Intersystem Artillery Launcher

The Intersystem Artillery Launcher (IAL) is a large, long-range weapon used by the V.R.A. to assault enemy stations and formations.

Specifications
The IAL is a conventional projectile weapon that uses a magnetic acceleration system to fire projectiles at great speed towards targets. Its requisite equipment may take up as much as one sixth of the ship it is mounted on, as a massive amount of energy is required, as well as large amounts of magnetic focusing equipment to make the magnetic field tight and straight enough to launch the projectile at an appreciable velocity.
 * Maximum Range: 500,000 kilometers
 * Firing Rate: 6 rounds/minute
 * Projectile Speed: 50,000 km/sec
 * Energy Required For Firing: 2.547x10^2 joules
 * Approximate Energy Output On Impact: 7.5312x10^13 joules
 * TNT Equivalent: 18 kilotons
 * Approximate Blast Radius: 2 kilometers

Construction
The IAL is composed of six main components: the barrel, targeting computer, power capacitors, loading mechanism, heat dissipation system, and magnetic stabilization system. Due to the fact that it is a magnetic weapon, there is no recoil.

Barrel
The barrel of the IAL is actually a large set of magnetic coils, intended to accelerate the projectile to its final velocity. It does this by rapidly switching the coils on and off in sequence, thus causing the projectile, composed of a ferrous metal, to accelerate to its final velocity.

Targeting Computer
The targeting computer uses a sophisticated artificial intelligence targeting algorithm to predict where the target is going to be at the time of impact (if it is likely to change from the time of firing) and adjust the ship's course in order to aim the weapon appropriately.

Power Capacitors
Due to the enormous power requirement for discharging the weapon, a series of capacitors are used to ensure that the ship is not shut down during firing due to lack of power.

Loading Mechanism
The automated loading mechanism uses mechanical arms and a large elevator in order to load the projectile into the firing chamber.

Heat Dissipation System
The heat dissipation system is used to prevent the barrel and the magnets within it from melting due to the intense heat generated by the firing. This is done by venting a large amount of liquid nitrogen into the internal systems of the barrel, keeping them cool during firing. After the weapon has been fired, the nitrogen is re-compressed and liquefied in preparation for the next shot.

Magnetic Stabilization System
The magnetic stabilization system is used to ensure that the barrel is as still as possible during firing, to avoid misfires that could result in a large amount of damage to the ship. This is done by very powerful, very highly focused magnets located on the outside of the barrel (so as not to interfere with firing), that are aligned in such a way as to keep the barrel stable during the shot.

Usage
The IAL has only appeared on three V.R.A. ships to date, the Raptor Artillery Battleship, the Ankylosaur, and the Flamestar. This is due in large part to its large power requirement and size, which makes it unsuitable for mounting on smaller ships.