FD___.0 Compact Stingray Drones

FD___.01 PREAMBLE:- The Stingray drone developed by the Klingons in the year 168, was held up for almost three months during the developement processes because the prototypes in several launches failed.

The reason was that the rocket motor of the stingray drone would fire and melt the guidanace computer of the bus drone.

The solution that was adoptted was simple:- Mount the lauch rail from which the dogfight drone fired on a tower ( about a metre high ) that would put the dogfight drone's rocket moter so far forward of the bus drone guidance computer that the heat from the engine would not melt the circuitry.

The system worked but was rather wasteful as stingray drone warhead would require one entire standard warhead module space even though a dogfight drone is quite small and can fit into a half a standard module space.


However there was a small amount of research into the idea of placing a stingray drone into a standard half warhead module space, whilst still retaining the ability to launch it without the spectacular failures of the original prototypes.

Two competing designs were developed. The first design started it's reseach in the year 169 but did not find a working design, mostly due to excessive lack of funding, until the year 175.
It was based around the idea of using a pneumatic "pentagraph" array to move the dogfight drone and launch rail forward of it's location such that the bus guidance computer will be protected from the heat of the dogight drone motor.

The other design was quickly developed after the advent of the "Multi Warhead" warhead module, which relied on the insurtion of a heat proof plate between the rocket motor and the bus drone guidance computer which protected the bus drone guidance computer from the aforementioned melting.


FD___.1 DENOTATION
The two competing design shall be recorded as "CP", for "Compact stingray:- Pneumatic" and "CS" for "Compact stingray:- Shielded".


FD___.2 EFFECT
The CS module shall in all ways opperate exactly as stingray drone except that it shall only occupy 0.5 warhead module spaces.

The CP module shall operate in all ways as a single suckerfish drone warhead module.


FD___.3 COST

Both warheads must be located in the forward half space and occupy 0.5 payload spaces.

The CS module costs no BPV more than a regular stingray module mostly due the cheap availibility of Sheilds that were manufactured for MW production and the CP module costs 0.25 BPV more than a regular stingray module.


FD___.4 HISTORY
Whilst the design of the CP module never succeeded in producing a compact stingray drone until after the shield theory was deployed and created a cheaper compact drone, the research begun allowed for the eventual creation of the Suckerfish module ( the external dogfight drone mounts ).

One the other hand, the CS module allowed for the Super Stingray to become even more deadly due to the addition of another half space explosive module.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Monday, August 05, 2002 - 12:32 am: Edit

As far as I know, drones have warp engines not rocket engines. They might leave a smokey trail in the illustations but this could be due to the hight energy plasma trail. There should be a small mater/anti-mater chamber blasting warp plasma through a warp coil. Bright but not exactly hot like rocket exhaust.

I think, anyway.

By Jay Paulson (Etjake) on Monday, August 05, 2002 - 05:13 am: Edit

Has to be warp or they would be speed 1.

As a card carrying Lyran, I'm all for speed 1 drones. ; )'

By michael john campbell (Michaelcampbell) on Monday, August 05, 2002 - 08:28 am: Edit

And you guys can't see high energy plasma as being HOT...interesting...quick, get the men in white coats, we have a cold fussion guy over here.

By Matthew J. Francois (Francois42) on Monday, August 05, 2002 - 09:15 am: Edit

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Quote:

The reason was that the rocket motor of the stingray drone would fire and melt the guidanace computer of the bus drone.

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Quote:

The CP module shall operate in all ways as a single suckerfish drone warhead module.

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By Alex Chobot (Alendrel) on Monday, August 05, 2002 - 12:30 pm: Edit

Also, in all likelihood, the submunition would use a "cold" launch system to separate from the bus vehicle before engaging its primary motors, as ship-launched drones do.

By michael john campbell (Michaelcampbell) on Monday, August 05, 2002 - 08:05 pm: Edit

M.J.F.:

Suckerfish drones are external playload mounted stingray drones.

By Michael Powers (Mtpowers) on Saturday, September 04, 2004 - 02:30 pm: Edit

Would there be an equivalent for Stonefish?

Personally, I kind of agree that it's silly for Stingray/Stonefish to take up the same space as MW/Starfish. Sure, it costs less...but not that much less...on the other hand, I don't think that we need an entirely new drone type. Maybe Stingray/Stonefish should just be a half-space module, period.

The problem is that there's no real reason for anyone to ever use them unless you're really strapped for points (in which case why are you buying gimmicky weapons like MW drones?) They take up a whole drone and there are better versions available.