NationStates Jolt Archive

Recently, the Principality of Skeelzania was warned that its current actions (a genocidal street battle within the Elvish ghetto) might warrant the intervention of a certain power, who was known to extensively field "Gravships". While the Grand Prince has heard tales of these near-mythic ships, none of us have any idea of what they actually are. Are they indeed a magical vessel that bends the very laws of nature to its will? Or is there something more mundane that gives them their power? I, and all Skeelzanians, would be most grateful for any information.

-Grand Admiral Levisk
Skeelzanian Naval Forces

OOC: Ditto.

AKA a #Tag# Because I really want to know the answer to this.

While the Grand Prince has heard tales of these near-mythic ships, none of us have any idea of what they actually are. Are they indeed a magical vessel that bends the very laws of nature to its will?
OOC: When boiled down to their essence...

...er, yes.

While most Menelmacari vehicles use some form of gravitic propulsion, the term "gravship" refers to an aerospace capital vessel which relies on the manipulation of gravitational forces as its primary form of sublight travel. Menelmacari military gravships range from 175 m to 1.3 km in length, though some civilian freighters can range much larger.

Menelmacari ships are grouped into fleets of thirty, which carry ground forces and fighter wings, along with sufficient supplies to self-sufficiently carry out a full combined-arms campaign of short to moderate duration. Mixing multiple fleets together into task groups, obviously, increases resources and capabilities accordingly. Armament consists of a mixture of energy weapons and missiles, both of varying strengths.

Several other nations field gravships as well, including Melkor Unchained, and there are more than a few nations that don't call their ships gravships but which still use gravitic propulsion of one form or another.

Hope this helps.

Ah yes, yes it does. Though, aside from the obvious manueverability such propulsion would provide, I still don't see any advantage to the system. Unless, of course, you had developed weapons that used gravity to tear gigantic chunks out of enemy vessels...erp.

Well, it doesn't really require any fuel for the engines above and beyond what the ships' reactors require.

Menelmacari missiles are gravitic-propelled, though they lack warheads - the drives themselves are the warheads. Dubbed 'inverse pulse' weapons, they impact a target, their armor-piercing heads (not unlike, say, a bunker-buster) allowing them to embed themselves in the enemy ship's hull, at which point the drive expends all its remaining energy in a single massive burst of gravitic repulsion - essentially, creating something like a white hole for a split second. The effect on the surrounding matter - i.e. hull plating - is, I'm sure, rather predictable.

As for energy weapons that use gravity to crush or tear up enemy ships, I don't use them, largely because it's just on the other side of the fine line that marks the point to which I'm willing to wank.

(OOC: Yes, I'm sure the physics, in RL, don't add up. I don't much care, this isn't hard sci-fi.)

OOC: Who cares about the physics as long as it makes a good story and makes some sort of sense?

OCC: Well, physics never got in the way of a good RP. Heck, I have a gun that shoots gamma radiation at people. Mmmm, gooey.

IC: Ah, well grav-tech certainly would be a powerful weapon, though I doubt I could convince the quartermaster to touch a tech used by Elves. At any rate, we thank you for the information. We will be sure to carry out any further pogroms in secret.

Tag

Crimmond gravships are relegated to transport and gunship duties, allowing for extreme stealth for special ops or extremely manuverable mobile gun platforms.

Crimmond weapons are not gravitic weapons as Menelmacari weapons are. Ours are based on close range utter devastation with high powered energy weapons and small two meter long Swarm missiles launched in constant waves to pepper the enemy with enough damage that the other weapons can finish the job.

When I decide to actualy do something with my future form of my self, I'd probably focus on destroying you from orbit, thus ending the need for any land weapons (unless to put down rebelion)

Ah yes, yes it does. Though, aside from the obvious manueverability such propulsion would provide, I still don't see any advantage to the system. Unless, of course, you had developed weapons that used gravity to tear gigantic chunks out of enemy vessels...erp.Were anyone to actually take this to its logical conclusion, and take advantage of the obvious side-effects created by the equipment necessary to operate such a thing, it would be dang near impossible for any conventional weapon to do any harm to your warmachine for the simple reason that they couldn't touch it- any projectile aimed for a vessel using antigravity to remain aloft would have to achieve escape velocity to even come close. You, on the other hand, would simply have to throw things out the window, after which they would accelerate down the total depth of the local gravity well in a matter of meters, rather than thousands of kilometers. One doesn't have to think hard to realise the destructive potential.

Kanuckistan actually does exploy high-gradiant gravitational weapons in the form of Gravy Guns, tho they're limited to a pittyful Hard Kill range of 2'500 kilometers, and only mountible on capital ships dew to power requiorments. Defencive applications are also in practice, but remain classifyed.

For sublight propulsion and kinetic weapon acceleration, reactionless Inertial Direct-Drive technology is utalised; inertialess SLDS drives providing a secondary sublight, and basic FTL propulsion. Grav drives having the side-effect of lighting the ship up like a beacon on most forms of gravitic sensors.

OOC:

Well...my gravships just simple use an anti-grav reactor that counteracts gravity, of course, they can't go into space, but I place these on some of my spaceships, along with gravdrives.

