Super High Speed Ballistic Acceleration Device

SHS-BAD prototype flying into battle on the Tsugumori

"He actually killed a Gauna without having to use a Kabizashi... this will change everything."

-Ichirou Seii-

The Super High Speed Ballistics Acceleration Device is a prototype gun developed by Toha Heavy Industries to engage the Gauna at long range without the use of Kabizashi spears.

History

Experiments

The SHS-BAD on it's development rack.

Later in the series, Kobayashi reveals a game changer to Nagate Tanikaze. Research and experiments on a dead Chimera in a secret facility on board Sidonia had allowed humanity to make artificial kabi, the only known substance that can kill Gauna cores. Kobayashi than tells Tanikaze that he is to test a new weapon utilizing bullets made of this man-made kabi. When he and Yuhata Midorikawa arrive at Toha Heavy Industries to be debriefed, Tanikaze recognizes the weapon as one he trained with in Hiroki Saitou's simulator.

Time for a test

Tanikaze scores a killing blow to the attacking Gauna

Tanikaze struggles to control the Tsugumori after the test fire

News came in that the newly departed colony ship was being approached by a Gauna. Knowing the ship was defenseless, Tanikaze was granted permission to use the prototype SHS-BAD to save the ship, as well as using a new engine. This was risky, the gun's recoil control was not synched with the engine, but there was no time. Tanikaze fired the gun for the first time at 234km from the Gauna, and while he hit the body, he had missed the core, and the outrageous recoil threw him into a spin. To everyone's suprise, he recovered and fired a second shot. It was a bull's eye shot, and in the nick of time, the Gauna had almost hit the colony ship. The Captain found the test satisfactory, and ordered more units built.

Sidonia vs. Large Union Mass ship

48 Unit Garde strike team armed with the new SHS-BADs

By the time the Large Union Mass ship arrived, only 48 SHS-BADs had been made. However, they allowed the Sidonia's strike team to destroy the whole Pod.

Specs

Gun Assembly

Weapon Layout specs (and prototype engine)

The Ballistics Acceleration Device is a rail gun, utiliizing intensified magnetic fields to accelerate a composite kabi round at blinding speeds with pinpoint accuracy. The weapon is huge, longer than a Garde is tall, but has a barrel extension that can be removed. The weapon seems to use a targeting computer, enabling accurate fire at immense range. 

Ammunition - CPR - Core Penetration Round

The bullet for the BAD has a composite mass material shell gauged at about 40mm, with an artificial kabi core. The kinetic energy and heavy mass of the composite shell punch through the ena, and tears away any ena near and behind the impact area of the CPR. The composite in the Bullet then with no Ena to shield the material of the Host Core. this immediate damage to the Ena /placenta and is nearly instantaneous, this then shatters the Composite material infront of the cores Ena. and the rest of the shell or CPR made of kabi then penetrates the core, dealing a the killing blow.

Trivia

• The SHS-BAD's maximum accurate range seems to be about 200km (124 miles), but in the test fire on the Gauna attacking the colony ship, Tanikaze fired and hit the Gauna at about 225km (139 miles).  However his first shot was a miss, and the bull's eye was made at about 210km.
• The weapon is so long that the extra length and mass can effect the piloting of the Garde, if a pilot is not adequately trained for the out of balancing effect that the Long-Barrel causes on the pilots control the Garde seems extra heavy in gravity situations and causes the pilot to not adequately provide enough thrust to keep flying. The Barrel can be ejected in two places, and more than half of the barrel is detachable, but reduces accuracy and firing distance.

Knights of Sidonia
Anime	Season 1 (S1 compilation film) | Season 2 | Love Woven in the Stars
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Key Subjects	Sidonia | Gauna | Gardes | Technology of Sidonia | Characters of Sidonia