Plasma Torpedo: Difference between revisions
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== Plasma Torpedo == | == Plasma Torpedo == | ||
The [[Confederacy]] [[Warships|warship]] weapon commonly known as a '''Plasma Torpedo''' is not a solid munition. It is a ball of high-energy plasma contained in a magnetic 'bottle'. A Confederacy [[Navy]] Plasma Torpedo Launcher creates the bottle, fills it with plasma, and then ejects the bottle towards a target. Fans of | The [[Confederacy]] [[Warships|warship]] weapon commonly known as a '''Plasma Torpedo''' is not a solid munition. It is a ball of high-energy plasma contained in a magnetic 'bottle'. A Confederacy [[Navy]] Plasma Torpedo Launcher creates the bottle, fills it with plasma, and then ejects the bottle towards a target. Fans of 1960's television will recognize this as the old Star Trek "Photon Torpedo". <br> | ||
On the other hand, the Plasma Torpedo was also one of the most destructive weapons available to us for the first several years of the Swarm War. | The magnetic bottle will rupture if it contacts solid matter or several types of [[Force Fields]], or in any event after several seconds. As long as the torpedo reaches the target before the bottle dissipates, the target will become bathed in high-energy plasma. An armored warship may survive this, but if nothing else all sensors within the bath will be destroyed. <br> | ||
<br> | |||
=== Confederacy Version === | |||
The Confederacy Navy's version is generated and launched by a massive weapon system which requires huge amounts of power to operate. The weapon system's maximum range depends upon two factors: how long the magnetic bottle can last, and how fast the bottle is moving. The launcher installed on the Castles creates a bottle that lasts about 3 seconds, and it spits the bottle out moving about 35 kps. The bottle travels approximately 98 Km in that time, making the Plasma Torpedo one of the shortest-range weapons in our arsenal. '''Independent Command''' has: <br> | |||
The ship's primary weapon was the "Plasma Torpedo Launcher" in a nose mount where it could only fire forward. It was steerable over about 15 degrees from the ship's centerline, so it could shoot at anything in an arc about 30 degrees across and was thus completely worthless if the ship wasn't pointed pretty much directly at the target. <br> | |||
and <br> | |||
After that we settled down for a rational test program, beating up asteroids and getting used to how to use the weapons. The Plasma Torpedos were moving just under 35 kps (relative to the ship) when they left the launcher, and the bottle collapsed on its own just under three seconds after launch. Together they gave us a pretty hard outer limit for range, about 98 kilometers out. There was no theoretical lower range, but firing it at something touching the 'barrel' of the launcher would have undesirable effects on the launcher, right? Don't use this weapon on a ship that is docked and is boarding you unless you are willing to take damage yourself. <br> | |||
On the other hand, the Plasma Torpedo was also one of the most destructive weapons available to us for the first several years of the Swarm War. <br> | |||
<br> | |||
=== Sa'arm Version === | |||
The only version of Plasma Torpedo that the Sa'arm have been found to use is launched from a local-space 'bomber' that Central Command code-named '''Lima'''. The Lima is a three-crew-unit space-only small craft that mounts two Plasma Torpedo projectors. These projectors appear to be one-shot devices; the Confederacy has encountered literally tens of thousands of these craft, and every one of them was destroyed before launching, was destroyed after launching one, was destroyed after launching two, or launched two and evaded destruction. No Lima has ever been detected launching more than two. <br> | |||
The Sa'arm version of Plasma Torpedo travels at roughly the same speed as the Confederacy version and it lasts about the same time after launch, so both versions have roughly the same maximum range. The Sa'arm version, however, has roughly ten times the energy contained in the bottle as the Confederacy version, making it that much more destructive. | |||
<br> | |||
=== Classes Armed With Plasma Torpedos === | === Classes Armed With Plasma Torpedos === | ||
Revision as of 15:19, 13 May 2024
This is a 'Stub', or a short article with little useful information. Any editor with more information about this subject is invited to help improve it.
Plasma Torpedo
The Confederacy warship weapon commonly known as a Plasma Torpedo is not a solid munition. It is a ball of high-energy plasma contained in a magnetic 'bottle'. A Confederacy Navy Plasma Torpedo Launcher creates the bottle, fills it with plasma, and then ejects the bottle towards a target. Fans of 1960's television will recognize this as the old Star Trek "Photon Torpedo".
The magnetic bottle will rupture if it contacts solid matter or several types of Force Fields, or in any event after several seconds. As long as the torpedo reaches the target before the bottle dissipates, the target will become bathed in high-energy plasma. An armored warship may survive this, but if nothing else all sensors within the bath will be destroyed.
Confederacy Version
The Confederacy Navy's version is generated and launched by a massive weapon system which requires huge amounts of power to operate. The weapon system's maximum range depends upon two factors: how long the magnetic bottle can last, and how fast the bottle is moving. The launcher installed on the Castles creates a bottle that lasts about 3 seconds, and it spits the bottle out moving about 35 kps. The bottle travels approximately 98 Km in that time, making the Plasma Torpedo one of the shortest-range weapons in our arsenal. Independent Command has:
The ship's primary weapon was the "Plasma Torpedo Launcher" in a nose mount where it could only fire forward. It was steerable over about 15 degrees from the ship's centerline, so it could shoot at anything in an arc about 30 degrees across and was thus completely worthless if the ship wasn't pointed pretty much directly at the target.
and
After that we settled down for a rational test program, beating up asteroids and getting used to how to use the weapons. The Plasma Torpedos were moving just under 35 kps (relative to the ship) when they left the launcher, and the bottle collapsed on its own just under three seconds after launch. Together they gave us a pretty hard outer limit for range, about 98 kilometers out. There was no theoretical lower range, but firing it at something touching the 'barrel' of the launcher would have undesirable effects on the launcher, right? Don't use this weapon on a ship that is docked and is boarding you unless you are willing to take damage yourself.
On the other hand, the Plasma Torpedo was also one of the most destructive weapons available to us for the first several years of the Swarm War.
Sa'arm Version
The only version of Plasma Torpedo that the Sa'arm have been found to use is launched from a local-space 'bomber' that Central Command code-named Lima. The Lima is a three-crew-unit space-only small craft that mounts two Plasma Torpedo projectors. These projectors appear to be one-shot devices; the Confederacy has encountered literally tens of thousands of these craft, and every one of them was destroyed before launching, was destroyed after launching one, was destroyed after launching two, or launched two and evaded destruction. No Lima has ever been detected launching more than two.
The Sa'arm version of Plasma Torpedo travels at roughly the same speed as the Confederacy version and it lasts about the same time after launch, so both versions have roughly the same maximum range. The Sa'arm version, however, has roughly ten times the energy contained in the bottle as the Confederacy version, making it that much more destructive.
Classes Armed With Plasma Torpedos
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