StonehengeOverviewAdapted from the FCU’s National Missile Defense concept, [1] the Spaceguard Turret Network [2] (commonly referred to as Stonehenge) was collectively developed by the nations of Usea in response to the Ulysses crisis. It consisted of eight 120cm cannons arranged in a circular formation, protecting an effective radius of 1200km that covered most of Usea. Utilizing a hybrid firing mechanism of gunpowder and electromagnetic propulsion, it could accelerate rounds to 6km/s [3]. Multiple rounds were developed to deal with different types of fragments, ranging from Armor Piercing Explosive for large fragments to “a special munition with a very wide effective radius” for large groups of small fragments. [4] Firing solutions were determined by a series of networked supercomputers built into the complex. [5]
From the beginning the project was fraught with political difficulties, with the nations participating “likely to shoulder a heavy burden” due in part to the risk of such a system becoming a strategic weapon. [7] The world powers of Osea and Yuktobania, not directly affected by the planetfall, were sympathetic to the Useans but did not significantly contribute to the project. [8] When the site of the cannons was chosen in April 1996 to be a sparsely populated region in the neutral, centrally located nation of San Salvacion, protests and demonstrations quickly erupted against the project. [9] The Central Usean Treaty Organization’s (UTO) role in defending the facility, including an entire air policing squadron, risked exacerbating regional tensions. [10] When Anea was revealed to also likely suffer from the planetfall in late 1998, the FCU - one of the project's primary contributors - refused to extend the network’s range and instead focused on increasing its reliability for the FCU and its allies, drawing worldwide criticism. [11] Recognizing the political sensitivity of the project, facility staff took effort to downplay the military capacity of the facility; for example referring to the cannons as Electro-Magnetic Launchers as opposed to Kinetic Energy Weapons. [12] Though - in part because of Stonehenge’s efforts - the worst case scenario failed to materialize in the Ulysses planetfall of July 3rd 1999, several major impact events did occur on Usea, resulting in catastrophic damage. One of Stonehenge’s cannons was itself disabled by a nearby impact. Though the STN continued to engage fragments following the initial planetfall, fragments' increasing scarcity along with the damage to the installation lead to questions about its continued utility as a meteorite interceptor, and increased concerns regarding its military applications. [13]
These fears were realized when the facility along with its UTO garrison was seized during the Erusean invasion of San Salvacion in August 2003. [14] Its occupation was a major political issue, directly leading to the formation of ISAF when Erusea ignored ultimatums to vacate the STN. The ‘wide-area’ round was then utilized by the Eruseans to gain air superiority over much of the continent, giving them a decisive strategic advantage over ISAF. Attempts to neutralize Stonehenge through air raids and sabotage failed, and ISAF was forced to retreat to the East Coast, ceding most of the continent to the Eruseans. [15][16] Stonehenge became the central pillar of Erusean strategy, to the point that important military acquisitions were cancelled in light of its effectiveness. [17] Defense of the facility was entrusted not only to the facility’s squadron, but also the elite 156th Tactical Fighter Wing based out of San Salvacion’s capital city. A jammer built in the center of the installation further complicated attempts to attack it.
Despite its potency in the first year of the war, Stonehenge was unable to blunt ISAF’s invasion of Usea in early 2005, which had developed strategies to diminish its effectiveness. With the help of Erusean defectors, ISAF was able to pinpoint the facility’s weaknesses and conducted an air raid that finally crippled the STN with Operation Stone Crusher. No longer necessary for meteorite interception, the guns were left abandoned as a colossal ruin. In 2019, the Osean military briefly brought one of its cannons back online in order to destroy the Arsenal Bird Liberty. With a great deal of effort and materiel expended and heavy losses incurred to take the single shot that downed Liberty, the STN would remain unused for the remainder of the Lighthouse War. OperatorsCentral Usea Treaty Organization (1996-2003)
Erusean Missile Air Defense Force (2003-2005) Osea Ground Defense Force/IUN (2019) SpecificationsRole: Surface-to-Air Hybrid Railgun
General characteristics Caliber: 120cm Effective Range: 1200km Muzzle Velocity: 6000m/s Citations[1] Usea Today April 21, 1996
[2] Hasegawa 1/72 F-22A Mobius 1 kit [3] Our Science 9/1998, "Titan Guns" [4] Our Science 9/1998, "Titan Guns" [5] Our Science 9/1998, "Titan Guns" [6] Usea Today April 21, 1996 [7] GAZE 8/2008, "Arkbird Declaration" [8] Our Science 9/1998, "Titan Guns" [9] Our Science 9/1998, "Titan Guns" [10] GAZE 12/1999, "Last Christmas" [11] Our Science 9/1998, "Titan Guns" [12] GAZE 8/2003, "War?" [13] GAZE 8/2003, "War? [14] ACES WEB AC04 World [15] Color of the World June 2006 [16] ACES WEB AC04 Aircraft [17] Ace Combat 7 PSX 2016 Trailer |