Chapter 146 Space Battleship Design II_1

Lin Sen, "Why does its shape somewhat resemble a disc set within a cylinder? Can you provide a detailed introduction to its internal structure and its weapon systems?"

The Chief Battleship Designer, pointing to the battleship's exploded diagram, said, "The internal structure of space battleships' keels is somewhat similar to a trunk diagram.

"Along the central axis is the strongest central keel, which corresponds to the trunk in the trunk diagram, taking into full consideration the structural stress that the battleship needs to withstand when maneuvering.

"The weapon systems and power systems are all attached atop the central keel.

"The branches of the trunk diagram are the branch keels, which resemble a three-dimensional fishbone, supporting the other parts of the battleship.

"At the same time, the design thoroughly incorporates the concept of 'watertight compartments,' ensuring that if any part of the battleship is damaged, it can quickly isolate the area to ensure the normal operation of other systems. If the damage is minor, repairs can be carried out using the battleship's industrial capabilities.

"The external shape of the battleship truly depends on the various system modules of the battleship; the shape of a space battleship can be freely molded and is the least important aspect.

"The main consideration in design is how to deploy all system modules rationally on the keel structure of the battleship.

"Our current battleship shape resembles a 'vase' with a flat belly, which is also determined by the various systems of the battleship, like a disc set into a cylinder.

"There are chiefly two parts inside the disc: one is the weapon generation section, and the other is the ecological environment system section as well as the crew's living quarters.

"In addition, there are the command department, Battleship Maintenance and Repair Department, industrial production department... and so on.

"The cylinder likewise has two parts: one is the weapon's activation section, which can be understood as the main cannon's firing shaft.

"The other is the nuclear fusion device system section, which is the power engine section."

"The main cannon's firing shaft of a space battleship is integrated within the interior of the battleship. This method doesn't exist in naval warfare, but it's the best option for a space battleship.

"If space battleships were to use a naval turret structure, it wouldn't work.

"Firstly, the massive main cannon along with its huge firing shaft cannot be coordinated. Secondly, after firing the main cannon, the battleship would flip over, and using symmetrical dual main cannons does not conform to space warfare concepts, similar to tanks using dual turrets.

"Naval warfare strongly discourages using small ships against large guns because the stability is far too poor. But for space battleships, considering long-range combat, the main cannon must fire sufficiently far, and under current conditions, small ships against large guns are a necessity.

"Only when it becomes difficult to enhance the offensive capabilities of weapons should we consider increasing the tonnage of battleships, allowing for the installation of more main cannons. If defenses are adequate, then the possibility of battleship-to-battleship combat can be considered.

"Space battleships lack any attachment force in space, making pursuit of stability nearly impossible and also unnecessary, along with the demand for ultra-long-range attacks; this has given rise to the model of small ships resisting large cannons.

"Only with the main cannon's firing shaft integrated within the battleship can the recoil of the artillery be balanced, and of course, the reactive force after firing the main cannon is also substantial, causing significant harm to the crew of the battleship.

"Moreover, in space battleships, adjusting the direction of turret main cannons and the attitude of the battleship is not much different; changing the battleship's attitude for aiming is not much harder.

"One, since the turret cannon is already on the battleship, and naval battleships can maintain relative stability on the water's surface, in space such stability must be maintained by the thrusters on the sides of the battleship. If the ship's body itself is unstable, the stability of an adjustable turret cannon is unviable.

"This is also the most delicate part of the battleship and must also withstand tremendous recoil forces, similar to a naval battleship's muzzle stabilization system.

"Two, the battleship can aim using a sighting device at the front of the ship, then adjust the overall attitude of the battleship through an intelligent system for targeting.

"We also use a firing shaft aiming and stabilization system, for fine-tuning the firing shaft during aiming. The fine-tuning principle cannot possibly be mechanical transmission aiming, but instead is based on optical alignment capture targeting.

"Optical alignment capture, simply put, involves installing mirrors on the sides of the firing shaft. The aiming system emits an ultra-fine laser beam that reflects off the mirror and hits a target point, which is then captured by sensors.

"Usually, the target point is quite elusive, although imperceptible to the naked eye. Even the smallest angular change, when magnified across several hundred meters (up to twice the length of the battleship), allows equipment to capture the deviation at the target point. Using a high-performance computer, it calculates the optimal firing moment down to the nanosecond.

"This method of aiming is exceedingly complex and employs multiple optical alignment capture devices. But fundamentally, it works on the same principle we learned in middle school, measuring gravitational constant by torsion pendulum experiment: using a mirror to precisely reflect a beam of light to a distant scale, and then calculating the angle of the twist by measuring the movement of the light spot on the scale.

"Theoretically, optical alignment capture targeting can perform well within one astronomical unit of distance, and in the future as attack distances increase, the aiming performance can be improved by adding more optical alignment capture devices and extending the distance of optical alignment.

"The envisioned mode of battleship combat is that the battleship's forward direction is frontward, but the battleship will occasionally change its attitude, pointing the bow of the ship in various directions to attack.

"The concept of space battleship combat is: ultra-long-distance stealth attacks, attack and then flee. Inheriting from the navy, yet transcending it."