Missile

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Missiles are guided projectiles designed to impact with or detonate near a target in order to inflict damage on it.

  • Many types of missiles are available to the armed forces and the citizens of the Imperium and its neighbors.
  • It is a GUW classed weapon.
  • It is a kind of Ship Equipment.

Please see the following AAB Library Data articles for related data:
Military:

Description (Specifications)

A missile is a self-propelled guided weapon launched from a missile rack or a weapons bay. Anti-ship missiles may be utilized as planetary surface bombs or surveillance drones (mechanical and electronics skill would apply in such cases). Large missiles are often referred to as torpedoes.

The weapon produces noise, it generates a visible flash, and is hot.

A turret or bay-launched shipboard missile is approximately size 4 or 5, generally equivalent to the size of a human.

Components

Missile systems are made up of three major sub-systems: the launcher, the delivery sub-system, and the warhead.

Launcher

The launcher is usually little more than a simple rack which holds the missile within its container until launch. Most designs use compressed gases, contained in small tanks located within the base of the missile tube, to push the missile a meter or so clear of the rack while the rocket motor is igniting. The rack is connected to the Gunner's control panel.

Delivery

Once fired, the delivery sub-system takes over, steering the missile towards the target. It is made up of the propulsion system, the guidance controls, and the detonation controls for the warhead.

  • The propulsion system is typically liquid or solid fuel thrusters or a gravitic drive.
  • The guidance can be controlled directly by the operator via a radio communicator, it can be based around RADAR or other active sensor systems, or it can be homing (by infrared seeking, mass seeking, neutrino seeking, or similar).
  • Detonation is controlled by a trigger: detonation systems include contact, proximity, intelligent, and command.

Warhead

Missile warheads fall into three broad categories: Conventional, Unconventional and Nuclear.

  • Conventional Warheads include standard high-explosive (HE) and focused force (high-explosive shaped charge); these generally cause surface damage but can also inflict critical hits.
  • Unconventional Warheads include non-explosive or even non-weapon payloads. Examples include illumination or signal missiles, message torpedoes, and remote sensor drones.
  • Nuclear Warheads include fission, fusion, and enhanced radiation devices: these cause surface damage and radiation effects but can also inflict critical hits. Nuclear warheads are available in yields of between 0.1 kilotons and 10 kilotons. Note that under the Imperial Rules of War, nuclear weapons are reserved for use by Imperial forces only.

Sizes

Standard space combat missiles fall into two size categories:

  • Smaller missiles designed to be launched from missile racks. They have a maximum weight of 50 kg and can cost up to Cr50,000 each, though more basic models are substantially cheaper. The standard anti ship missile is 150.0 mm in diameter.
  • Larger missiles designed to be launched from missile bays. Many of them range to 450.0 mm to 600.0 mm or larger.

History & Background (Dossier)

Shipboard missiles have been in use since the earliest days of Vilani interstellar travel and remain as a standard weapon system. A huge range of designs are available from weapons dealers across Charted Space. Low population and Non-industrial worlds, for various reasons, cannot locally manufacture missile components: they must be imported, inflating their prices.

Anti-Shipping Missiles are mass produced from standardized components and assembled in starport armories ready for sale. Custom designs of missile can be specified if desired. Some components (specifically warheads) may not be available due to local law level restrictions.

Class Naming Practice/s & Peculiarities

Different designs are known by many different names but all have very similar performance characteristics and capabilities. All variants are designed to fit within a standard launch tube, enabling them to be used with standard missile racks.

Selected Variant Types & Classes

Missile:

Image Repository

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References & Contributors (Sources)

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