Cloaking Device
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This article contains information relevant to both the C# and VB6 versions of Aurora.
Where differences exist, they are noted in the appropriate sections. |
A Cloaking Device allows you to reduce the sensor cross section of a ship.
Description
[edit]The maximum ship size for a Cloaking Device is given by
Efficiency * Base Size
A cloaked ship will appear on enemy active sensors as if it were smaller than it actually is. This makes your ship harder to detect, especially if it brings your effective size below the resolution of enemy sensors.
Usage
[edit]Cloaking Devices are very useful for scout ships and survey craft which are trying to stay undetected. A cloak only protects against active sensors, so reduced thermal engines and low EM emissions are needed to make a true stealth craft.
Cloaking Devices need a significant amount of research in order to be very good, and thus are usually a later game technology.
Components
[edit]Cloaking Efficiency
[edit]| Efficiency | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RP cost | 4,000 | 8,000 | 15,000 | 30,000 | 60,000 | 125,000 | 250,000 | 500,000 |
Cloaking Device Size
[edit]Cloaking Devices have a minimum size. This limits your ability to have extremely small stealth ships.
| Size | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RP cost | 500,000 | 250,000 | 125,000 | 60,000 | 30,000 | 15,000 | 8,000 | 4,000 | 2,000 | 1000 |
Cloak Sensor Reduction
[edit]| Reduction (%) | 75 | 80 | 85 | 90 | 93 | 95 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 99.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RP cost | 4,000 | 8,000 | 15,000 | 30,000 | 60,000 | 120,000 | 250,000 | 500,000 | 1,000,000 | 2,000,000 |
Example
[edit]Cloaking Device HS150-75% Max Ship Size: 150 (7500 tons) Cloak Size: 50 HS Efficiency: 3 Cloak HTK: 10 Cost: 1250 Crew: 100 Materials Required: 1250x Corbomite Development Cost for Project: 12500RP (VB6) / 2500RP (C#)
This low-tech cloaking device would reduce enemy active sensor range by 75% as long as the ship carrying it has a total mass of 7500 tons or less. Note the high research cost of the component, especially in VB6. Also note that with an efficiency of 3, the device itself already has a mass of 2500 tons. An efficiency of 5 would allow reducing its size to 1500 tons.