<Snipped quote by Keyguyperson>
Not if Nigeria has anything to say about it. America funded us for a reason.
No one will have a say about anything if I can help it.
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The boys are back in town
8 yrs ago
You load sixteen tons and what do you get?
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9 yrs ago
Die for the Emperor, or die trying.
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9 yrs ago
Took some political alignment and bias tests today. I think the results were skewed.
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9 yrs ago
You are what you dare, or so some say. Don't be that guy who is forever after known as the one who set his pants on fire.
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No one will have a say about anything if I can help it.
The Greater European Confederation
The Arabian Sea
The contingent of GEC naval vessels continued to glide forwards, coasting slowly through the vast, open blueness that surrounded the ten vessels. With any belligerent fleets still a distance aways, the submarines had surface, allowing their crews to stretch their bodies for a time before they were required to return to the depths of the ocean. It would be several days yet before any action had to be taken in regards to the approaching fleets. Despite their small size, the force hoped to act as a deterrent, risking the invitation of war with another nation if the Mexican or UTA ships open fired on the Confederation vessels.
To Fasilides Zaile,
On behalf of the Greater European Confederation, we, the Chancellors of the Confederation, extend our sympathies to you, your family, and your country. A tragedy such as this is detestable indeed, for it marks the end of a bright life and the reminder of the darker side of humanity. Were it not for people such as the man who killed your father, the world would be a much better place. Know that the Greater European Confederation stands with you, and that we ask you to investigate the situation fully before acting in a rash manner.
With heart,
Andrej Dusan and Karen Årud, Chancellors of the Greater European Confederation
Palermo, Italy, the Greater European Confederation
Vice Admiral Calio Sapienti crumpled up the orders sent to him by Rostock, realizing with all seriousness what the words meant. Just last night, the GEC's DEFCON had been raised to Moderate. And now they were at Substantial, requiring a readiness condition of at least 4 theater wide. He silently cursed the Mexicans for their foolhardy actions. If the reports were correct, Atlantic elements were moving somewhere. Only one location could be assumed. Reaching over to the telephone set next to his desk, Sapienti called his secretary and began to issue the necessary orders. Within several hours, a majority of the GEC's remaining Mediterranean fleet, including the two carriers left there, would be either ready to deploy within half an hour or patrolling the Mediterranean waters with even greater care. No belligerent could be let through. Of that they would make sure.
Rome, Italy, the Greater European Confederation
Thousands flocked in the massive square facing Saint Peter's Basilica, a throng of worshipers and news reporters competing for space and proximity. A light wind gusted through the congregation, chilling some, yet the general atmosphere kept most warm. It had been years since Pope Francis II had given a general address to the public, especially one as publicized as this. Dozens of major and minor reporting stations had sent correspondents once news of this event had leaked out into the world. As the glistening doors on the balcony of the great Basilica, a thunderous cheer erupted from many thousands of throats, exuberant at finally seeing their spiritual leader once again.
Pope Francis II stepped through, a stooped man of 62 with a kindly yet tired face, appearing to be in a constant state of concern over the matters of the world. Originally called Gustav Zellweger, he had heeded the calling of God decades ago, finding his true path in life. Now, in these trying times, God called upon him to ease the world's troubles. So he would try.
After the general hubbub subsided, he spoke into the microphones situated on the balcony, projecting his voice across the plaza. "Join me, brothers and sisters, in prayer, for last night the life of Zakariah Abraham Zaile was robbed by one of ill intent. Let us pray for his child, for his country." After a brief moment of silence, many of the men and women sending their own personal messages to God, Francis II cleared his throat. "While a tragedy, we must also look to the rest of the world. War brews as the United South Asian Empire and the Third Mexican Empire marches towards the Caliphate of Istanbul, bent upon exacting revenge in blood for the killings committed almost twenty years ago. The leaders of the Third Mexican Empire declare a crusade in the name of Christ, vowing to kill the Muslims of the Caliphate. Yet that is not the way of God, that is not the way of Jesus. Was it not said in Matthew 6:14-15 that: 'For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins?' Did they not say in Romans 12:17 to 'Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all?' Our brothers in Mexico go against this holy word, deceived by the evil of their government. I bid you, Catholics, Muslims, Hindus, and peoples of all race and creed, stand with me. Oppose this unholy war, and make the aggressors see the errors of the way. God be with you. Amen."
