Kinetech-class Gunship

Kinetech-Class Gunship

The Kinetech is a subcorvette vessel similar in class to the Corellian Gunship.

At 90 meters long, the Kinetech is only 30 meters shorter than the CG. It is also lesser in height...but it is a bit wider. The Kinetech is shaped like a sleek cross between a pod and a wedge, a snub-nosed rounded shape wider than it is tall, and longer than it is wide, and narrowing from back to front.

At the back are two stubby wings, barely visible; at the end of each wing is a box, longer than it is wide or high. Each box holds a light rocket launcher battery. While light rockets lack the punch of heavy rockets or the guidance systems of missiles, they move and fire fairly quickly, but more importantly, they are small, and so are their launchers. On the downside, the Kinetech does not have that much ammo for its rocket launchers.

There are six concussion missile tubes, lined up horizontally three on each side of the ship, such that the horizontal (looking from the front) centerline of each tube was level with the horizontal (again from front) centerline of the ship. The launchers are evenly spaced, and fire forwards.

The ship has some anti-capital energy armament as well; it sports a pair of double turbolaser turrets. While this is significantly less than the eight double turbolasers of the CG, it is something. The turrets are mounted near the back of the hull, one on top and the other on the bottom, for the greatest amount of coverage.

The Kinetech mounts three quad laser cannons, one on the outermost side of each box, and one in the nose. It is nowhere near the anti-fighter platform that the CG is. The Kinetech also has less cargo space than the CG, and is less durable. However, the Kinetech does boast superior performance, and a faster hyperdrive.

Like the CG, much of the internal space of the Kinetech is taken up by the engines, with much of the remainder occupied by weapons systems, computers, and shields. Crew quarters are small.

The first version of the Kinetech was equipped with a special system in which some of the power released by the engines was captured and used to provide extra power to the reloading mechanisms for the rocket and missile launchers. However, this strained the engines, which in turn strained the power grid. Current-model Kinetechs use direct reactor power to increase the fire rate of its missiles, a far more stable (but still furiously aggressive in battle!) system. The warhead launchers can also be fired without energy, to conserve power for other systems, but in that mode, they only fire at a normal rate, which would deny the Kinetech its signature devestating first strike.

The Kinetech has no fighters, support craft, or troops. It is also not as cheap as some vessels, because of the miniaturization necessary.

Tactics:

The Kinetech can be used in many different ways. The key to using this ship is to avoid getting involved in long toe-to-toe slugfests. At 90m long, this isn't a battleship no matter what kind of drugs you take before looking at it. The ship does have some turbolaser armament, but even CR90, with an additional 60 meters of size, would have the advantage in a turbolaser duel.

Taking down enemy ships with the Kinetech, then, is largely a matter of using the warheads effectively. Use the ship's performance to line up for a direct strike to the enemy ship's weakest point, then pour fire into it with everything you've got. The other ship may very well have more firepower than the Kinetech does, but the Kinetech can turn its potential damage into real damage very quickly, denying the enemy ship a full-power conterattack. Rather than conserving ammunition, spend warheads to gain the initiative in the battle. Remember that the enemy's superior armament means very little when their ship is already in pieces. If you must engage the enemy on equal terms, be sure to use the warhead launchers. Although the Kinetech isn't terribly durable due to its small size, its forward-firing armament sometimes means that you have to go at the enemy head-on. In these situations, where you might not have the kind of attack vector necessary to disable the enemy ship in a single massive strike, be somewhat more conservative with ammunition: take just long enough to put your warheads where they'll hurt the most, and with that in mind, hit them as much as possible. Keep pounding them; don't let them regain their energy reserves. So long as they have to put surviving the incoming damage first, they'll have fewer resources available for other things, like tearing your ship to bits.

In larger battles, or in wider-ranging ship to ship engagements, look for a good attack vector in the geometry of the battle, or make one using the Kinetech's performance. Once you have a good attack vector, capitalize massively. Alteratively, keep the Kinetech(s) in reserve for a truly golden opportunity. The presence of these ships means that the enemy's tactical options will be significantly limited, to what they can do without exposing themselves to a lethal lightning-like flanking attack. The Kinetech can be used as a threat disproportionate to its total power, because of its ability to unleash major damage from a single opportunity. This is a ship that has to keep moving, though; if the enemy can threaten it with a head-to-head contest of shields, they can dictate the Kinetech's movements instead of the other way around. During contests of maneuvering, the turbolasers can be used to harass the enemy, and pick off damaged vessels.

When using multiple Kinetech class vessels, use ther combined performance advantage to outmaneuver the enemy. Attack them from all directions, so that whichever way they maneuver, they expose themselves to attack from one or more of your ships. These ships are small, and so may very well outnumber their opponents; use that numerical advantage to gain positional advantage. Use the turbolasers to exploit even the smallest openings; presented with a larger opening, let the warheads fly. Using this method, even large warships will be hard-pressed to defend themselves, as they will have a hard time bringing their firepower to bear without exposing themselves to a powerful strike against their weakest points. Against medium ships, a mass attack with the full first strike potential of all your ships can overwhelm them, or at least deal sufficient damage to prevent them from bringing their power to bear. Small ships may be the most difficult to destroy, as they can make it relatively hard for Kinetechs to bring their main armament to bear. Defensive formation tactics may force the enemy to expose themselves to a warhead attack in order to strike at your ships; take advantage. When using these tactics, however, be very careful of larger enemy ships. It is better to have to fight a small ship at a small disadvantage than to have to fight a ship that can tear you apart in seconds with no advantage by which to stay alive. Kinetech formation tactics should probably never be used in actual battle situations with a variety of enemy and friendly ships; however, elements of formation fighting can be used in positioning your Kinetechs to make them more likely to bring their warheads to bear.