[Axis} Atom Laser CIWS

300 RPM?

SSharp said:

300 RPM?

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Yes. Similar weapons from origin have RPMs of 500 RPM.

Since the DR of weapons is damage per turn, or in a set number of seconds that Fred defined if one wants to be specific, the firing rate shouldn't matter as much. Also, that kind of firing speed is well within the bounds of a modern machine gun and is notably lower than the M61 Vulcan the US has had on its aircraft...it's just a laser instead of a solid projectile.

I see no problems here.

Well for me, I honestly envisioned that an atom laser would require shells(*) of material.
However, I suppose with as much condensed atoms the mech are already using, they could probably get it from space like a particle collector or simple the mech's fuel/coolent.




Edit: You know the whole need for a replaceable fuel or atom source got me thinking. Reading the phrase "powered from the vehicle or starship's internal power source," I remembered that Nepleslian used to use a lot of nuclear fusion and sometime fission powered sources. I wonder if that one could take concept powered from internal power source to a deeper level and the waste from the fusion/fission reactor actually be the fuel(**) that is fired by the laser as a coherent beam of atoms.

*However, the shell would be heavy condensed matter, so the weapon would then be a heavy not lightweight weapon. So, I am not sure that would be right idea Five was going for.

**Seriously people, you should think about it. from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton-proton_chain
The Tritium/Deuterium fusion reaction produces Helium-3
2 D^1 + 1 H^1 → He^3_2 + γ + 5.49 MeV
I am not going to even cite how many plasma engines shoot out helium. Is there any real difference of helium being used as a weapon if we use it to propel vechiles?

Dusk, thanks for your input, but it does not have bearing on this submission.

I fixed a typo on it.

Approved.