Astral Ion Drives
From Twilight Templars Wiki
 | |
| Astral Ion Drive | |
|---|---|
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | Templar Technical Institute |
| Model | Astral-type High Performance Ion Drive |
| Type | Ion Drive |
| Cost | 12,000 - 50,000 credits, depending on size |
| Technical specifications | |
| Usage | |
| Era(s) | *Rebellion era |
| Affiliation | Remsian Republic |
The Astral Ion Drive was a high performance Ion Engine, that was usually equipped with Ion Boosters. The engine was designed by Eruk Byssta in conjunction with the Remsian Republic Military Research and Development Division. The engine, operated in a manner that pushed highly concentrated streams of ions out to propel the ship, resulting in powerful thrust, but a higher than average power cost. Larger version of the Drive, designed for capital ships, were called QuantumMass Ion Drives powerful engines, but still usually called Astral Ion Drives.
[edit] Ion Booster
The Ion Booster was an essential part of the Astral Ion Drive design. For the most part it was Essentially a SubLight Acceleration Motor combined with a Scramjet booster. When activated, excess energy, plus energy going to weapons such as Laser Cannons, Ion Cannons and Energy Torpedo Launchers was all shunted directly into the engines, creating a massive boosting effect. In addition to this, a concentrated stream of Ions is also shunted straight out like a in normal operation but so concentrated that it also boosted a ships speed farther. Use of the Ion Booster was limited as it was not only a strain on the engines and power systems, but it also generated a lot of stress on the pilot. After initial tests all ships equipped with Astral Ion Drives and Ion Boosters also featured an A.I. that could automatically take over the piloting of the ship if the pilot blacked out.
