Study on KSP armor and missiles

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

Hello, I'm going to try doing a scientific survey on missiles and armor. I have this test rig (about 84m. long):

It is pictured with three missiles, a pocket I-beam, a flea with a structural panel on it, and a hammer with a structural panel on it. On the armor side, I have something like reactive armor. I have timecontrol installed, so I can see what happens to the armor. I also have hack gravity and do not apply drag on, so missiles fly basically straight.

However, I need your help! I need missiles and armor setups, so I can test them. Thank you.

This is my standard set of missiles:

And here's the armor:

The first test:

Pocket I-beam with 8 seperatrons VS. single radially attached large structural plate:

The missile appears to begin to penetrate, but then the connections bend, and the missile is deflected.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

I-beam:

At launch mass: 746 kg.

At impact mass: 672 kg.

At impact speed: 153 m/s.

Our next test is a flea w/ small structural plate on the front against standard armor:

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Flea:

At launch mass: 1,574 kg.

At impact mass: 1,433 kg.

At impact speed: 129.6 m/s.

It appeared to clip exactly through the plate and girder, causing them to explode. Some kind of effect caused the rest of the test stand to explode. That has not happened in earlier tests, and seems unlikely normally.

I will update this with info on how the armor and missiles work.

Edited September 3, 2015 by Mad Rocket Scientist

[Mister Kerman]

Holy poop. This is gonna be an awesome thread. :] +1

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

Holy poop. This is gonna be an awesome thread. :] +1

So far I've found that missiles actually clip into the armor, instead of impacting it. Expect official report tomorrow.

[ScriptKitt3h]

So far I've found that missiles actually clip into the armor, instead of impacting it. Expect official report tomorrow.

Perhaps you can try adding another layer of steel plate, with the first (inner) layer acting as a "net" that can catch phased rounds if they pass through the armor plate...

[Majorjim!]

Also try placing a few so that the projectile impacts the plate along its length on the edge.

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

Perhaps you can try adding another layer of steel plate, with the first (inner) layer acting as a "net" that can catch phased rounds if they pass through the armor plate...

Also try placing a few so that the projectile impacts the plate along its length on the edge.

I will try both of these.

Also, @majorjim, I love your sig.

[Majorjim!]

I will try both of these.

Also, @majorjim, I love your sig.

Ha ha! Thanks man. It's such a good movie.

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

The first test:

Pocket I-beam with 8 seperatrons VS. single radially attached large structural plate:

The missile appears to begin to penetrate, but then the connections bend, and the missile is deflected.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

Thanks to whichever mod put this in mission reports, I didn't think of that when I was looking for places to put it.

Our next test is a flea w/ small structural plate on the front against standard armor:

Javascript is disabled. View full album

It appeared to clip exactly through the plate and girder, causing them to explode. Some kind of effect caused the rest of the test stand to explode. That has not happened in earlier tests, and seems unlikely normally.

[Azimech]

What I want to know is

Projectile mass at launch & moment of impact

Projectile speed at moment of impact

Distance between launch rig and impact rig, minus projectile length.

V.O.I.D. gives a very easy and convenient readout in a HUD, might be helpful.

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

What I want to know is

Projectile mass at launch & moment of impact

Projectile speed at moment of impact

Distance between launch rig and impact rig, minus projectile length.

V.O.I.D. gives a very easy and convenient readout in a HUD, might be helpful.

I'll run the tests again and give you the info.

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

I-beam:

At launch mass: 746 kg.

At impact mass: 672 kg.

At impact speed: 153 m/s.

Flea:

At launch mass: 1,574 kg.

At impact mass: 1,433 kg.

At impact speed: 129.6 m/s.

It's about 84 m. long.

[K3achas]

The armor clipping would probably allow better damage.

[Azimech]

I'm interested what a reduced fuel amount will do with the kinetic energy on impact, using the Flea. With 5% fuel the acceleration will be much higher but impact mass much lower. There's a sweet spot, try to find it :-)

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

I'm interested what a reduced fuel amount will do with the kinetic energy on impact, using the Flea. With 5% fuel the acceleration will be much higher but impact mass much lower. There's a sweet spot, try to find it :-)

I'm going to try stuff like that.

[panzer1b]

Also, test out the effect of wings on armor.

Ive come to the conclusion that adding wings atop armor will actually DECREASE protection, and make you far more likely to be vaporized in a spectacular explosion.

Although i may be wrong, i have had shocking results when i removed wings from a capital ship, and it seems that incoming rounds do a small fraction of the damage, and do not actually destroy the outer hull as easily or often. Anyways, just try it (say attach a wing to a structural panel directly 1st, and then attach it via cubic strut or something.

Also, your distances are very low, i reccomend a 200m spacing between the target and projectile since most space engagements (that dont use guided missiles from 2.5km away) seem to engage at 200-300m from target, since it gives ample time to accelerate the projectile (most competitive missiles use very high velocity impacts, well in excess of 300m/s). With an impact velocity of under 200 you dont really simulate the phasing (try to put some stuff behind the panels and see how protected it is).

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

Also, test out the effect of wings on armor.

Ive come to the conclusion that adding wings atop armor will actually DECREASE protection, and make you far more likely to be vaporized in a spectacular explosion.

Although i may be wrong, i have had shocking results when i removed wings from a capital ship, and it seems that incoming rounds do a small fraction of the damage, and do not actually destroy the outer hull as easily or often. Anyways, just try it (say attach a wing to a structural panel directly 1st, and then attach it via cubic strut or something.

Also, your distances are very low, i reccomend a 200m spacing between the target and projectile since most space engagements (that dont use guided missiles from 2.5km away) seem to engage at 200-300m from target, since it gives ample time to accelerate the projectile (most competitive missiles use very high velocity impacts, well in excess of 300m/s). With an impact velocity of under 200 you dont really simulate the phasing (try to put some stuff behind the panels and see how protected it is).

Oh, interesting! I'll try moving the armor farther away.

[Mister Dilsby]

Have you weapons types ever just fired a bundle of klaws clipped through cargo bays into an enemy ship, or is summoning the Kraken considered unsporting?

[Yukon0009]

Have you weapons types ever just fired a bundle of klaws clipped through cargo bays into an enemy ship, or is summoning the Kraken considered unsporting?