As Francis II turned back to walk inside, Saint Peter's Square exploded into clapping and cheers. It seemed that his old body yet had some good in it.
Make trade not war.
Why not both?
The plot thickens.
Rostock, Germany, The Greater European Confederation
In the bowels of the massive building housing the center of the Greater European Confederation- if not physically, then in spirit-people bustled, rushing to and fro, attempting to remain informed as to the developing situations across the globe. The Confederations push for economic independence did not equate to a cessation of relationships with other states in the world. Relationships were the reason for the bustle at this time of morning, intelligence and military personnel mingling with politicians and accountants, each a small part in the greater game of politics.
In the Chancellors' Chambers, eighteen people met to discuss the escalation of the conflict spawned by the Third Mexican Empire and the United South Asian Empire, each an important figure in the Confederated state. At the moment all sat in silence, staring at the display screen mounted on the wall.
"Are you sure they're moving towards the Caliphate?" queried Andrej Dusan, one of the two Chancellors of the Confederation. A slight man with thinning hair, his bespectacled face appeared haggard, wearied of late by the strain required to manage a nation combined with a new situation unseen in the past twenty-ish years.
"Positive, mein herr," replied General Gernot Bocker. "Our intelligence sources confirm that both Mexican and Unified Territories of America ships left Pacific ports yesterday. While the intent of the American vessels is unknown, the destination of the Mexican fleet can be assumed to be the Caliphate. Our intelligence lines do not stretch far or deep enough to know of their exact position, but there are those more knowledged in these matters than I am."
The second Chancellor, Karen Årud, sighed heavily, her body and mind as tired as that of Andrej. "The world slips closer to devastation each day. We cannot let this pass. As was discussed earlier, a proposition for escalation of readiness should be put forth to parliament, in addition to a redeployment of some of our Mediterranean elements. I fear that we do not currently have enough nations confirming to attend the conference to make a difference. A list of candidates has been assembled. Time is of the essence, my friends. God speed."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hours later, after little deliberation, the alert level of the Greater European Confederation was raised by two increments, placing the nation on medium-high alert. One of the Confederation's Mediterranean-based carriers departed for the Caliphate with it's escort of three destroyers, two cruisers, and four submarines.
<Snipped quote by Durandal>Hm, it'd be sorts of an engineering marvel.
I mean it'd be seriously edged out to match tank railguns at armor-defeating role in spite of being smaller and operated by a much lighter unit.
It'd also question why don't everyone starts adopting such system if it actually works against tanks.
But let's get back to the technicalities.
Because the barrel is 4 times shorter with the same acceleration the gun can only achieve half the velocity compared to tank railguns.
Or to be exact, this is the force of the railgun. You can compensate by using lighter load and lighter rails.
Reducing weight to 1/4th can balance out the speed/length scale here.
You can then compensate the loss in weight by reducing the cross-section of the impact.
Half the diameter, quadruple the theoretical penetration.
Defeating armor is kind of a complex thing though so you can't just safely say this. Actually since the impact energy is halved the tank may absorb the impact still while the heavier slug will penetrate better.
Okay, I won't bore you further with the details.
Point is, it's possible but the chance of scoring a kill will be a gamble even with all these mods.
Overcharging will be inevitable to give the weapon just a faint more edge.
Also the recoil will require bracing/stabilizing to the ground to be properly handled.
I say you would better focus on anti-tank warheads to kill tanks. Meanwhile your railgun can be used against hard targets and bunkers that aren't as well-rounded in protection as contemporary tanks.
I won't and can't question anything you say as you are quite a bit more versed than me in these technologies. I was kind of considering a theme where my army utilized more advanced weapons and equipment to compete with larger powers but that isn't viable given the state of the GEC.
