[BT][Equip] Electric Armor
Mike Miller
But here it is real life:
http://defesanet.web.terra.com.br/noticia/electricarmour
No, seriously:
http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,54641,00.html
And again:
http://www.rense.com/general28/frce.htm
Simply put, for Battletech, Electric Armor halves the damage
(round up damage from each group of missiles) delivered by
missile attacks (SRMs, MRMs, LRMs, RLs, Thunderbolts), not
counting Infernos. Electric Armor is thus more limited than
"Blazer" armor as it does not apply to ACs, Gauss Rifles,
Artillery, and other ballistic attacks.
Electric armor offers the protection of standard armor (16 points/
ton) against most attacks. For mechs, it requires the addition of
1 crit power supplies in each location except the head (thus using
7 crits total). If damaged by a critical hit, a power supply
will explode (like a Gauss Rifle capacitor) for 5 points of
damage (CASE protects normally). For vehicles, 1 slot is lost off
the side locations and ICE-powered vehicles must mount power
amplifiers equal to 1/10th the tonnage of their armor.
Development of this low-tech solution to missiles is blamed on the
cash- and technology-strapped but innovative engineers of the
Trinity Alliance. An investigation is underway to explain how the
Marian Hegemony fielded electric armor on refitted Gladius tanks
before the Trinity Alliance completed field testing of the new armor.
Availability: Trinity Alliance, Marian Hegemony
Cost: 15,000 C-bills/ton (plus power amplifiers, as needed)
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Todd Zircher
Electric reactive armor? Only sounds goofy when you're fighting in
the rain, near water, or under water. Figure it's usable once until
the upper layer of armor is scrubbed off and the electrode plates are
exposed. Once the system is grounded/earthed or the fuses are blown,
it's all dead weight.
I envision RPG teams moving in pairs on rainy nights. The first one
tags the vehicle and grounds it. The second kills the vehicle now
that its magic armor is negated.
In a BTech environment, I can see the system being used in the torso,
head, and arms , but not being installed in the legs.
--
TAZ
Mike Miller
news:<64b063d4.02082...@posting.google.com>...
> > Sounds goofy, huh? Electric armor. Feh.
>
> Electric reactive armor? Only sounds goofy when you're fighting in
> the rain, near water, or under water. Figure it's usable once until
> the upper layer of armor is scrubbed off and the electrode plates are
> exposed. Once the system is grounded/earthed or the fuses are blown,
> it's all dead weight.
No...I don't think water will bother the system.
Remember, HEAT shells use a jet of metal. Copper is today's
preferred material, about the most conductive metal (just
behind silver and ahead of every other metal).
The penetrating hole in the armor will be lined with copper
and provide a much better "short" than water. Not only will
it be lined with copper, but the armor (if it includes any metal)
will have been liquified and melted into a short circuit between
the two layers.
However, this system demonstrably gives multi-hit resistance,
so it can endure repeated short circuits. Water shouldn't be
a problem. Frankly, at the voltages involved, water would
probably just evaporate out of the hole. Copper and steel will
be able to handle much higher temperatures from resistive
heating.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer