The W3200 Mass Driver Guns are the signature weapon of the Chiaki-class Escort Destroyer.
The MDG is a three-hundred-millimeter bore railgun, inspired by the Plumeria's positron cannons. Instead of strictly fielding positron shells, the MDG also uses Durandium rounds with a Zesuaium-coated tip. It still uses subspace “casings” to give the projectiles shield-piercing capability.
Variable muzzle velocity is a unique feature of the MDG. The guns are able to propel rounds as fast as 0.05 c, but to do so, time must be given to the gun to charge a proper magnetic pulse, as well as for the barrels to cool down. This results in different firing rates, depending on the rounds used and whether the ship is in atmosphere.
The MDG also has its own independent power source in a small fusion generator.
On the Chiaki, the guns are designed to be fire-linked in one of three ways: Single, dual or quad.
The solid rounds, which each weigh 200 kilograms and are 300 x 1,500 mm in max diameter and length, are nothing more than battering rams. Once the subspace case is shucked off by an opponent's shields, the round collides with the opponent's armor. At that point, the round is designed to pierce it as far as possible, crushing systems and creating gaping hull breaches. Depending on the speed, the rounds could merely crash into the ship and destabilize its contents.
For now, the MDG uses artillery-style, armor-piercing types during spacy missions. It can also use high-explosive shells for ground assaults.
The positron rounds are similar to those fielded by the Plumeria-class (2D) Medium Gunship and its W2901 cannons, but much lighter. The rounds have proximity fuses, but they must be activated. Otherwise, the round will explode on impact.
Anti-matter weapons should not be used in atmospheres.
