Featured missiles: HE, HEAP, Cannister, SFF and the LGB pseudomissile.
(What? No proximity nukes? Nope, I did these because I need them in a campaign
and I can with absolute certainty predict that the PC's won't get any nukes,
not even of the nuke/laser variety. Period:)
Further assumptions: The nuke/laser assembly represents the largest part of
the price of normal missiles. After that comes the electronics and the cheapest
part is the actual engine.
All missiles weigh 7000kg and are 7m3 big.
HE missile.
This missile has a 1000kg High Explosive warhead that needs to be in physical
contact with the target to cause damage. When used against surface targets it
has a good blast effect but is lacking in fragmentation.
The extremely large warhead impairs its acceleration at low TL's. The 100kg
electronics etc package include a contact trigger and simple terminal guidance.
Hitting with this missile is three levels more difficult.
On a successful hit, only apply the damage once.
TL Price GTurns Damage Surface Damage
8 20k 3 2-125 C:250 B:50 Pen:120C
9 20k 4 2-125 C:250 B:50 Pen:120C
10 20k 5 2-125 C:250 B:50 Pen:120C
11 20k 6 2-125 C:250 B:50 Pen:120C
12 20k 7 2-125 C:250 B:50 Pen:120C
13 20k 8 2-125 C:250 B:50 Pen:120C
14 20k 9 2-125 C:250 B:50 Pen:120C
15 20k 10 2-125 C:250 B:50 Pen:120C
HEAP missile.
This missile has a 150kg High Explosive Armour Piercing warhead that needs to
be in physical contact with the target to cause damage. When used against
surface target it is lacking in blast and fragmentation compared to the HE
missile and is also more expensive.
The 100kg electronics package include a contact trigger and simple terminal
guidance.
Hitting with this missile is three levels more difficult.
On a successful hit, only apply the damage once.
TL Price GTurns Damage Surface Damage
8 30k 10 1-180 C:100 B:25 Pen:175C
9 30k 12 1-200 C:100 B:25 Pen:195C
10 30k 12 1-215 C:100 B:25 Pen:210C
11 30k 12 1-230 C:100 B:25 Pen:225C
12 30k 12 1-240 C:100 B:25 Pen:235C
13 30k 12 1-260 C:100 B:25 Pen:255C
14 30k 12 1-280 C:100 B:25 Pen:275C
15 30k 12 1-300 C:100 B:25 Pen:295C
Cannister missile.
This missile releases 15,000 10g 10mm tungsten spheres into a cloud to ensure
that at least one of them hits the target. The cloud is released at a range of
30,000km and the velocity with which it expands is automatically selected
based on the closing velocity between the missile and the target to achieve
the maximum probability of a hit.
The damage comes from the kinetic energy of the spheres. The specific damage
depends greatly on the closing speed of the missile and the target.
The warhead of this missile weighs 150kg and the 100kg electronics package
is assumed to contain the mechanism that disperses the spheres.
Hitting with this missile is one level more difficult.
As with a normal missile, apply the given damage 1D6 times.
TL Price GTurns Closing Speed Damage
8 35k 10 1 2-30
9 35k 12 2 2-50
11 35k 12 3 3-90
13 35k 12 4 3-110
15 35k 12 6 4-150
8 4-220
10 5-280
15 6-420
When used against surface targets the cannister missile will work as a
3 round burst of automatic fire against each 10mx10m square in a 400m radius.
Each hit has damage 30 and penetration 2. The missile must be modified before
it can be used in this manner.
Even after this modification this missile is unusable against targets on
worlds with an atmosphere thicker than Very Thin. It will make a good
albeit expensive aproximation of a meteor shower however.
SFF missile.
This missile uses the 'self forging fragments' phenomena to generate a
cloud of fragments that hit the target. At a few kilometers from the target
the missile deploys and detonates several panels consisting of explosives on
the back and metal that will form the fragments on the front (facing the
target).
The damage comes from the kinetic energy of the fragments. The specific damage
depends greatly on the closing speed of the missile and the target.
When used against surface targets, the panels doesn't deploy. Instead the
metal forms lethal fragments similar to how a normal artillery round work.
The warhead of this missile weighs 250kg and contains 150kg of explosives and
100kg of metal. The 100kg electronics package is assumed to include simple
terminal guidance and a proximity fuse.
Hitting with this missile is two levels more difficult.
As with a normal missile, apply the given damage 1D6 times.
TL Price GTurns Surface Damage Closing Speed Damage
8 40k 7 C:100 B:60 Pen:50C 1 2-30
9 40k 8 C:100 B:60 Pen:50C 2 2-50
11 40k 9 C:100 B:60 Pen:50C 3 3-90
13 40k 10 C:100 B:60 Pen:50C 4 3-110
15 40k 12 C:100 B:60 Pen:50C 6 4-150
8 4-220
10 5-280
15 6-420
LGB pseudomissile.
This is, as the name states, not a real missile. Instead this is a missile-
shaped container with 6 1000kg laser guided iron bombs. The container is fired
as a normal missile and the communication laser of the missile turret can be
used to designate a surface target from up to 10,000m altitude. Any higher
than that (or if it is bad weather on the surface) and another unit closer
to the surface have to handle the designation.
The individual bombs can not handle atmospheric reentry in any atmosphere
thicker than Very Thin. If they are used to attack a target on a world with
thicker atmosphere, the ship has to be inside the atmopshere at the time of
launch.
The spread can be chosen: The bombs can either all hit at the same time or
with up to 5 seconds of separations.
This type of 'missile' can *not* hit a ship unless it stands still on the
ground.
TL Price Surface Damage
8 22k C:190 B:80 Pen:90C
9 18k C:190 B:80 Pen:90C
11 14k C:190 B:80 Pen:90C
13 12k C:190 B:80 Pen:90C
15 10k C:190 B:80 Pen:90C
A version carrying 4 bombs where each bomb has an ablative heat shielding
that enables them to be deployed from orbit over worlds with an atmosphere
of Dense or thinner is available for twice the cost.
Notes on the roles of these missiles.
The HE is the basic cheapo missile, hard to hit with but does good damage
when it hits. It will do a real number of most surface targets. However it
is slow and pretty much unusable a anything but the closest ranges.
The HEAP inflicts more damage and has better range at the expense of worse
performance against surface targets and a higher price.
The Cannister is the poor mans nuke/laser. It is almost as easy to hit with,
but it is highly dependent on the closure rate and has generally low
penetration. It is also next to unusable against surface targets.
The SFF is an ambivalent missile. It not so good against ships as the
Cannister, and even though good against surface targets it is too expensive
to use against them. But if you want a missile that can do everything adequatly
the SFF is it.
The LGB finally is a cheap teddybuster suitable for use against moderately
well defended surface targets.
(Against undefended surface targets the 'Argentine Bomb Sights' method is
better: You hover over the target and roll the bombs off the loading ramp
manually).
- -bertil-
- --
"It can be shown that for any nutty theory, beyond-the-fringe political view or
strange religion there exists a proponent on the Net. The proof is left as an
exercise for your kill-file."