SDS Jammer

(Redirected from SLDF SDS Jammer)

The SDS Jammer was a piece of equipment used by the SLDF to interfere with SDS control systems during the Amaris Civil War. It was developed from the Prototype SDS Jammer.[1]

History[edit]

During the Amaris Civil War, every system protected by an SDS was able to destroy at least three WarShips.[2] This changed once the SLDF realized the only vulnerability of the SDS was the large number of command and control links that the system required. To take advantage of this the SLDF started fitting huge, multi-kiloton ECM systems into their cargo decks in 2776. These massive arrays of ECM interfered with the control links used by the drones, allowing the SLDF to engage the drones individually instead of having to deal with a cohesive force.

The SDS Jammer went extinct shortly after the end of the Amaris Civil War (2780), and was never recovered.[3]

Rules[edit]

The SDS Jammer is Experimental Technology and can only be fitted to a WarShip. Each SDS Jammer weighs 30,000 tons and can be fitted into any appropriately sized WarShip cargo bay with no further modifications to the ship.[3]

The Jammer can be activated in the End Phase of any turn. Once activated it has a range of fifty hexes. Any ATAC equipped unit in the jamming field suffers a +4 ECM modifier for the sole purpose of communicating with an SDS drone in the jamming field. An ATAC outside the jamming field cannot communicate with an SDS drone inside the jamming field. Essentially the Jammer blocks all line of sight for C3 style effects in the affected area. This means SDS Drones in the field cannot spot for units outside the field. In addition, units outside the field will not see/detect any unit inside the field for purposes of attacking. In order to for an SDS Drone to make any attacks on a ship inside the field it must enter the field. A drone must roll an 8+ on 2D6 in order to enter the field, unless specifically controlled by a human operator. This roll is made at the start of the Movement Phase, and if it fails the drone may make a different action instead.[3]

The Prototype SDS Jammer was introduced in March 2775 and production of them stopped in May 2775. They function identically to the SDS Jammer with the following modifications:

  • The Prototype SDS Jammer generates a +3 ECM modifier on communication networks.
  • Any SDS drone in the jamming field of a Prototype SDS Jammer will target and fire all its relevant weapons on a WarShip with an active Prototype SDS Jammer, even if other targets are closer and/or have better target numbers.
  • SDS Drones must fire weapons from all available arcs on the jammer equipped WarShips as long as they have a chance of hitting (TN 12 or lower) and the heat capability to do so. The drones can fire on secondary targets but only if they have the heat dissipation capability to do so.
  • The WarShip mounting the Prototype SDS Jammer is affected as well. When active, the jammer adds 300 heat and a +2 to hit penalty to all weapon attacks from the WarShip.
  • For every turn the prototype jammer is active, roll 2D6: On a roll of 2 or 3, a power surge or ongoing interference damages a critical system. Roll 1D6 to determine which system is affected and apply a critical hit to that system:
    • 1: CIC
    • 2: Control
    • 3-4: Engine
    • 5: FCS
    • 6: Sensors[1]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Historical: Liberation of Terra, Vol. 2, p. 136
  2. The Star League, p. 81
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 163

Bibliography[edit]