Solomani Confederation (Military)

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

G. I considered using the quad turret.

H. Making it a quadruple torpedo launcher.

I. Five tonnes, at ten megastarbux, with energy requirement two power points.

J. I'd save five tonnes, four megastarbux, but gain with one extra torpedo tube and no energy requirement.

K. You could probably manufacture both, but we want standardization and optimum salvo.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

L. If the missile turret has no measurable power consumption, enemy sensors are going to have trouble detecting it's energy signature.

M. Which means, they have no warning when it turns on, and starts aligning the torpedo tubes, somewhere.

N. The ship's target acquisition sensors could be detected, though I suppose you could take the torpedo barbette under local control and use it's integral targetting system.

O. I would guess you'd need to snuggle up to the opponent, to minimize his response time.

P. Energy weapons are instantaneous, but building up power in the capacitors might be detectable.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

Q. You could make it pop up.

R. That would consume another ten tonnes, and we'll assume, another ten megastarbux.

S. You could have a dummy one tonne turret on top.

T. Keeping a potential hardpoint unutilized might create suspicion.

U. Probably hilfskreuzer.

 

[Condottiere]

V. Refer to High Guard pages 30-33 for missile and torpedo performance, and assume missiles can manage 10 rounds of propulsion at the indicated Thrust while torpedoes can manage 20 rounds, as would a long range missile, though its robot carry capacity is reduced to Size 1.

W. Distant range being between fifty megametres to five gigametres.

X. How far does twenty rounds at acceleration factor fifteen get you?

Y. Weber had included a command and control torpedo for mid course guidance.

Z. It might take ten rounds, but thrust/ten allows you to reach anything classified as distant.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

1. Confederation Navy starwarships tend to chamber advanced torpedoes.

2. That's because when they engage, they prefer to alpha strike.

3. That means, the heavy guns in the form of torpedoes, rather than missiles.

4. Also, in that they tend to have less launchers, so damage, rather than numbers.

5. And the advanced torpedo being the only one with thrust/fifteen.

6. Which means you couldn't fool the other side by mixing in standard with thrust/ten.

7. Standard would still be manufactured, since it costs three times less, and not everyone can afford to expend ordnance like the Confederation Navy.

8. There are some situations, where bombarding the enemy with standard makes more sense, than advanced.

9. And then you get into an attritional war.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

A. The narrative has the Solomani pretty liberal with utilizing nuclear armed weapon systems.

B. I tend to think that they're just more willing to authorize their use against military and strategic targets.

C. Moving targets, considering that Ortillery torpedoes have fifty percent more damage, but cost more than four times than that of nuclear torpedoes.

D. No nuclear missiles, since if a Confederation Navy commander does decide for the nuclear option, everyone understands the consequences.

E. Member navies could have nuclear missiles, but they source those elsewhere.

F. The Confederation Navy doesn't have multi warhead variants of nuclear torpedoes.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

G. Anti radiation torpedoes are usually included in a cocktail salvo.

H. This would include a standard torpedo.

I. And an ion torpedo.

J. Possibly, a plasma torpedo, or a second standard torpedo.

K. Bringing up the rear, would be a multi warhead standard torpedo, to take out anything unprotected.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

L. The missile, for the Confederation Navy, is more of an afterthought.

M. They aren't enthused that half of a salvo wanders off after half an hour.

N. Outside of some niche roles, they are used for point and anti missile defence.

O. Since torpedoes suffer a minus two modifier against targetting sub two kilotonne vessels, missiles are more suitable to be used against smallcraft and escort sized starwarships.

P. In theory, should be covered by energy weapon systems, but the CoCoMisTer allows a degree of flexibility, that other navies don't have.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

Q. At the low end, you have the dogfight missile.

R. It's used for three basic roles.

S. Primarily, as last ditch defence against a missile swarm.

T. Secondarily, against smallcraft that manage to close in.

U. Last, but not least, as ground attack and anti vehicle missile.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

V. Basically, the Confederation Marines like to make the dogfight missile man portable.

W. Pretty sure there is a self contained container and attachable targetting thingy.

X. Is a rather nasty surprise to any grav tank that pops up in range.

Y. Which also means, bunker buster.

Z. The Confederation Marines have also been known to take it with them when boarding spacecraft.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

1. I had to think about what made the Confederation Navy's missile doctrine different from others.

2. First of all, they prefer using torpedoes.

3. That's why they developed the CoCoMisTer, and accepted that in order to fit anything in there, it had to have a twenty five percent cost premium.

