Multi-cannon

Class 4 Multi-cannon

Rapid fire, small calibre projectile weapon.

— In-Game Description

The Multi-cannon is a small calibre machine gun that rapidly fires kinetic projectiles. Multi-cannons consume less power than energy weapons, generate less heat, and have a longer range, but have a finite stockpile of ammunition that must be replenished.

Usage

The continuous hail of projectiles that Multi-cannons fire are relatively easy to keep on-target and can be fired at the same time as other, more energy-thirsty weapons such as lasers due to their low distributor draw, making them very common weapons among pilots. Their damage does not begin to drop off at range as quickly as that caused by laser weapons does. All Multi-cannons have a maximum range of 4000m, with damage dropping off past 1800m. Projectile velocity for all Multi-cannons is 1600 m/s.

The downside to Multi-cannons is that they require fire to be maintained on the target continuously to deal damage, and this damage is gradual compared to some other types of weapon. They struggle especially against larger ships because of their relatively low armour piercing values being pitted against high Armour Hardness. As kinetic weapons they also are less effective against shields.

Multi-cannons also have a hidden attribute: a firing delay as they "spin-up". When the trigger is pushed, the weapons will not fire for a short amount of time while they reach the rotational speed required. If the trigger is released during this time, they will spin down without having fired. This means they are better at sustained fire rather than shorter bursts. Spin-up delay is minor but increases with the class of the weapon, with Class 3 having a notably longer delay. This may make Class 3 Multi-cannons less effective against small, nimble ships that allow for minimal time on-target.

The Class 4 Multi-cannon is notably different in that it fires higher calibre shells at a slower rate, rather than a constant stream of projectiles (see note below). They also have substantially better armour piercing capability, and do not have spin-up delay.

Specifications

Class	Rating	Mass (T)	Integrity	Power Draw (MW)	Distributor Draw (MW)	Weapon Mode	Damage Type	Damage	Armour Piercing	ROF	DPS	Thermal Load/s	Ammo Clip Size	Ammo Maximum	Value (CR)
1	F	2.00	40	0.280	0.06	Fixed	Kinetic	1.10	22	7.70	8.60	0.10	100	2,100	9,500
1	G	2.00	40	0.370	0.07	Gimbal	Kinetic	0.80	22	8.30	6.80	0.10	90	2,100	14,250
1	G	2.00	40	0.260	0.03	Turret	Kinetic	0.60	22	7.10	4.00	0.00	90	2,100	81,600
2	E	4.00	51	0.460	0.11	Fixed	Kinetic	2.20	37	7.10	15.60	0.11	100	2,100	38,000
2	F	4.00	51	0.640	0.14	Gimbal	Kinetic	1.60	37	7.70	12.60	0.14	90	2,100	57,000
2	F	4.00	51	0.500	0.06	Turret	Kinetic	1.20	37	7.30	7.30	0.10	90	2,100	1,292,800
3	C	8.00	64	0.640	0.18	Fixed	Kinetic	3.90	54	5.90	23.10	0.18	100	2,100	140,400
3	C	8.00	64	0.970	0.25	Gimbal	Kinetic	2.80	54	6.70	18.90	0.30	90	2,100	578,436
3	C	8.00	64	0.970	0.18	Turret	Kinetic	2.20	54	5.30	11.70	0.20	90	2,100	3,794,600
4	A	16.00	80	0.730	0.24	Fixed	Kinetic	4.60	68	3.00	28.00	0.40	100	2,100	1,177,600
4	A	16.00	80	1.220	0.37	Gimbal	Kinetic	3.50	68	3.40	23.30	0.50	90	2,100	6,377,600

• Ammo Max does not account for the current belt, so a total of 2,190 rounds (belt and reserve) when at max ammo capacity.
• Class 4 Multi-cannons have lower rate of fire (3.0/s for fixed, 3.4/s for gimballed), but fire two rounds of ammunition at the same time giving a projectile count of 6.0/s and 6.8/s for Fixed and Gimballed respectively.

Engineering

This weapon can be modified by Engineers to enhance its abilities.

Modifications

The following modifications can be applied to this module:

• Efficient
• High capacity
• Lightweight
• Long range
• Overcharged
• Rapid fire
• Short range
• Sturdy

Experimental Effects

The following experimental effects can be applied to this module:

• Auto Loader
• Corrosive Shell
• Double Braced
• Emissive Munitions
• Flow Control
• Incendiary Rounds
• Multi-Servos
• Oversized
• Smart Rounds
• Stripped Down
• Thermal Shock

Gallery

Class 2 Multi-cannon

Multi-cannon concept art

Class 3 multi-cannon concept art

Class 4 multi-cannon concept art

Class 1 Multi-cannon

Class 2 Multi-cannon

Anaconda showing twin C3 multi-cannons

Fer-de-Lance HCS Pournelle with Class 4 multciannon on gimbal mounting

Large (Class 3) Multi-cannon

Huge (Class 4) Multi-cannon, rear view

Multi-Cannon size comparison (Class 4 vs Class 2)

Dual Class 4 Multi-cannon firing

Class 4 Multi-cannon size compared to a person