Solomani Confederation (Military)

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

A. If you manage to go head on, closing is both your and the enemy's velocity, and interception is going to be happen a lot sooner than expected.

B. Known as down the throat, you could do a suicidal flyby, pumping out missiles, which if you time approach correctly, suddenly turns into dogfight mode.

C. It's possible that a spacecraft could survive such a close encounter.

D. Called shot, taking out the aerospace defence installations.

E. After launching a pair of torpedoes down an exhaust port.

F. I suppose that the bombers had large orbital strike bays, that at point blank range, don't have a minus eight penalty to hit.

 

[Sigtrygg]

And the ship you are attacking isn't using its superior range advantage to shoot you on approach?
And the ship you are attacking isn't using any point defence?

 

[Condottiere]

In theory, that would depend on how many weapon systems can be brought to bear.

It's why Weber has laser clusters in front (and back).

You'll note I used the adjective suicidal.

If it's not quite that obvious, the intent is to increase accuracy, and minimize reaction time of the target, because if you add the attacker's velocity, plus the target's closing velocity, and then the missile's acceleration, it could be over in the same round, and if at the beginning of the next, the attacker is at close range, it's now a dogfight.

Though, we'll assume that they'll just shoot by each other, and if it's further apart than ten thousand metres in six seconds, you're at short range.

 

[Sigtrygg]

And momentum just vanishes?

 

[Condottiere]

I'm counting on that, to close fast, and minimize engagement time.

Gefechtskehrtwendung, as the Solomani say.

 

[Sigtrygg]

300km/s->.....................<-300km/s

In 6 seconds that's a separation of 3600km

 

[Condottiere]

The computer will have to do the heavy lifting.

Combat is going to be three dimensional in space, with both sides likely manoeuvring.

Range will determine likelihood of success, and if you are out of it, having any number of weapon systems tends to be pointless.

So, I was stuck with the current narrative insisting that the Confederation Navy overdosed on missiles, and trying to figure out how to optimally use them.

So, hit and run, bombing runs, strafing.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

G. Up the kilt shots require more careful planning.

H. If the enemy launches back, their ordnance has less distance to travel.

I. You could just retaliate by dropping mines in the wake, which if done so via cargo hatch, would be separate from other weapon systems.

J. Assuming about the same acceleration potential, and all other things being equal, the backside attacker would need tremendous motivation to continue pursuit, where you have to minus off the fleeing ship's acceleration from that of the intercepting missile.

K. The pursuit starwarship might need to be heavily protected, in order to absorb return fire.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

L. The bishop's gambit would be intercepting at an angle.

M. All things being equal, the point being faster and crossing the tee.

N. Or getting the wind gauge, and going for down the throat shots.

O. Or, line of battle, and you maintain discipline, until one side can't fight or chickens out.

P. The faster side has the initiative.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

Q. If you tend to be the chasseur, energy weapon armament tends to make more sense.

R. Results tend to be instantaneous.

S. And, in a long chase, you don't have to worry about running out of ammunition.

T. In a way, it's like fighting uphill.

U. It's easier for the guys on top to throw things at you, and roll boulders downhill.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

V. A thought comes to mind.

W. What is the effect of a gravitational manoeuvre drive, or a reactionary rocket, on a missile of torpedo approaching from the rear?

X. You'd think there would be gravitational turbulence in the wake of a gravitational manoeuvre drive, that might interfere with the missile's guidance systems.

Y. Or, the heat exhaust from the rocket would fry the missile.

Z. A solar sail might mask a target hull.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

1. I think you have two aspects, fleet and ship.

2. Fleet would be an overall strategy of missile engagement.

3. Ship would be specific to the assets and performance it has.

4. A Prometheus fast dreadnought class has a different perspective than that of a Swordfish torpedo bomber.

5. But you use both to shape the battle space.

6. It also means that they have differing optimal missile loadouts.

7. And depending on the situation, that could differ.

8. Lower teched aerospace craft could carry very high teched missiles, since you use the larger of two values when calculating targetting.

