Defense Array
For many years, the Riken Race have been researching ways to counter the Electromagnetic Cannon used by the Swarm.
They possessed an advanced spaceship from an unknown civilization, from which they deduced many things, and with this high-level understanding, they also refined many fundamental theories.
So, in the decades since the expedition's defeat, they have indeed accomplished something.
This is because most of them are experimental products and have not yet reached the level of being deployed to regular troops.
However, during the reconstruction of Laze Planet, the Riken Race added a new type of defensive structure.
Surrounding the Ground-Based Artillery were some buildings that were no less impressive, these buildings were semi-circular, like bowls upside down in the ground.
At the top of the semi-circle, a peculiar structure composed of special metals and transparent crystals is displayed. The entire building lacks familiar cannon barrels, leaving its purpose unknown.
The Swarm of Electromagnetic Projectile attacked with overwhelming force, like an indestructible sword. The Riken Race warships hurriedly took cover, daring not to stand in their way.
However, after they passed through Laze Planet's near-Earth orbit, when they were only a little over a thousand kilometers away from the ground target...
Suddenly, thin beams of red light emanated from the peculiar structures atop those distinctive semi-circular buildings.
A distance of over a thousand kilometers is instantaneous for a rapidly moving Electromagnetic Projectile. But these red beams are even faster.
At first glance, they look like Blaster Beam several times thinner, but in reality, apart from their color, they are completely different in both principle and appearance.
First, the Blaster Beam a compressed aggregate of energy. By controlling the stability of this energy aggregate, it can achieve two states: a stable penetrating type and a turbulent explosive type.
Regardless of the type, they all manifest as energy beams ranging from tens of centimeters to several meters in length.
These thin beams of light, or rather, light beams, are different from Blaster Beam; they are actually thin lines, stretching for thousands of kilometers after being emitted!
To ensure its lethality, this thin wire needs a continuous power supply, so despite its thinness, it actually consumes an astonishing amount of energy per unit of time.
The energy consumed by each of these semi-circular structures during operation is comparable to that of ten Ground-Based Artillery.
Hundreds of meters underground, there is a dedicated Nuclear Power Plant that supplies energy to these buildings.
Even so, their maximum lethal range is less than two thousand kilometers.
With its high energy consumption and small attack range, the Riken Race wouldn't send a weapon with so many flaws to the battlefield; therefore, it must have its own advantages.
That is, it is a true light-based weapon, therefore, its attack speed is approximately equal to that of a beam of light. Within its effective kill radius, its attack can be said to arrive in an instant, with virtually no possibility of dodging.
The Electromagnetic Cannon, which fires from extremely long distances, has a projectile flight time exceeding half an hour. During such a long period, its trajectory can be precisely calculated.
Once they entered the attack range of the Laser Defense Array, with the help of a large supercomputer, red light instantly "shone" on them.
The Electromagnetic Projectile itself is just an aggregate of some metallic elements, not a high-end material. Under the enormous energy output, it is heated to the boiling point by the red line in less than a second.
The part of the projectile that was illuminated reflected a golden light, and then turned into liquid and splashed out in the light. As the melted part of the projectile increased, it could no longer maintain the stability of its structure and its original trajectory during high-speed flight.
After the projectile is burned and penetrated by the light, it splits into several parts and its speed is reduced. Although it still has some lethality, it is difficult to break through the external defense of steel structures.
A few minutes later, the interception report was compiled, showing that the first round of tens of thousands of Electromagnetic Cannons had an interception success rate of over 70%. The reason for the low 70% interception rate was due to the insufficient number of Laser Defense Array. If there were enough, it would be difficult for the Electromagnetic Projectile to penetrate this layer of light defense.
"The results are good. I should have made more of these." Third Fleet Commander Arther said with some regret upon seeing the results.
"After all, it's an experimental product, it hasn't been tested in actual combat, and it's troublesome to build, requiring very complex materials. Reaching its current scale is already the result of our best efforts," Novaru said with some regret.
"Unfortunately, this thing takes up too much space and consumes too much energy, so it can only be used as a ground defense facility for now. If we could move it onto a warship, we would gain the initiative in battle." Hamis saw further ahead.
"Yes, we need to urge those guys at the Academy of Sciences to prioritize upgrading this Laser Defense Matrix. If it works in conjunction with the Close-In Weapon System, we might be able to take back the T85 Star System."
In the current war between the Riken Race and the Swarm, at long range, the Riken Race warships are unable to reach the range of their own main guns and can only withstand the bombardment of the Swarm's artillery fire.
At medium range, the Riken Race enter the range of their main guns. At this distance, when the main guns of both sides are exchanging fire and the numbers are roughly equal, the Riken Race, with their faster rate of fire and faster projectile speed, have an absolute advantage.
However, at close range, the Riken Race warships have little chance of withstanding the fearless charge of the Mature Form and Larval Form swarms of Swarm. Once these creatures break into the ship's cabins, the warships have virtually no chance of survival.
Therefore, the Riken Race currently only holds an advantage in one of the three positions: long-range, mid-range, and close-range. However, if Laser Defense Array can be deployed on warships, they will be able to ignore the long-range bombardment of Electromagnetic Cannon. At close range, the Laser Defense Array and Close-In Weapon System weapon systems, along with the coordination of fighter squadrons, can also effectively defend against attacks from Mature Form and Larval Form.
As long as their approach can be blocked, the warship's secondary guns can play a role, and their firepower is still extremely lethal to these small and medium-sized combat units.
Through a series of chain reactions, the Riken Race seems to be able to gain an advantage in close combat as well.
In this scenario, the Riken Race would have a complete advantage in three distance positions. According to this plan, they might actually be able to launch a full-scale counterattack and retake the T85 Star System.
Warfare is a battle of resources and logistics; the Swarm won't abandon its attack just because it's been intercepted. Moreover, the energy consumed by such Laser Defense Array is astonishing.
Furthermore, the fact that they were unable to completely intercept all the projectiles due to insufficient numbers had already been learned by the Swarm through normal means.
The dense barrage of Electromagnetic Cannon did not stop; they continued firing second and third volleys. The Riken Race, backed by the resources of the entire galaxy, naturally welcomed this kind of pre-war attrition.
However, they were not perfect at intercepting all attacks; the remaining 30% of the projectiles still caused significant damage to the defenses on Laze Planet.
Although the Laser Defense Array remained intact and at full strength because it prioritized destroying projectiles aimed at them, the damage to other land artillery was still a headache for the Riken Race.
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