Fighting in the vacuum of space, it is difficult to find the usual shelter on the ground, as long as the range of the shells is long enough, it is completely possible to hit any locked target.

No matter how fast you run, the enemy's fire output can cut through space and easily hit your large rear, inflicting immeasurable damage.

This is the biggest difference between fighting in the special environment of space and the earth!

Since there is no natural cover in battle, the only way to gain an advantage in battle is to create a barrier yourself.

Moreover, this barrier must not only be able to withstand the output of the enemy's firepower against itself, but also have sufficient external deterrence.

That is, there is always a strong firepower output, so that the opponent cannot easily get close to the core of your own fleet.

In addition, when turning to the offensive, it is also necessary to have the role of a "battering ram" to lead the entire fleet to break through the enemy's defense line, strike at the enemy's fleet core, and finally win the entire battle.

Through the analysis of the elements of these space warfare, the battleships that best meet such requirements are the battleships that have been eliminated by the Earth Navy.

Only the battleship, a "fierce man on the battlefield", has the four "meat shield" combat capabilities of fierce firepower, thick armor, long endurance, and strong assault ability.

Since interstellar battles require the existence of battleships, according to these three combat needs, the size of battleships will definitely be very large.

The first is the outermost energy defense shield, and in order to achieve the highest level of defense ability, then a strong heart is needed to support the operation.

This heart is the ship's main energy reactor!

Only the output energy of the energy reactor, which can keep up with the consumption of the protective shield when it is attacked, can ensure the continuous combat capability of the battleship.

The more powerful the reactor it can output, the more terrifying the damage it will do to the ship once it is hit by an enemy.

There is no pressure at all to smash the battleship you are on!

In order to protect the safety of energy reactors, warships need to have stronger protection capabilities, which also means that the size of the warship itself will become larger.

And once the size becomes larger, the energy consumption of the shield will increase, and the energy reactor will have to be more powerful, and then the size of the battleship will need to be larger.

This is a closely linked cause and effect relationship, and the best balance needs to be found from it.

Secondly, in order to be more "beaten-resistant", then in the consideration of the thickness of the armor layer, it is necessary to implement an absolute central idea -

On the premise of not affecting the overall performance of the battleship, the thickness of the armor can be made as thick as it is, and the remaining airframe performance of the last inch of the battleship must be squeezed out.

And finally, the firepower configuration!

If you want to be fierce enough, then a super-large caliber main gun is indispensable.

What is an oversized caliber main gun?

Very simple!

With a single shot, it can destroy a medium-sized battleship, kill a small battleship, and smash a light battleship, which has enough deterrent power for warships of the same level and above.

This is the standard for super-large caliber guns!

The leapfrog battle in the fantasy is completely impossible here, and the higher level is your grandfather, who can beat you all over the mountain casually.

The two levels higher are your father, who is physically strong, and you don't even have a chance to run.

At this point, how much hull support is needed for the super-large caliber main gun can be clearly understood through the "Dark Light" main gun of the "Titan class".

Although the main gun of the Titan class belongs to the super-large caliber, the peak of the final polar form, the battleship does not need this kind of firepower intensity of a small child with one cannon, but a caliber of several hundred meters is indispensable.

Within the same level of damage, the larger the caliber, the more energy output at one time, and the lethality can be guaranteed, which is the most basic common sense.

For example, the bullet of a regular gunpowder rifle, no matter how special the material of your bullet is and how fast you fly, you can only do so much damage.

But if you use the same material to create a one-meter-sized cannonball and fire it at the same speed, the lethality will be worlds apart.

A bullet hits a hole, and a shell turns to ashes!

Based on the battleship's main gun caliber of 500 meters, then with its supporting fire control system and gun barrel, a "cannon mount" of several kilometers is needed to support its normal operation.

Under the requirements of these three conditions, the size of the battleship is naturally as large as possible, but the battleship has another necessary function -

Assault ability!

In order to make the ship's assault capability strong, that is, to achieve fast sailing speed and flexible hull turning, these two indispensable conditions.

And these two necessary conditions, in turn, require the smaller the size of the battleship, the better.

According to the design conditions of these three requirements are large and one requires small, and finally the optimal manufacturing cost is calculated, about 8000 meters is undoubtedly the most suitable size for the battleship.

At this level, the battleship was able to guarantee the normal operation of the super-caliber main guns, and this size was also able to be equipped with a sufficiently thick layer of armor.

In terms of steering speed, the hull length of about 8,000 meters is not as long as that of a small spaceship, which dances flexibly like a bird, but it can also ensure the most basic battlefield mobility.

