*The
mines themselves have a maximum velocity of 400 m/s. Mines
that are fired directly at a target have a duration of 120
seconds; those dropped in a pattern do 829-939 damage and
have a duration of 900 seconds.
The Wodaan class of Minelayer Corvettes is a
venerable design with a long and checkered history.
Originally the Wodaan was intended as an electronic warfare
vessel, but countermeasures were always one step behind
sensor adaptation, to the point that Taiidan Fleet Command
canceled the project. The Wodaan Corvette hull plans lay
abandoned for almost 20 years until plasma research made it
possible to create and load high-energy tracking mines with
a small and efficient PDA unit. Instead of designing a new
dedicated minelayer hull from scratch, engineers merely
removed the complex EW warfare suite and replaced it with
the mine-laying unit. The resulting corvette functioned well
enough to satisfy the design requirements and was
commissioned into full service.
Unfortunately
for the three-man Wodaan crew (one pilot, one WO and one
engineer to maintain the Mine PDA), "well enough"
still left plenty of room for the system quirks that make
service aboard the Minelayer ships "interesting"
at best. Jamming in the mine launch system is still chronic,
despite numerous overhaul and equipment changes, and it is
not rare for a new crew to be lost as the jammed mine goes
active while still in the launcher.
Taiidani
commanders usually deploy Wodaans in four-ship wings that
lay down their mines in standard grid pattern. When
attacked, a Wodaan wing will immediately try to circle the
enemy vessels, while dropping as many mines as possible. The
Mk 12 tracking shock mine uses plasma polarity to lock onto
an enemy ship's electromagnetic cross signature, and then
vents a tiny portion of its plasma warhead to accelerate
rapidly towards its target. The range of the Mk 12 mine is a
few hundred kloms, and it is highly recommended that when
fighters sweep such a minefield they use full evasion
tactics in very loose formation.
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