Munitions
The late 20th century and early 21st century on Earth saw the development of stealth platforms, such as fighters and bombers, designed to reduce the chance of detection and, thus, increase the likelihood of reaching and destroying a target in enemy defended territory. While the platforms had stealth technology, the missiles and bombs they carried did not. If these weapons were exposed, they could be detected even if the carrying platform could not. For this reason, weapons were often carried in internal bays until ready for use.
As weapon technology progressed in the 21st century, the weapons also acquired stealth technologies. After the Solthari attack on Garden that began the Solthari War (2070-2091), the Coalition needed new weapons to counter Solthari space and ground forces. Solthari ships had sophisticated sensors and early human weapons enjoyed only limited success, often giving away the position of their launching platform.
Beginning after 2071, with the development of macromolecular construction, a new class of weapons and launch platforms entered service that combined weapons with the same stealth and active camouflage systems as their launch platforms, and platforms that could launch weapons internally with the weapons then passing through the skin of the platform to hide the launch and keep the platform’s position hidden. This model is still used today.
Nova Multirole Missile (SGM-25)
SIL
When the First SIL War (2141-2162) began, both the SIL and the Coalition relied on standard-technology missiles designed for specific purposes, such as anti-ship and ground-attack. While these “brilliant” fire-and-forget missiles proved effective, the SIL considered them inefficient. In 2142, the SIL began experimenting with missile designs, iterating those that proved effective while discarding designs that did not. By 2143, they’d settled on the Nova SGM-25 that is still the primary missile in use today.
Cylindrical in shape, the Nova is the largest missile in the modern inventory, capable of carrying a wide array of payloads in space and in atmosphere. Its size also means the missile carries the same intelligence and self-awareness as SIL platforms, making it capable of analyzing the tactical situation and adjusting in real time, and of coordinating with other missiles and platforms to deceive defensive systems and maximize effects. A final benefit of their size is the incorporation of a highly advanced maneuvering system that makes the Nova the most agile munition in use.
Novas can launch from ships with just the payload contained within the maneuvering stage, or up to three boosters can be added to greatly increase or decrease speed. The most common usage is to have one booster rapidly propel the missile to its maximum rated speed of 95,000 km/sec, discard the booster, then use a second booster to rapidly slow itself into the “hunting ground” where the maneuver stage engages its intended target. Boosters release a tremendous amount of energy and are fairly easy to detect, so their use is mostly limited to areas where the missile is less vulnerable to anti-missile defenses.
The Nova is fusion powered with a theoretical operational limit based on available fuel reserves of 6+ months, but this can be extended by entering a low-power, battery only dormant mode. This is common when the Nova is used as a mine. At speeds exceeding 5% the speed of light, the Nova deploys deflectors to protect it from debris and particle collisions, and this same deflector technology also protects the Nova if it passes through active energy shields. Novas can be recovered, refueled, and rearmed for a different mission.
Resting mass (no payload): 1,121 kg
Dimensions (no payload, no booster): L-6.12m, D-662mm
Speed (max): 95,000 km/sec
Payloads (most common):
– Mk III, plasma, incendiary
– Mk IV, antimatter, anti-ship, 2.5 KT
– Mk XV, antimatter, anti-ship, 250 KT
– CM IV, cluster, antimatter, 344 submunitions
– CM V, cluster, anti-armor or facility, 122 smart submunitions
– CM VII, cluster, chemical agent (various)
– CM X, cluster, biological agent (various)
– Mk 632, Invasive Macromolecular Disassemblers (“Special D”)
– APG-25, Madu, 122 units
Stellar Fire (AGM-67)
Standard
The Stellar Fire “Brilliant” fire-and-forget anti-ship missile was the first of the new generation of missiles developed after the Solthari invaded, the original AGM-1 variant entering service in 2074, and was the mainstay of human forces through the end of the SIL Wars (2141-2203). While the Stellar Fire lacks the intelligence and self-awareness that make the Nova so effective, its smaller size allows for rapid manufacture and larger inventories, quantity over quality. At speeds exceeding 5% the speed of light, the Stellar Fire deploys deflectors to protect it from debris and particle collisions.
With the defeat of the SIL, the SGM-25 Nova became the standard missile in use on the Fleet’s warships, both SIL and standard, while the shorter-ranged and less capable Stellar Fire remained the norm for planetary defense forces. Though primarily used for anti-ship, the missile can be used against fixed surface targets. Like Novas, boosters can be fitted to the Stellar Fire for rapid acceleration and deceleration.
Resting mass (no payload): 240.2 kg
Dimensions: L-2.62m, D-174mm
Speed (max): 75,000 km/sec
Payloads (most common):
– Mk III, plasma, incendiary
– Mk IV, antimatter, anti-ship, 2.5 KT
– Mk XV, antimatter, anti-ship, 250 KT
Starburst (SIM-3)
SIL
As with the Stellar Fire anti-ship missile, the SIL found the standard technology SIM-7 Gamma anti-missile missile inefficient and developed the SIM-3 Starburst for missile and spacecraft defense, entering service in 2143. Because space is so vast and missiles with stealth and active camouflage so small and difficult to detect, the Starburst uses a combination of submunitions, spinning filaments, and a directional antimatter charge for missile defense. With the same intelligence and self-awareness as SIL platforms, SIM-3s can adapt to the tactical situation and coordinate with other missiles to maximize effects. Like Novas, the SIM-3 can use up to three boosters to rapidly accelerate or decelerate, however, only one booster is used in most situations. At speeds exceeding 5% the speed of light, the Stellar Fire deploys deflectors to protect it from debris and particle collisions.