When the enemy wants to break through to the rear, you can move to the front of your fleet at a faster speed, and when you need to pursue the enemy, you can basically follow closely.

If the enemy had a very fast battleship that prevented the battleship from reacting in the first place, a second type of large battleship sequence was born.

Ship Sequence Preparation IV - Battle Cruiser!

This is a large type of battleship that fills the gap between the battleship and the cruiser, between the defensive and the offensive, and combines some of the characteristics of the two types of battleships.

The standard body size is around 5,000-6,000 meters, mainly to maintain sufficient armor thickness and to keep the shield strength level at level 5.

That is, compared to battleships, the battlecruiser has its armor shield and battleship at the same level, which is a standard super meat shield.

However, although it became a meat shield, the speed of the battle cruiser was very fast.

In terms of sailing speed and steering flexibility, the battle cruiser was a notch stronger than the battleship, reaching the maneuverability of the cruiser.

It can be described as a flexible muscular man!

The size of the battle cruiser has been greatly reduced, but the armor protection ability is still at the battleship level, and the speed can still reach the cruiser class.

Since the advantages are so prominent, it is necessary to give up in other aspects, so as to facilitate the ship's main energy reactor and ensure the normal operation of the battle cruiser.

So what did he give up?

Firepower!

Abandon the standard armament of large warships - super-large caliber shipboard main guns.

The absence of super-large caliber shipborne main guns can not only minimize the size of the battleship, but also exchange for the flexibility of the battleship.

It is also possible to divide the huge amount of energy consumed when firing the ship's main gun station into two parts and transfer it to other aspects to enhance performance.

One was transferred to the "Qihui Capacitor Cabin" of the matrix shield to increase the combat endurance of the shield, and the other was transferred to the main engine thruster of the battleship to further improve the battlefield mobility of the battle cruiser.

In this way, the energy output supply of the main energy reactor can be maximized.

The speed and armor are at the peak, but the attack and lethality are very insufficient, and the maximum caliber is a heavy gun with a caliber of 100 meters, which is the advantages and disadvantages of the battle cruiser.

However, the special combat mission of the battle cruiser also does not require it to have strong firepower.

It's fast! Bear it!

This is the characteristic of the battle cruiser, and it is also the combat mission that it exists in the fleet.

In the event of a large-scale fleet battle, there are enemy battleships or over-flags, and the large capital battleships break through the area of exchange of fire between the two sides.

And effectively avoid the meat shield battleships in the front row, and enter the second area of our fleet's battle formation-

The area of fire output where the cruiser is located!

Trying to launch a surprise slaughter on these crispy skins with extremely strong firepower but very weak armor, and our battleships are too slow to come to support in time.

The battle cruiser can "plug the leak" with the speed advantage, and use the sturdy body to stand in front of the firepower output cruiser, forming a second line of defense against the meat shield.

As long as the battle cruiser can withstand it, buy time for the cruisers in the rear to lock and open fire, and with the super firepower output of the cruiser group, there is no need for the battleship to return to defense, and this crisis can be successfully resolved.

This is the whole way of fighting of the battleship, and in figurative terms, it is the existence of the 2T in Warcraft, the replacement tank meat shield.

They will be like the most faithful firefighters on the battlefield, always moving between the flesh-shield battleship in front and the cruiser in the middle of the firepower.

As soon as an enemy dodges the battleship in front and attempts to attack the cruiser group, then the battle cruiser will rush forward as soon as possible and become a strong shield for the cruiser.

It is also the position of this meat shield substitute that makes the battle cruiser an extremely special existence.

If their battleship group is strong, they will be in the center of the battlefield, but they will not need to fire a single shell, they will only need to watch their brother troops and fight the enemy in full swing.

From this point of view, the battlecruiser can be said to be the safest battleship sequence in the entire interstellar warship.

But if the enemy's main fleet breaks through, the battle cruiser will become the most dangerous type of warship in the entire battlefield.

Because the battle cruiser does not need to attack, nor does it need to go to the front, let alone guard the side of the mothership and the flagship like a frigate, and always protect the security of the core area of the fleet.

Therefore, for the sake of efficient use of resources, the share of battle cruisers in the entire fleet will be very small, and only one battle cruiser can be placed in one defensive area.

And the main battleships in the place where they broke through must not rush over with only one, and it must be several, or even a dozen, to raid together.

This means that the battle cruiser that is usually idle and has a pain in the egg will become a real egg pain at this moment!