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Description

General Overview

The Third April Fools War had lay ruin to many of the IRS's military-industrial infrastructure and emergency cost-cutting measures had to be taken. Empty frigate hulls were slapped together with disposable missile racks to create an even cheaper yet formidable artillery ship capable of saturating the entire battlefield with Raptor missiles. SPANAVKOM retained interest in the concept well after the Third April Fools War and went to work designing the Mamba-class variant. The Mamba-class replaces the Serpent's hangar bays for Raptor II Missile Bays and swaps out its starboard and port side Plasma Sheathed Railguns for ARNAM racks, which by this time was an obsolete anti-ship weapon. Staying true to its origins, the Mamba-class is a very cheap and fast missile artillery ship perfect for ambushing convoys and incapacitating fleets with deadly missile barrages. It is also even more automated than the Serpent-class and its other variants, allowing it to operate with a far smaller crew and free up more manpower for other ship types.

Keeping with standard size classifications, the Mamba-class is 2km in length just like the Serpent-class it is based on.

Weapon Systems:

1. SR-99AM 'Maverick IV' Plasma-Sheathed Railgun System (PLARASYS)

Number: 4 turrets, each turret with 2 barrels

The standard mainline weapon mounted on all warships for general combat-use against enemy ships, single targets and structures alike and can be used in a multitude of fashions ranging from precise accurate shots to volleys to saturate an entire area in firepower. Powerful Electromagnetic fields interact to propel shells at 0.3c, giving the Maverick IV long range and the kinetic energy to penetrate armored targets. They fire standard-issued Thermonuclear Shells which have Triple-Alpha Fusion charges packed in them encased in a metal body which is then tipped with an Armor Penetrator and also houses not only the pressure-based igniter to detonate the atomic charges, but also EMP generators to disable an enemy ship's energy shielding and bypass it to crush its way deep into the hull and explode from within to cause catastrophic damages. The shell is also coated with a thin layer of plasma as it is fired out of the barrel, giving it an extra penetration into enemy armor.

2. SRAAL-80AM Light Flak Railgun

Number: 8 (4 topside, 4 underside)

Instead of firing out thermonuclear shells, the 'Flak Railgun' fires Cluster rounds developed to destroy enemy strikecraft squadrons from afar through electromagnetic rails up to 0.2c depending on the range desired. The firing computer maintains a connection with shells fired and once an enemy strikecraft is near, the round detonates spewing out armor-piercing fletchettes in a wide area and destroys or incapacitates whatever is in range. The Flak Railguns are often used either as anti-aircraft point defences for the fleet or used to provide covering fire for allied fighters by taking out enemy strikecraft from a distance.

3. SM-83AM 'Raptor II' Missiles

Number: 4 Missile Bays in total

While there are many kinds of other missile systems, the most commonly used is the Raptor System, which has been steadily upgraded with better propulsion, better guidance systems and even more explosives all without much cost. The Raptor System is designed to destroy smaller vessels with just a few critical hits but while it cannot do the same to larger and more heavily armored capital ships, it can incapacitate them by taking out their sensors, weapon systems and engines leaving them open for other more powerful weapons. Raptor Missiles are commonly outfitted with warheads packed to the brim with cheap conventional nano-explosives but they can be easily switched out for Triple-Alpha Fusion, EMP or Flak warheads via an autoloading system. Propulsion is provided by a compact metallic hydrogen fuel drive. They can also be guided by the ship's firing computer and kept track of using radar systems.

4. SM-120 'Fritz the Flasher' ECM Missile

Number: Numerous, fired from Raptor Missile Bays

A recent development, the SM-120 shifts away from brute firepower to the sophistication of jamming the enemy's sensor systems in multiple stages. The Fritz first launches out bomblets that explode, forming clouds of plasma that disrupt optical and non-optical sensors. In its second stage, armor-piercing darts are fired at the enemy's sensors and communication arrays. The Fritz then ditches its thrusters and the warhead separates, revealing a drone fitted with a gamma dazzler that would continuously fly around and disrupt remaining enemy sensors until it is destroyed or runs out of power. The Fritz is designed to be fired from the standard missile tubes in service.

