Magnetic Accelerator Cannon: Difference between revisions

A standard ship-based MAC fires slugs of either ferric [[tungsten]] or depleted uranium at around 20% the speed of light. The high muzzle speed gives the 600-ton slug the kinetic energy and momentum necessary to damage a target and partially mitigates the unguided nature of the slug and its lack of maneuverability. [[ODP|Orbital Defense Platforms]] fire a 3,000-ton slug at nearly 50% of the [[Wikipedia:Speed of light|speed of light]], around 150,000km per second, which is capable of piercing multiple obstacles before fully stopping the projectile, if needed.

These cannons fire a 3000-ton ferric-tungsten round at nearly 50% the speed of light, impacting with an insanely massive amount of relativistic kinetic energy, which at 50% of the speed of light is of equal energy to 9.98 teratons of [[wikipedia:Trinitrotoluene|TNT]]. No known ship, UNSC or Covenant, has been shown to survive the impact of one of these rounds proving its almost uncomprehendable power. Against Covenant shield technology, the rounds possess enough kinetic energy to punch through shields, cut through the ship, and, upon exit, still retain enough energy to destroy a second ship and badly cripple a third one.

It is theorized that if a ship's armor or shields were to absorb all the kinetic energy of a MAC round(doubt that will ever happen), the release of thermodynamic energy would still vaporize the ship. By receiving power from [[Orbital Defense Generator|ground-based power plants]], orbital platforms could achieve recharge and reload times as short as five seconds.<ref group="notes">Using Ek=½mv2

The amount of kinetic energy from a regular MAC round weighing 600 tons (600,000kg) and travelling at 20% the speed of light: