| The triangulating Hyperwave
Signal Interceptor, or "Warp Sonar," as it is commonly called,
is a development borne out of the need for Imperial starships
to be able to accurately detect and track incoming vessels
operating at hyperlight speeds in realspace (commonly known as
warp speed). Although the
Galactic Empire possessed sensor equipment which operated
faster than the speed of light before first contact with the
Federation, such equipment was primarily used for
communication and the detection of vessels exiting hyperspace. As
such, Imperial crews were not able to effectively use such
technologies to detect and track objects that could move, and
even maneuver at speeds beyond the light barrier without
entering hyperspace.
In traditional Imperial
operations, such technology was not needed; once a ship
entered hyperspace it could not be targeted because it was no
longer existent in the normal time-space continuum. Devices
like interdictors came into utility in such situations, but
the
gravity shadows projected by these cruisers proved
ineffective in pinning down warp driven starships to sublight
speeds. This left open the disturbing implication that
Federation starships could possibly strafe Imperial cruisers
and stationary targets at warp speed while remaining totally
uncontested. Such a horrifying
prospect, first suggested to Imperial Intelligence by Admiral
James Isoto Hunter, sent engineers and scientists into a frenzied
effort to counteract such a glaring tactical advantage. Many
possible solutions were provided, from the proposed development of
a "warp interdictor," to actually refitting star destroyers with
warp technology. The final solution, however, proved not to be
nearly so grandiose. |
 |
By making some alterations to a hyperwave signal interceptor,
technology that had been in widespread use since the
times of the Old Republic, Imperial engineers found that they
could reliably detect the unique subspace wave signatures that
active warp drives produce, and use the signals to triangulate the
position and track the velocity of an incoming object at warp.
Although a relatively crude process, it allowed Imperial
commanders the needed edge against Federation starships to counter
such infamous hyperlight "tricks" as the Picard Maneuver and the
myriad forms of warp strafing, giving them time to track and react
to the movements of enemy ships whether they were operating at
speeds above or below the light barrier. |