5. SM-70M Astronomical Range Nuclear Assault Munitions (ARNAMs)

Number: 6 three-tube launching racks

Now obsolete having being replaced by the far more powerful Kharvon series of anti-ship torpedos, ARNAMs had once been fielded in a similar role to incapacitate smaller ships. It can be simply described as a MIRV nuclear missile with each missile splitting into six smaller nuclear and plasma warheads and was devastating to smaller ships and could deal damage in a wide area, but unfortunately proved to be less effective against capital ships. After being mothballed, ARNAMs proved to be a cheap choice for the Mamba-class and could be requistioned for little to no cost. ARNAMs were devised to be used by the Mamba-class to either supplement a missile barrage or detonating them to create areas of denial for enemy starfighters. They were also reportedly able to be used for more creative tactics, the force of controlled and calculated nuclear detonations sending asteroids and debris on a collision course to the enemy fleet.

Defensive Systems

1. Ionized Panel Surface Projection (IPSP) 'Ionoactive' Shielding

These 'energy panels' work when an electric current passes through both the panel and its surface, ionising surface molecules and generating a thick layer of ions held together by electrostatic forces above the panel. The panel then produces a repulsive electromagnetic field that pushes away the ions for the purpose of not only making sure the ions stay suspended above the panel, but also to provide better structural integrity to the energy shield so that it does not collapse and cave in easily when hit. This layer of ions then vaporizes incoming solid projectiles and deflect plasma or laser away from the hull. It is currently the best compromise the IRS has between cost, power consumption and efficiency. However, it offers no real protection against dedicated Kinetic Energy Weapons (KEW) or Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) and can collapse with sufficient kinetic impact or reduced completely with a strong enough plasma or laser. These panels also do not cover every part of the ship hull; components such as weaponry and sensors are not protected by these energy panels and can become the warship's vulnerable spots.

2. Lunaceramic Composite Armor

Made from highly-processed Ferrolattice minerals which have been atomically recombined with some of the strongest, most durable yet also lightweight nano-materials available to the Republic, Lunaceramic Composite is the standard material used for virtually all of the IRS's warships with varying thicknesses for different ship types. It is layered with Aronis Particle laminates which dissapates some of the heat damage caused by direct energy weapons should they pierce through the Ionoactive Shield Panels. Lunaceramic is neither the toughest nor the most sophisticated when compared to the more advanced armor systems of other factions, but it gets the job done and its cheap. The Mamba-class has thinner than average Lunaceramic armor.

3. Close Range Weapons System (CRWS)

Carried on from the late 21st Century, CRWS are usually in the form of gun nests with a complex network of minigun turrets, AA missile pods, flak guns, laser PDs and a central firing computer to coordinate their actions and lock-on onto enemy targets. These are used against enemy fighters and incoming missiles and projectiles to protect the ship.

4. Close Range Countermeasures (CRCs)

Complemented with CRWS systems, CRCs are a package of decoy beacons, chaffs, plasma flares and miniature dazzler arrays working together to distract enemy missiles and guided projectiles away from the ship. In large numbers, CRCs can form a 'smokescreen' of dense particulates that block and disrupt enemy sensors, giving the ship temporary invisibility from their detection systems.

Electronic Systems

1. Mark V 'Kylon' Advanced Sensor Package

The Serpent-class is equipped with the new standard Mark V series of 'Kylon' Advanced Sensor Packages, consisting of improved gravimetric, tachyometric, LIDAR, RADAR and other basic detection systems as well as a dedicated Mesonscope for scanning and mapping out energy grids and pathways.

2. Mark IV 'Roland' ECM Package

While still a very basic ECM countermeasure system, it introduces some mundane improvements and tweaks to its missile guidance scrambling, gamma laser dazzling systems and dedicated cyberwarfare computers to try disrupting enemy firing solutions and missiles through a combination of hacking, noise and repeater techniques. Due to the IRS's still limited cyberwarfare and electronic capabilities, it is by no means a very effective package when faced with foes whose expertise is in the area such as the EPA, but it is still something.

3. Mark IV 'James' Series Artificial Intelliegnce

The 'James' series of AIs still remain in service with much of its abilities and protocols unchanged from when it was first introduced in the 2090s. Improvements come in the form of tweaks to the Quantum Computer that it runs on, increasing its effeciency, speed, processing power and data capacity. The 'James' series are created by scanning and mapping out neural pathways of the brains of volunteers under the 'Legacy Program' after they pass on, offering their conciousness and semblances of their personality for greater uses. The raw data from the neural mapping are then processed into a functioning computer program, complete with standard AI protocols, additional programming and 'killswitches'. These AIs are nearly sentitent, with their hints of human personality and independent thought showing through as they go about conducting their duties in processing information, making tactical recommendations and coordinating electronic cyberwarfare and countermeasures. Interestingly, each AI is permitted to select their own name when they are 'born'.