The SIM-3 releases its submunitions in an expanding conical area forward of the missile itself. Each submunition begins spinning rapidly after being released and extends two 1000-meter filaments. At speeds approaching 10%-40% the speed of light, the kinetic energy of the filaments alone is often enough to destroy or disable a target. However, the sub-munition has an additional trick: When a filament contacts a target, it triggers a power single magnetic pulse that can disrupt the containment field of an antimatter warhead, the most common type of warhead used to attack ships and fixed installations.
The SIM-3 missile itself, after ejecting its sub-munitions, also begins to spin rapidly and extends four 10,000-meter filaments. If a filament contacts a target, or the missile determines that a target may be nearby, it detonates its antimatter warhead in the direction of filament contact or suspected target location.
Resting mass (no payload): 373.8 kg
Dimensions: L-5.89m, D-412mm
Speed (max): 120,000 km/sec
Payload: 122 submunitions, directional Mk IV antimatter, 2.5 KT
Gamma (SIM-7)
Standard
The SIM-7 was the primary anti-missile missile throughout the Solthari War (2070-2191) and remained the Coalition’s standard missile defense during the SIL Wars (2141-2203). A “brilliant” fire-and-forget weapon, the SIM-7 employs explosive submunitions and an antimatter warhead in the missile itself. While very effective against Solthari swarm attacks consisting of thousands of Solthari warriors fitted with various payloads, it proved far less effective against the SGM-25 Nova Multirole Missile introduced by the SIL in 2143. Casualty rates in fleet engagements soared to 30%-50% per engagement. The Coalition, unwilling to employ technology with even a hint of intelligence, never developed a better variant.
After the SIL defeat in 2203, all Fleet warships and surface defense units switched to the SIM-3 Starburst and the SIM-7 is no longer in use.
Resting mass (no payload): 296.2 kg
Dimensions: L-4.69m, D-202mm
Speed (max): 75,000 km/sec
Payload: 612 submunitions, directional Mk IV antimatter, 2.5 KT
Corefire (GGM-101)
SIL/Standard
The GGM family of anti-armor “brilliant” fire-and-forget missiles is by far the most successful surface warfare missile ever developed. First introduced in 2076, the early versions saw only limited use in the Solthari War (2070-2091) as the Solthari rarely engaged in surface combat, preferring to destroy targets and biospheres from space. That changed during the unofficial “Alien Actions” (2091-2098) as mercenaries and adventure seekers ruthlessly hunted down and exterminated the remaining Solthari. The GGM family of missiles underwent rapid development during the Alien Actions and both anti-armor and anti-personnel variants increased the time they could loiter searching for targets and their sensor suit to better detect such targets. The extinction of the Solthari in 2098 owes much to this munition.
Development stalled during the SIL Wars (2141-2203) as the SIL did not employ armor for surface attack, relying instead on Madu, for which the GGM was ill suited. However, after the conclusion of the war, counter-insurgency and sophisticated criminal organizations grew to become major challenges to the Humanity Republic and the GGM-101 Corefire came into widespread use by police and military surface units.
The Corefire comes in both standard and SIL variants with the SIL variant containing limited intelligence and self-awareness, allowing it to adapt to changing tactical situations and coordinate with other missiles. The SIL variant is used by all Fleet warships, Imperial troops, and Imperial installations. Local planetary defense forces use the standard variant. The missile can use anti-armor, anti-personnel, and plasma payloads.
Resting mass (no payload): 24.2 kg
Dimensions: L-1.62m, D-174mm
Speed (max): 3,430 m/sec
Flight Time (max): 2.1 hours (includes low-speed loiter)
Payloads (most common):
– Mk I, plasma, incendiary
– Mk V, antimatter, anti-armor, 10 KT
– CM 2, cluster, antimatter, 270 submunitions
Lightning (AAM-39)
Standard
While the SIL did not engage in traditional surface combat involving armored vehicles or most transatmospheric (“transam”) craft during the SIL Wars (2141-2203), they did use transams to deliver Madu to planetary surfaces, space-based installations, and Coalition warships. Providing a light anti-transam, “brilliant” fire-and-forget capability quickly became a priority and the AAM-1 entered service in 2145. Iterated throughout the First SIL War (2141-2162), the AAM was not popular with troops owing to its low success rate against actively camouflaged targets, earning it the nickname “dice roll.”
With the introduction by the SIL of the HETS in 2178 to deliver large numbers of Madu to planetary surfaces, the Coalition improved the “wake seeker” and infrared sensors on the AAM, introducing the AAM-39 Lightning at the end of 2178. The missile’s success rate improved to almost 40% against the HETS, whose large size and rapid entry into atmospheres produced large wakes and heat signatures. However, after the SIL Wars ended in 2203, the rise of insurgencies and well-resourced criminal organizations saw a proliferation of advanced transams for which the Lightning was ill-suited. Success rates dropped to roughly 12% and the “dice roll” nickname returned.
The AAM-39 Lightning is used extensively on armored vehicles for “air” defense, on transams to provide an “air-to-air” capability, and a one-shot, disposable, human-portable Kinetic Launcher.
Resting mass (no payload): 10.4 kg
Dimensions: L-1.56m, D-96mm
Speed (max): 1,715 m/sec
Flight Time (max): 39 minutes (includes low-speed loiter)
Payload: directional Mk IV antimatter, 2.5 KT
KILPAD
Standard
Introduced after the SIL Wars ended in 2203, the KILPAD is a “brilliant” fire-and-forget, disposable, human-portable anti-armor missile. Though short ranged and lacking the loiter capability of the GGM-101 Corefire, it nonetheless became very popular with police and military forces, and the insurgents and criminal organizations they used it against.
Resting mass (no payload): 9.6 kg
Dimensions: L-0.94m, D-106mm
Speed (max): 1,715 m/sec
Range (max): 5 km
Range (min): 450 m
Payload: Mk IV antimatter, 2.5 KT