4. They don't use bay launchers for either missiles or torpedoes.

5. That means they can't mass six torpedoes per hundred tonnes, twenty four missiles.

6. But they can use the same launchers for either missiles or torpedoes.

7. So, if there was an equal distribution (of launchers per tonne), for two hardpoints, they can launch a mix of ten missiles or torpedoes, compared to two medium bays of six torpedoes and twenty four missiles.

8. From two hundred tonnes, twenty tonnes would be dedicated to two launcher platforms, and their magazines have the flexibility as to composition, at an additional tonne for any combination of three torpedoes or twelve missiles.

9. Whereas the two medium turrets have two fixed magazines containing two hundred eighty eight missiles, and seventy two torpedoes, respectively.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

A. Rumours are that some torpedoes are stealthed.

B. This makes them harder to be detected by enemy sensors, and countermeasures to be activated.

C. Considering the expense involved, Imperium Navy Intelligence does not believe that it's a widespread phenomenon.

D. It's suspected their primary usage would be in a long range, over the horizon ambush salvo.

E. Combined with the more resilient nature of their hulls, make them tough cookies to shoot down.

F. Assuming, you can see them coming.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

G. Next up would be the interceptor missile.

H. It has a range advantage over the dogfight missile, and doubles it's damage.

I. It's also twice it's size and about four times it's cost.

J. Probably the most pragmatic choice to deal with smallcraft.

K. If you think about it, the standard missile is twice it's size and damage potential, at around four times it's price.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

L. I don't understand how the orbital strike missile bay works, so I'm going to ignore it.

M. The missiles are unguided, so they become rockets.

N. The text says damage is three dice, as does the small bay entry, but each subsequent bay size increase indicates five dice, then eight dice.

O. Orbital Strike weapons are precise, lacking the greater destructive capabilities of Orbital Bombardment weapons.

P. Which They carry and fire the same number of missiles as other missile bays but cannot use ordinary missiles, instead using unguided kinetic missiles that cost Cr150000 for 12, have Thrust 6 and inflict 3D damage per missile contradicts.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

Q. You have to have the anti torpedo missile, if only to prevent others doing unto you what you are about to do unto others.

R. As the cartridge approaches its target, it launches a smaller, more nimble missile that uses a secondary propulsion unit to close the gap with a torpedo salvo, whereupon it detonates a fragmentary warhead that eliminates 1D+ Effect torpedoes from the salvo during the Reaction Step of space combat.

S. Should work on missiles, as well.

T. Anti-torpedo missiles are highly specialised and therefore do little damage to conventional targets, inflicting only 1D damage.

U. And spacecraft.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

L. Jumpbreaker missiles are expensive, but since size isn't mentioned, extremely annoying to starwarships that want to break contact.

M. You send them in as part of a large swarm, so that the cotactee doesn't cotton on as to what they're actually up to.

N. Multi warhead missiles are somewhat expensive, but their role would be subsumed by their larger torpedo cousins, which from the quintuple barbette, are the same in number, but more powerful in effect.

O. They cost slightly over twice that of missiles.

P. And would be more resilient.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

Q. We've already dismissed nuclear missiles, but it's interesting that they cost more than ortillery, yet have the same damage.

R. Whereas ortillery torpedoes cost more than four times, and only have fifty percent more damage.

S. If you can close in to short range, thrust/six gets an immediate reaction.

T. Though still with a minus eight modifier on targetting.

U. I'm thinking, dive bombing.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

V. In the initial round that a missile is released, it should add the velocity of the releasing platform to it's initial speed.

W. In space, there should be no air resistance to subsequently slow it down.

X. That should mean, if my fighter is accelerating at factor/nine, my (unreleased) missile is accelerating at factor/nine.

Y. I release it, Newton's First Law kicks in.

Z. Plus the subsequent ignition of it's organic rocket motor at factor/six, gives us an initial acceleration of factor/fifteen.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

1. If we get close enough, smart is no longer permitted, nor, actually, relevant.

2. I'm not sure what we would term the initial approach, maybe bombing run.

3. Once we're in dogfight mode, we start counting in six second intervals.

4. Close range being ten thousand metres.

5. Dive bombing being close enough, that the target has minimum chance to evade a falling object.

6. Essentially, modifying or eliminating that minus eight to hit armour class zero.

7. Prediction programmes, or experience, will tell the attacking pilot where a moving vessel is going to be where the missile path will intersect the target's.

8. My feeling is that a carrier at usually factor/two acceleration, or a freighter at possibly factor/one, are sitting ducks.

9. However, a dedicated carrier should still be capable of launching, while jinking under fire.

 

[Condottiere]

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