Propulsion and Power Systems

1. Magnetoplasmadynamic Drive Systems (MPDDSs)

Number: 3 Engine Blocks in total

Also commonly known as 'Plasma Drives', they are a type of Magneto Inertial Fusion drives that generate thrust by ejecting highly-pressurized jets of plasma created by the fusion processes of the Solar Tokamaks through a shaped electromagnetic field. For effective travel between planets, a Tachyon field may be activated to interact with the existing electromagnetic field, propelling the plasma propellent near the speeds of light for faster travel so that a ship do not need to take months to cover relatively short distances in vast space. MPDDSs work hand in hand with PAMTRs or FCSs by using the helium gas byproducts of the nuclear fusion to supply a source of gaseous propellants.

2. Photon-Assisted Magnetohydroplasmic Toroidal Reactors (PAMTR)

Number: 2 Reactor Blocks in total

Also known as 'Solar Tokamaks', PAMTRs concentrate photons captured by the ship into ultra-dense beams and project it into highly refined hydrogen nanofuels, superheating it to start a fusion reaction that produces hot plasma and usable thermal energy to drive onboard generators for the production of electricity. PAMTRs are credited with reliability, safety and ease of operation and energy-efficient nuclear power plant and its design is widely used as the standard power plant for all IRS warships.

3. T100 CSP Drive

The continuation of the CSP Drives used by all IRS ships for several decades of the Republic's history, the T100 heralds greater power efficiency, reduced Cosmofuel usage, shorter recharge times, safer and simpler design and reduced size and weight. The T100 operates exactly the same as its previous line of predecessors, launching out small amounts of exotic Cosmomatter that interacts with realspace, tearing a rift into the Cosmic Superluminal Plane (CSP) where all matter and energy move at speeds significantly faster than light.

Description

General Overview

The Third April Fools War had lay ruin to many of the IRS's military-industrial infrastructure and emergency cost-cutting measures had to be taken. Empty frigate hulls were slapped together with disposable missile racks to create an even cheaper yet formidable artillery ship capable of saturating the entire battlefield with Raptor missiles. SPANAVKOM retained interest in the concept well after the Third April Fools War and went to work designing the Mamba-class variant. The Mamba-class replaces the Serpent's hangar bays for Raptor II Missile Bays and swaps out its starboard and port side Plasma Sheathed Railguns for ARNAM racks, which by this time was an obsolete anti-ship weapon. Staying true to its origins, the Mamba-class is a very cheap and fast missile artillery ship perfect for ambushing convoys and incapacitating fleets with deadly missile barrages. It is also even more automated than the Serpent-class and its other variants, allowing it to operate with a far smaller crew and free up more manpower for other ship types.

Keeping with standard size classifications, the Mamba-class is 2km in length just like the Serpent-class it is based on.

Weapon Systems:

1. SR-99AM 'Maverick IV' Plasma-Sheathed Railgun System (PLARASYS)

Number: 4 turrets, each turret with 2 barrels

The standard mainline weapon mounted on all warships for general combat-use against enemy ships, single targets and structures alike and can be used in a multitude of fashions ranging from precise accurate shots to volleys to saturate an entire area in firepower. Powerful Electromagnetic fields interact to propel shells at 0.3c, giving the Maverick IV long range and the kinetic energy to penetrate armored targets. They fire standard-issued Thermonuclear Shells which have Triple-Alpha Fusion charges packed in them encased in a metal body which is then tipped with an Armor Penetrator and also houses not only the pressure-based igniter to detonate the atomic charges, but also EMP generators to disable an enemy ship's energy shielding and bypass it to crush its way deep into the hull and explode from within to cause catastrophic damages. The shell is also coated with a thin layer of plasma as it is fired out of the barrel, giving it an extra penetration into enemy armor.

