Target Spectrum Breaker (lore)
The Target Spectrum Breaker is a mid-slot ship module which can cancel targeting locks against the ship they are fitted to. It was developed by Zainou and Ishukone based on Sleeper technology
Contents
History
Targeting Systems
Following the Yoiul Conference and the ratification of interstellar warfare laws, a need for a unified target handling system arose. The fact that each empire used a different system of target acquisition meant significant difficulties for the newly-formed CONCORD in its task to ensure interstellar security.
Together with scientists from all the nations, including representatives from the Jove Empire, CONCORD produced a new standard for target locking and IFF transmissions which would ensure that every starship in the cluster would play by the same rules. The new system was able to accommodate the disparate targeting hardware developed by the empires under a single system - unique waveform targeters.
The first version of the system was launched in YC 15, and has undergone significant regular updates since then in order to keep pace with targeting technology breakthroughs as well as security threats.
Related technology
As the actual hardware of targeting sensors didn't change much, existing jammer technology went largely unchanged and could still function as before. Due to the widespread expertise in electronic countermeasures hardware and the high degree of efficiency of those systems, there were few real efforts to tackle the UWT software paradigm.
The most recent major threat to the UWT system was an invention developed by the Blood Raider Covenant to scramble targeting and IFF systems, which allowed them to undetectably steal a number of warships from the Khanid Navy. [1]
Generally, these threats against the system hinged on hardware jamming, with a software complement to increase the efficiency of the hardware attack. However, the rotating encryption of UWT sensors meant that no reliable software exploit could be produced.
Breakthrough
The influx of fullerene-based Sleeper technology from Anoikis brought on a multitude of scientific advances throughout the cluster, mainly in materials technology. Bio- and nanotech giant Zainou took great interest to the new materials for use in implant technology. While exploring the possibilities of using complex fullerene materials for cerebral processing, they arrived at a significant breakthrough.
Though difficult to harness, certain types of fullerene materials showed signs of immense latent computing power. Simply understanding the layout of these nano-circuits was a task that required the attention of Zainou founder Todo Kirkinen himself. Though the processing software developed was primitive compared to the hardware it was running on, the Zainou teams were able to harness a portion of the power in the Sleeper material.
Despite this breakthrough, Zainou were not able to turn the fullerene computer into the powerful processor they were hoping for. The alien architecture of the system kept the general computing solutions out of their grasp, and what output the machine was able to produce tended to be useless.
Development
Zainou sold the system to Ishukone as a way to recoup lost investment, and Ishukone were happy to explore new avenues of applications for the machine. Kiiragustektaa, a scientific think-tank inside Ishukone started redesigning the interface software developed by Zainou, and succeeded in finding a useful area of application for the Sleeper computer's cryptic output: prediction of adaptive encryptions like the ones used in unique waveform targeters.
Ishukone quickly set to work developing prototypes to test the possibility of producing a reliable lock-breaking technology to complement the Caldari Navy's already formidable jamming systems. A partial system had been developed for the Navy following the YC 107 Blood Raider incident, but the lack of adequate codebreaking technology had shelved the project. Zainou's and Kiiragustektaa's breakthroughs allowed the project to be revived, and the Target Spectrum Breaker to be born. As it turned out, the pirate factions of New Eden showed particular interest in the new module, and as a result have become one of the primary adopters of the technology behind it (and often the primary source for capsuleers seeking it out).
Technology
The Target Spectrum Breaker plays targeting computers against each other. The active pinpointing sweeps of a targeting sensor is copied and sent towards another targeting sensor, effectively giving each targeting computer the impression that the ship they have locked is in two (or more) places. The more locks are active against the ship, the more conflicting input can be sent to each one, thus increasing the effective power of the interference.
The Sleeper computer integrated into the module allows the system to predict the encryption of each targeting computer. It also allows the accurate "bouncing" of lock signals with the minimal lag that allows the system to fool the offending targeting computers. The main drawback to this is that its control interface requires the use of systems otherwise dedicated to the local ship's sensors, causing significantly longer lock times.
The future will likely see further developments into this type of fullerene-empowered encryption breaking, as well as new innovations in lock-breaking and defenses against it.
CONCORD has sanctioned the technology for the time being, as the system "does not interfere with CONCORD peacekeeping and law enforcement duties."
See Also
References
- ↑ News: Blood Raiders strike at the Khanid Empire http://community.eveonline.com/news.asp?a=single&nid=926&tid=2