Ablative Hull Armor was an armor advancement first designed for Starship Hulls before being miniturized for personal armor. Its substance was made of the latest and most resistant material to kinetic and heat energy, alloys of synthetic and natural materials that added to each others strengths. However, if that were the only difference then it would simply be the latest generation of armor barely distinguishable from its predecessors. Ablative Armor however was a complex system which uses the special attributes of its material to minimize the effects of most weapons used against it. The metals and synthetic compounds used in its construction were highly conductive to both heat and ion charge. Heat energy from an impact was transferred over the entire surface of the armor system.
This ability to limit the impact of extreme heat to damage a small area of the hull was supplemented by the use of liquid nitrogen cooling systems on the interior of the hull which sever to take even more of the heat away from the hull plates. Ion charges were handled in a similar manner in which the armor transfered the ion charge instantly across the surface of the armored skin, breaking it into smaller charges in the process which were then conducted to specially shielded dissipating coils which slowly allow the charge to wear off.
This made Ablative Hull Armor systems highly effective in defending ships from attack. In light encounters it could minimize or even eliminate the possibility of internal damage. In heavy fleet combat it allowed a ship to remain in the line of fire longer before serious damage is sustained, however, the armor’s superior qualities would not hold out indefinitely.
Stealth Ablative Coating[]
Stealth Ablative Coating is a material found on stealth ships. Black in colour, Stealth Ablative coating serves to refract both radar and conventional sensors, making the ship invisible to radar, similar to the way a cloaking device cloaks something from eyesight as well.
Stealth Ablative Coating must be maintained; otherwise it will return radar signals, necessitating maintenance on the entire coating. Therefore, virtually all ships using this are relatively small, or easily maintained.