2. SRAAL-80AM Light Flak Railgun

Number: 8 (4 topside, 4 underside)

Instead of firing out thermonuclear shells, the 'Flak Railgun' fires Cluster rounds developed to destroy enemy strikecraft squadrons from afar through electromagnetic rails up to 0.2c depending on the range desired. The firing computer maintains a connection with shells fired and once an enemy strikecraft is near, the round detonates spewing out armor-piercing fletchettes in a wide area and destroys or incapacitates whatever is in range. The Flak Railguns are often used either as anti-aircraft point defences for the fleet or used to provide covering fire for allied fighters by taking out enemy strikecraft from a distance.

3. SM-83AM 'Raptor II' Missiles

Number: 4 Missile Bays in total

While there are many kinds of other missile systems, the most commonly used is the Raptor System, which has been steadily upgraded with better propulsion, better guidance systems and even more explosives all without much cost. The Raptor System is designed to destroy smaller vessels with just a few critical hits but while it cannot do the same to larger and more heavily armored capital ships, it can incapacitate them by taking out their sensors, weapon systems and engines leaving them open for other more powerful weapons. Raptor Missiles are commonly outfitted with warheads packed to the brim with cheap conventional nano-explosives but they can be easily switched out for Triple-Alpha Fusion, EMP or Flak warheads via an autoloading system. Propulsion is provided by a compact metallic hydrogen fuel drive. They can also be guided by the ship's firing computer and kept track of using radar systems.

4. SM-120 'Fritz the Flasher' ECM Missile

Number: Numerous, fired from Raptor Missile Bays

A recent development, the SM-120 shifts away from brute firepower to the sophistication of jamming the enemy's sensor systems in multiple stages. The Fritz first launches out bomblets that explode, forming clouds of plasma that disrupt optical and non-optical sensors. In its second stage, armor-piercing darts are fired at the enemy's sensors and communication arrays. The Fritz then ditches its thrusters and the warhead separates, revealing a drone fitted with a gamma dazzler that would continuously fly around and disrupt remaining enemy sensors until it is destroyed or runs out of power. The Fritz is designed to be fired from the standard missile tubes in service.

5. SM-70M Astronomical Range Nuclear Assault Munitions (ARNAMs)

Number: 6 three-tube launching racks

Now obsolete having being replaced by the far more powerful Kharvon series of anti-ship torpedos, ARNAMs had once been fielded in a similar role to incapacitate smaller ships. It can be simply described as a MIRV nuclear missile with each missile splitting into six smaller nuclear and plasma warheads and was devastating to smaller ships and could deal damage in a wide area, but unfortunately proved to be less effective against capital ships. After being mothballed, ARNAMs proved to be a cheap choice for the Mamba-class and could be requistioned for little to no cost. ARNAMs were devised to be used by the Mamba-class to either supplement a missile barrage or detonating them to create areas of denial for enemy starfighters. They were also reportedly able to be used for more creative tactics, the force of controlled and calculated nuclear detonations sending asteroids and debris on a collision course to the enemy fleet.

Defensive Systems

1. Ionized Panel Surface Projection (IPSP) 'Ionoactive' Shielding

These 'energy panels' work when an electric current passes through both the panel and its surface, ionising surface molecules and generating a thick layer of ions held together by electrostatic forces above the panel. The panel then produces a repulsive electromagnetic field that pushes away the ions for the purpose of not only making sure the ions stay suspended above the panel, but also to provide better structural integrity to the energy shield so that it does not collapse and cave in easily when hit. This layer of ions then vaporizes incoming solid projectiles and deflect plasma or laser away from the hull. It is currently the best compromise the IRS has between cost, power consumption and efficiency. However, it offers no real protection against dedicated Kinetic Energy Weapons (KEW) or Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) and can collapse with sufficient kinetic impact or reduced completely with a strong enough plasma or laser. These panels also do not cover every part of the ship hull; components such as weaponry and sensors are not protected by these energy panels and can become the warship's vulnerable spots.

2. Lunaceramic Composite Armor

Made from highly-processed Ferrolattice minerals which have been atomically recombined with some of the strongest, most durable yet also lightweight nano-materials available to the Republic, Lunaceramic Composite is the standard material used for virtually all of the IRS's warships with varying thicknesses for different ship types. It is layered with Aronis Particle laminates which dissapates some of the heat damage caused by direct energy weapons should they pierce through the Ionoactive Shield Panels. Lunaceramic is neither the toughest nor the most sophisticated when compared to the more advanced armor systems of other factions, but it gets the job done and its cheap. The Mamba-class has thinner than average Lunaceramic armor.