But the point I was addressing in my previous post was that a man-portable rail gun would be far more effective against light and medium vehicles rather such as armored vars and IFVs rather than something on the scale of a tank. That seems a much more viable option given the information you have provided on the subject, for which I must thank you.
Infantry units aren't meant to fight tanks for the most part so the gun was simply something that would serve in mainly defensive positions to hold lighter vehicles at bay while heavier weapons focused on opposing heavy armor.
<Snipped quote by Durandal>Well, it needs an energy source (which would likely look like a car battery in size/weight), the launch tube/system (kinda the same weight as a larger ATGM nowadays), some kind of pod to provide stability and of course the warheads.
It'd be a two-man system alright but it won't be particularly that bad in regards of weight.
Like I said it'd be like a somewhat heavier mortar system.
Actually, there are plans to make mortars launch their projectiles via coilgun mechanisms.
Each of your projectiles would only have half the weight compared to missiles with similar role, so about 10-15kg a piece.
The weight of the Mortar could be reduced by CNT or other carbon-polymers, although I think it might be counterproductive at one point due to the recoil.
So perhaps 50-100kg for the weapon system alone.
Let's surmize.
10-15 kg per warhead, let's say they carry 3-4.
15kg for the battery
60 kg for the weapon itself.
Unless the two are already encumbered this set-up is viable for a two man team.
But would a man-portable railgun system carried by two men with exoskeletons be viable against light vehicles? Without too much armor, a round fired from this should be able to punch through thin metal and maybe medium armored vehicles. But this coil mortar sounds interesting in concept. Perhaps I'll use that instead.
<Snipped quote by Durandal>Problem with electronic weapons that they are even more cumbersome than conventional weapons.
Unless you go under certain limits.
Granted, you probably don't need the gun for more than a few shots so perhaps putting together several or dozens of regular "railgun rifle batteries" is enough to power the system.
The barrel would still require to be crazy-long and overall we talk about tons of weight here to make an "anti-tank railgun".
Then there's the much-obvious issue with the recoil. You'd need a large and rather stable platform for any level of safety and reliability during fire.
If you want an actual anti-tank railgun you need a tank, a comparable vehicle or something like a towed field artillery.
That's why I didn't recommend this to you.
Having something more similar to an altered coilgun mortar could be more viable.
Basically think of a coilgun but it launches a warhead at higher velocities. Somewhere around the supersonic range, for example.
This of course renders your system into an actual cannon with the recoil to deal with which explains why the weapon is heavy and needs two men to operate.
Personally I'd still prefer missiles for their softer launch and guided nature but it's really just a matter of opinion.
Wouldn't said coil gun mortar still need to be quite large? And the purpose of the rail gun isn't to defeat tanks but light armored vehicles. The cumbersome nature is also a reason why it rarely sees use outside of defensive positions due to the time required to set up the gun. I probably should have worded that better, more as an "anti-vehicle" gun
<Snipped quote by Durandal>More or less.
And try to stick with ATGMs for infantry-use anti-tank methods.
Or at best try to use coilguns to launch anti-tank warheads.
It is a fairly large gun, when I said two people operate it I meant that's the only thing they carry as combat equipment, pieces for the gun. That doesn't include ammo. But yes, they use anti-tank warheads. Faster than missiles.
<Snipped quote by Durandal>Coilguns are generally a bad idea if you need something powerful yet compact. If you want something strong you have to start from the size of a truck.
I mean a coilgun with a size of a truck, not a coilgun mounted on trucks.
Railguns are preferable in general.
If anything I'd replace the 7 giant gun emplacements with coilguns. They are less needy in maintenance which may help to keep the big guns more affordable.
If you don't like that name, call them Gauss Guns/Cannons. This and coilguns are practically interchangeable in meaning.
Also if you can have a coilgun/railgun that can threaten tanks then so could you build a conventional gun with it.
And if it can threaten tanks with a gun, then obviously that's a tank gun in size. Meaning it would be anything but man-portable.
Like I said before railguns and such are no OP wonderweapons. They are just a different mechanism.
So basically switch the two for their current positions?
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