9. While in a general engagement, the fast dreadnought would switch to cheaper, lower teched missiles.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

A. If we sort of start at the top of heap, that would be the Prometheus class fast dreadnought, with upgraded technological level fifteen electronics.

B. Which I always thought should be supplemented by the Epimetheus class slow dreadnought, for that high low ratio.

C. Perfect candidate for CoCoMisTer ten tonne barbette batteries.

D. Main emphasis would be on a factor seven meson gun, secondary would be bayed energy weapon systems, and tertiary anti smallcraft and anti missile turrets.

E. The CoCoMisTer barbettes would be sort of intermediate between the bays and the turrets.

F. And meant to give a flexible response option to the commander, to either support the turret roles, or become very offensive.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

G. The nuclear tipped torpedo remains the primary choice for engagements with near peer starwarships.

H. Though, usually preceded by a salvo of plasma torpedoes.

I. If the engagement gets drawn out, the torpedoes are switched to advanced missiles.

J. The advanced torpedoes tend to be reserved for long range, mostly distant, exchanges.

K. Ortillery torpedoes to finish off non manoeuvring hulls.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

L. Antiradiation torpedoes should be more scary, generally, for medium combatants, and below.

M. There should be a higher probability of damaging the sensor suite that was conducting electronic warfare activities, as opposed to the rest of the ship.

N. Target lock against a stationary target that was conducting electronic warfare, even if it was switched off two turns previously, should still be valid.

O. Though, it's possible this comes with penalties to actually hit it.

P. Pernicious, if performed from stealthed platforms.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

Q. Ion torpedoes are to knock out Adventure class spacecraft.

R. In battle, escorts tend to be the unlucky recipients, followed by an ortillery torpedo.

S. To finish up, I was trying to find a cheap filler torpedo.

T. In the Prometheus case, despite potentially large magazines, I don't think they would take the risk.

U. If a Prometheus turns up, it's meant to be very existential.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

V. Fifty kilostarbux with six dice at ten gees is a standard torpedo.

W. However, the preference would be for advanced missiles, once the range moves to very long.

X. Twenty nine plus kilostarbux per, five dice, fifteen gees, and four times smaller.

Y. That ensures half don't wander off.

Z. And presumably, after the preliminary pounding, the enemy's anti missile defences would be somewhat degraded.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

1. In theory, the CoCoMisTer should also be able to accommodate a forty percent smaller sand canister.

2. You probably have to adjust the muzzle velocity.

3. Sand and chaff being the only canisters that would be would be beneficial.

4. You just add twenty percent to the cost.

5. Of, if disputed, a small rocket motor.

6. A featured feature, being able to handle any size of missile or torpedo.

7. Which would include dogfight and interceptor missiles.

8. Just to be inclusive.

9. Sixteen dogfight missiles can occupy the volume taken up by a torpedo.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

A. Fragmentation missile is the most popular choice, after advanced.

B. It can affect four adjacent objects, which we could assume include individual missiles in a salvo, if they can target individual smallcraft.

C. Also, carpet bombing.

D. That's sixteen and two thirds kilostarbux with three dice at fifteen gee, which is a relative bargain.

E. Comparatively, multi warhead is sixty two and a half kilostarbux, triple three dice warheads is a minus two on point defence at ten gee.

F. For the Prometheus class, the number of launchers is the bottleneck, not the ordnance.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Missile Doctrine

G. The anti torpedo missile is included, to prevent others doing unto the Confederation starwarships, what the they are planning to do unto them.

H. It's as expensive as an advanced, nominally one dice at fifteen gee.

I. Interestingly enough, an incoming torpedo is immune to a fragmentation warhead, whereas a spacecraft hull is not.

J. The decoy missile is the cheapest listed one at twelve and a half kilostarbux, and unlike dogfight and interceptor missiles, longer endurance and range.

K. Two dice at fifteen gee makes this a somewhat questionable utility, even at minus two to attempts to destroy it.