3. Close Range Weapons System (CRWS)

Carried on from the late 21st Century, CRWS are usually in the form of gun nests with a complex network of minigun turrets, AA missile pods, flak guns, laser PDs and a central firing computer to coordinate their actions and lock-on onto enemy targets. These are used against enemy fighters and incoming missiles and projectiles to protect the ship.

4. Close Range Countermeasures (CRCs)

Complemented with CRWS systems, CRCs are a package of decoy beacons, chaffs, plasma flares and miniature dazzler arrays working together to distract enemy missiles and guided projectiles away from the ship. In large numbers, CRCs can form a 'smokescreen' of dense particulates that block and disrupt enemy sensors, giving the ship temporary invisibility from their detection systems.

Electronic Systems

1. Mark V 'Kylon' Advanced Sensor Package

The Serpent-class is equipped with the new standard Mark V series of 'Kylon' Advanced Sensor Packages, consisting of improved gravimetric, tachyometric, LIDAR, RADAR and other basic detection systems as well as a dedicated Mesonscope for scanning and mapping out energy grids and pathways.

2. Mark IV 'Roland' ECM Package

While still a very basic ECM countermeasure system, it introduces some mundane improvements and tweaks to its missile guidance scrambling, gamma laser dazzling systems and dedicated cyberwarfare computers to try disrupting enemy firing solutions and missiles through a combination of hacking, noise and repeater techniques. Due to the IRS's still limited cyberwarfare and electronic capabilities, it is by no means a very effective package when faced with foes whose expertise is in the area such as the EPA, but it is still something.

3. Mark IV 'James' Series Artificial Intelliegnce

The 'James' series of AIs still remain in service with much of its abilities and protocols unchanged from when it was first introduced in the 2090s. Improvements come in the form of tweaks to the Quantum Computer that it runs on, increasing its effeciency, speed, processing power and data capacity. The 'James' series are created by scanning and mapping out neural pathways of the brains of volunteers under the 'Legacy Program' after they pass on, offering their conciousness and semblances of their personality for greater uses. The raw data from the neural mapping are then processed into a functioning computer program, complete with standard AI protocols, additional programming and 'killswitches'. These AIs are nearly sentitent, with their hints of human personality and independent thought showing through as they go about conducting their duties in processing information, making tactical recommendations and coordinating electronic cyberwarfare and countermeasures. Interestingly, each AI is permitted to select their own name when they are 'born'.

Propulsion and Power Systems

1. Magnetoplasmadynamic Drive Systems (MPDDSs)

Number: 3 Engine Blocks in total

Also commonly known as 'Plasma Drives', they are a type of Magneto Inertial Fusion drives that generate thrust by ejecting highly-pressurized jets of plasma created by the fusion processes of the Solar Tokamaks through a shaped electromagnetic field. For effective travel between planets, a Tachyon field may be activated to interact with the existing electromagnetic field, propelling the plasma propellent near the speeds of light for faster travel so that a ship do not need to take months to cover relatively short distances in vast space. MPDDSs work hand in hand with PAMTRs or FCSs by using the helium gas byproducts of the nuclear fusion to supply a source of gaseous propellants.

2. Photon-Assisted Magnetohydroplasmic Toroidal Reactors (PAMTR)

Number: 2 Reactor Blocks in total

Also known as 'Solar Tokamaks', PAMTRs concentrate photons captured by the ship into ultra-dense beams and project it into highly refined hydrogen nanofuels, superheating it to start a fusion reaction that produces hot plasma and usable thermal energy to drive onboard generators for the production of electricity. PAMTRs are credited with reliability, safety and ease of operation and energy-efficient nuclear power plant and its design is widely used as the standard power plant for all IRS warships.

3. T100 CSP Drive

The continuation of the CSP Drives used by all IRS ships for several decades of the Republic's history, the T100 heralds greater power efficiency, reduced Cosmofuel usage, shorter recharge times, safer and simpler design and reduced size and weight. The T100 operates exactly the same as its previous line of predecessors, launching out small amounts of exotic Cosmomatter that interacts with realspace, tearing a rift into the Cosmic Superluminal Plane (CSP) where all matter and energy move at speeds significantly faster than light.