But my gravships are certainly interesting, as the crew stays in gravity, but the anti-grav field keeps the ship 'afloat.' So it takes a fairly delicate balance to make my gravships work... yay. Not that I use them much anymore...

The entirety of Kajali gravships can be summed up with one word:

Small.

They are usually restricted to roles such as gunship or troop transport, and are not exactly anywhere near the sizes of what Menelmacar usually fields. Propulsion is provided primarily by standardized repulsorlift/antigrav systems, usually supplemented by turbine engines.

Because the engines that actually give these ships a good deal of their speed require some sort of atmosphere, they aren't space capable.

Not that you'd want to take one into space, either. They were not designed with such things in mind.

Gravitational weaponry is out of my league for now, though. Kajal relies primarily on plasma based weapons, from the small to the absurdly large (the largest of which generate enough thermal energy that it needs to be bled off into subspace to fire again!).

I do have plans to field my first _large_ gravship sometime soon, though. ^_^

But not until I hit 2 billion.

"the Gravship of United Korean design is a 75 meter long Machine powered by a Anti-Grav motor taking up nearly half of the ship's space. the rest of the ship would contain a Cockpit, a Crew Qaurters, the Captain's room, and the Weapons bay, which would usually house a turret containing 16 .50 Calibre MGs and 4 30 mm "Avenger" Gatling Guns, making it possibly to strafe and destroy infantry and tanks easily. it would also carry from 4 to 16 Missiles of various types, depending on mission. the Single UKN Gravship was powered by a Licensed built Menalmacari Drive, but was too heavy to leave the ground, and eventually was destroyed by fire damage when during the first sucessfull kaunch 13 days after the failed first launch, the main circuit board gave way, releasing a shower off sparks that ignited the Fuel and Ammunition carried aboard."

qoute from Enciclopeadia Militaria UKN from 1919 to 2007, edition VI.

While most Menelmacari vehicles use some form of gravitic propulsion, the term "gravship" refers to an aerospace capital vessel which relies on the manipulation of gravitational forces as its primary form of sublight travel. Menelmacari military gravships range from 175 m to 1.3 km in length, though some civilian freighters can range much larger.

Menelmacari ships are grouped into fleets of thirty, which carry ground forces and fighter wings, along with sufficient supplies to self-sufficiently carry out a full combined-arms campaign of short to moderate duration. Mixing multiple fleets together into task groups, obviously, increases resources and capabilities accordingly. Armament consists of a mixture of energy weapons and missiles, both of varying strengths.

Several other nations field gravships as well, including Melkor Unchained, and there are more than a few nations that don't call their ships gravships but which still use gravitic propulsion of one form or another.

Hope this helps.

Translation: "Wank". :wink:

While most Menelmacari vehicles use some form of gravitic propulsion, the term "gravship" refers to an aerospace capital vessel which relies on the manipulation of gravitational forces as its primary form of sublight travel. Menelmacari military gravships range from 175 m to 1.3 km in length, though some civilian freighters can range much larger.

Menelmacari ships are grouped into fleets of thirty, which carry ground forces and fighter wings, along with sufficient supplies to self-sufficiently carry out a full combined-arms campaign of short to moderate duration. Mixing multiple fleets together into task groups, obviously, increases resources and capabilities accordingly. Armament consists of a mixture of energy weapons and missiles, both of varying strengths.

Several other nations field gravships as well, including Melkor Unchained, and there are more than a few nations that don't call their ships gravships but which still use gravitic propulsion of one form or another.

Hope this helps.

Translation: "Wank". :wink:

It's OMFGZ0RZ TEH GRODLOAD and you know it.

We will be sure to carry out any further pogroms in secret.
Well... bit late for that. See, now we're on to you. 8)

Grav drives having the side-effect of lighting the ship up like a beacon on most forms of gravitic sensors.
There is that... but they're not exactly hard to spot anyway. ;)

OOC: question for any gravship using nation, the use of gravity to propel a ship is a very good notion, one that I rather like, but I can't get over the problems with a FTL drive when the Sublight uses gravitic drives, because from what I have seen of FTL (mostly Star Wars and Trek) is that it is ususally adversly affected by gravity wells, SW in specific can be ripped right out of Hyperspace by a gravity well, so are you using a different form of FTL, or is it necessary to shut off these drives completly before jumping into light speed?

We will be sure to carry out any further pogroms in secret.
Well... bit late for that. See, now we're on to you. 8)
Yes... (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3237652#3237652)

I'll have to follow up on that post

Oh, and, bad Siri, using the net at work for such frivilous activites *winks*

OOC: question for any gravship using nation, the use of gravity to propel a ship is a very good notion, one that I rather like, but I can't get over the problems with a FTL drive when the Sublight uses gravitic drives, because from what I have seen of FTL (mostly Star Wars and Trek) is that it is ususally adversly affected by gravity wells, SW in specific can be ripped right out of Hyperspace by a gravity well, so are you using a different form of FTL, or is it necessary to shut off these drives completly before jumping into light speed?

Different forms usually.