Advanced Dynamics Mass Driver

The Advanced Dynamics Mass Driver or ADMD was a revolutionary starship design developed in A.Y. 3851 by Advanced Dynamics. It was initially envisioned as a colonial supply ship. Advanced Dynamic's three prototypes were constructed at the Athenaeus Yard, which was nearly bankrupted by construction over-runs and had to be bailed out by the Alliance government]].

Design

The ADMD is a mass driver-inspired ship that uses an external pulsed propulsion drive for it's main engine, essentially a drastically scaled-up version of those found on the Boing-Boing missile. Combined with a rigid body and a robust FTL drive, the original ADMD was a marvel of it's time.

Engine

Instead of a conventional Ion vacuum drive,

The external pulsed propulsion system uses antimater-catalized nuclear explosions to create a highly energetic shockwave which then strikes a pusher plate, which in turn pushes against a shock absorber and mvoes the ship forward. This system produces tremendous delta-V and is capable of reaching speeds approaching 80PSL. In the late Third Age when the first ADMDs were built, this was an unheard of speed, as the fastest ships in that size could hope to achieve was a paltry 20PSL.