![]() It normally takes five seconds to recharge the capacitors as well as load the slug, leaving the station vulnerable to boarding actions between shots. By the time the slug is fired out the end of the barrel, it has accelerated to a speed of approximately 30 kilometers per second for a ship-based MAC and around 12,000 kilometers per second for a "super" MAC.įor ODPs (Orbital Defense Platforms), a pair of thrusters on the bottom side of the station fire for a few seconds to counteract the inertia imparted to the station. This process is repeated along the barrel of the cannon. As the slug passes into the solenoid, the solenoid is quickly turned off and the second solenoid, further along the line, is activated, thus attracting the now-accelerating metal slug in the same manner as the first. ![]() An extremely large current is run through the first solenoid (coil of conducting wire), creating a strong magnetic field that attracts the metal slug. ![]() The firing process uses electromagnetism to fire a ferromagnetic-tungsten slug at high velocity. However, smaller MACs may exist as turrets which can be aimed independent of ship or platform orientation. Orbital MAC platforms have dedicated targeting computers. Shipboard versions generally require an AI to aim the cannon, as the unguided projectiles and considerable forces make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to aim by manual fire. Accuracy is important, since the projectile itself is, as explained above, unguided once the round is fired, its trajectory cannot be changed by the firing ship or emplacement. Unlike explosive artillery rounds, missiles, and energy weapons, the destructive force of the MAC round comes purely from kinetic energy imparted upon impact with the target.īecause of their size, power required, and the physical forces involved in firing, Magnetic Accelerator Cannons are most commonly built into the superstructure of a ship or weapons platform, requiring that the platform itself maneuver in order to aim the weapon. Orbital Defense Platforms fire a 3,000-ton slug at four-hundredths, or 4% of, the speed of light, around 12,000 kilometers per second. The high muzzle speed gives the 600-ton slug the kinetic energy and momentum necessary to damage a target and partially mitigates the unguided nature of the slug and its lack of maneuverability once the round leaves the barrel, its trajectory is essentially a straight line and is incapable of reorienting or changing direction. Some types of Defense Stations are literally built around the massive weapon for orbital defense.Ī standard frigate-based MAC fires slugs of either ferric tungsten or depleted uranium measuring approximately 9.1 meters long at around 30 kilometers per second. The size of a Magnetic Accelerator Cannon is such that it is normally an integral component of a warship's superstructure. The ship-based models commonly use a depleted uranium core jacketed with a ferric lining to magnetically propel the round while orbital platforms and station-based versions use ferric tungsten rounds. The weapons are as destructive as nuclear weapons without the risk of radiological contamination from ionizing radiation and fallout the sheer kinetic energy of an impact is capable of destroying whole targets. The cannon fires a massive metal projectile using a linear system of magnetic coils down a long shaft, which increase the projectile's velocity until it carries an incredible amount of kinetic energy. ![]() The operation principle of a MAC is that of a coilgun. An Orbital Defense Platform above the planet Reach preparing to fire its Magnetic Accelerator Cannon. ![]()
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