Directed Energy Weapon

A Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) is a weapon which uses non-kinetic types of energy as its primary agent of damage with little to no guidance.

• Many supply guides simply call them Energy Weapons.

Library Data Referral Tree

Please refer to the following AAB Library Data for more information:

• Interstellar War
  • Militaries of Charted Space
  • War in Charted Space
• Military Technologies
  • Offensive Technologies
    • Ironmongery
      • Archaic Arms
      • Heavy Arms
      • Small Arms
      • Vehicle Weaponry
    • Starship Weaponry
      • Energy Weapons
      • Guided Weapons
      • Projectile Weapons
      • Spinal Mounts
    • Weapon Types
      • Directed Energy Weapon
      • Guided Weapon
      • Kinetic Energy Weapon

Description (Specifications)

A DEW weapon is any one of a number of weapons which fire a highly energized beam of ionized gas at their targets, causing damage by their intense heat and kinetic energy. Hydrogen fuel is heated to a plasma state by a powerful laser ignition system, then released through a magnetically focussed field along the weapon's barrel.

The class can be further subdivided into plasma and fusion guns. Fusion guns contain the plasma slightly longer until a fusion reaction begins to take place. The extra firepower this produces makes the fusion gun the more powerful weapon in this class.

Energy weapons range in size from man-portable models, through battlefield weapons mounted on tanks, to starship turret weapons for use in deep space. The largest are contained in large batteries known as bays or in starship-length sized fittings called spinal mounts.

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DEW Weapons

DEW weapons fall into three basic categories:

• Energy
  • Laser
    • Green Laser
    • X-ray Laser
  • Microwave
• High Energy
  • Disintegrator Weapon
  • Plasma
    • PGMP
    • FGMP
• Exotic Energy
  • Electronic Warfare Projector
  • Jump Projector
  • Relativity Weapon

Energy Weapons / Laser Weaponry

1. Energy Pistols
   1. Laser Pistol
2. Energy Rifles
   1. Laser Carbine
   2. Laser Rifle
3. Energy Heavy Weapons
   1. Advanced Laser
   2. Laser
4. Energy Specialty Weapons
   1. Energy Weapon

Explosive Weaponry & Grenades

High Energy Explosives:

1. Gravitron Spike
2. Ion Charge
3. Neutron Charge
4. Plasma Charge

High Energy Weaponry

1. Disintegrator Weaponry
   1. Disintegrator Pistol
   2. Disintegrator Rifle
2. Plasma Weaponry
   1. PGMP-12
   2. PGMP-13
   3. PGMP-14
   4. Plasma Rifle
3. Heavy Plasma Weaponry
   1. Plasma Bazooka
4. Fusion Weaponry
   1. FGMP-14
   2. FGMP-15
   3. FGMP-16
   4. Fusion Rifle
5. Heavy Fusion Weaponry
   1. 10.9 MJ Fusion Cannon
   2. Fusion Bomb

Exotic Energy Weapons

1. Exotic Energy Weaponry
   1. Disintegrator Weapon
   2. Flasher
   3. Lightning Bolt
   4. Neural Weaponry
   5. Relativity Rifle
2. Flame Weaponry
   1. Conventional Flamethrower
   2. Greek Fire Projector
   3. High Energy Flamethrower
3. Jump Weaponry
   1. Jump Damper
   2. Jump Projector
4. Particle Beam Weaponry
   1. A-PAWs
   2. C-PAWs
   3. N-PAWs
   4. R-PADs
5. Sonic Weaponry
   1. Hazer
   2. ULF Pistol

DEW Artillery

1. Meson Weaponry
   1. Deep Site Meson Weapon
   2. Meson Accelerator

History & Background (Dossier)

Around the TL:7-9 epoch, Energy Weapons or DEW (Directed Energy Weapons), also known as Beam Weapons or Projected Energy Weapons become a significant part of the battlefield. They start as rangefinders and target designators and eventually become a significant weapon for armored vehicles (AFVs), fighting ships, and even as infantry smallarms as the technology is miniaturized.

References & Contributors (Sources)

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• This article is an amalgamation of many different materials published over the several decades since 1977.
• Marc Miller, Frank Chadwick, John Harshman. High Guard (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), TBD. (Classic Traveller Book 5)
• Marc Miller. Imperial Encyclopedia (Game Designers Workshop, 1987), TBD.
• Loren Wiseman. "Advanced Lasers." Challenge 66 (1992): 26.
• Loren Wiseman. "Putting the Heat Back into Plasma." Challenge 76 (1994): TBD.
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science