Meson Accelerator:  Weight=15tons, Volume=15KL, Power=250MW, Cost=10MCr
>>             Crew=6, Burst=10cm

>So it does.  Apologies for the misinformation...
>That seems to pretty much render the high armour tank meaningless at
>TL15+.

Nope, they still might have to fight against lower TL vehicles.  Or would
the military design and build several different kinds of vehicles depending
upon the TL of the enemy?  This may not be such a bad idea, the TL15 tank
designed to kill TL10 ones would be very different to one designed to kill
TL15 ones.


>It also renders the whole line of discussion meaningless, since a
>meson-gun armed tank ignores armour, so armour protects not at all.
>Neither does NOE, since both neutrino sensors and densitometers ignore
>LOS, and the meson gun does too.  So what does that leave for TL15
>combat?    There is no real defense from a meson gun equipped with point
>defense fire-control, and no real reason not to use one, since it avoids
>the problems of fusion guns (very easy to spot and pinpoint the firing
>position of a fusion gun).

Ummm, there is a defence.  Meson screens exist.  True, rules don't cover
how they effect the above mentioned meson gun but meson screens have existed
for a long time (since HG!).  Also, under MT vehicles are designed using the
same (broken) rules as starships and no system restrictions are imposed.

Looking at my ref's guide, I see that a UCP 4 Meson screen occupies the least
volume (215kL, TL=14, Power=0.6mW/kL, 160Tons, MCr40).  Probably a little on
the heavy side for tank based usage.  However, a UCP 1 screen should be a little
better refined at TL=15 than at TL=12 (as is listed in the guide).  My suggested
TL improvement (as submitted to the TDR vehicle design sub-group) listed a
UCP 1 meson screen at TL=15 as 0.01mW/kL, 45kL, 40Tons, MCr5.  This would be
getting into the feasible range for a small craft.  I'd be willing to introduce
a UCP 0 screen specifically for operations against the tank mounted gun.


>Hmmm...
>This will definitely require some thought to come up with an adequate
>doctrine that doesn't sound like MAD.

A meson screen might just be workable, a black globe would be much more
fun, but would be much too big and expensive to warrant mounting on a small
vehicle.



        						Pauli

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