Tuesday 8 July 2014

Implacable class heavy cruiser

Behold the upgraded Implacable heavy cruiser, the latest and fiercest of its kind.




In an attempt to overcome the overheating problems of the Insolent class protected cruisers, the Lagrange IV yards conceived a more massive ship with a twin boom hull. One half of the hull would thus contain all weapon and cooling systems, as well as support the main cooling panels.


The new configuration restricted the firing arcs of the ship and the general area of the hull was increased without adding much protection. Still, the Implacable is considered a great success and has been sent around in the solar system on every occasion -its aggressive lines and grouped armament always making an impression.


The four Implacables are equipped with powerful auxiliary thrusters and thence can roll and pitch very fast for a ship of their mass. The two latter of the class feature a large twin drone bay -those might nevertheless be removed in a future refit as they have proved to be an Achilles heel in the hull protection.


As powerful as they are, the Implacable might very well be the last of their kind, as their maintenance is costly, and they are too large to fill the patrol role of smaller cruisers. Some have also voiced concern over the wisdom of putting such a heavy armament in a hull without an armored nose section. The good sensors guarantee a high beam weapon precision but the class will probably have a hard time engaging any battleship, orbital or not, without putting itself at risk.


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