Tactical Systems http://www.thecinemasource.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/star_trek_the_next_generation_the_best_of_both_worlds_bluray-2-uss_enterprise_ncc_1701_d-firi
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The tactical systems aboard the Enterprise are some of the most
important systems on the ship next to life support and propulsion,
especially because of the
number of hostile interactions they have with other ships. The
main weapons on the ship are the phasers and the photon torpedoes.
The phasers are the most
used aboard the ships whether for use as a weapon or use for
destroyed debris. They emit huge amounts of energy to damage
whatever it is shot at. While we
don't have phaser weapons yet, we do have laser weapons that
the US Navy is planning to deploy later this summer of 2014. The
weapon will be capable of
disabling small boats and shooting down drones with an energy cost
of one dollar per shot. The system is called the Laser Weapon
System (LaWS) and will be
outfitted on the USS Ponce and tested at sea. The weapon
will use 15-50 kW per shot and will only be able to bore a small
hole, but with the proper targeting
system will be very valuable for disabling the engines in
vehicles. This is the first laser system being tested, so its
success will determine if more advanced
systems will be researched.
Photon torpedoes have greater destructive
force than the phasers as a result of the design and components.
The torpedoes have a matter/antimatter reaction to
create such a large explosion. After the initial firing and
acceleration the torpedo no longer needs to be propelled and would
drift through space forever at that
speed because no external force is acting upon it. The only reason
this matters is because when the Enterprise misses their target
that torpedo keeps going and
explodes when it collides with first thing in it path. The other
good thing about the Star Trek photon torpedoes is that they can
be used as space probes if the
explosive device is replaced with instrumentation.
