Sketches – Capital Plasma Torpedo Concepts

The use of “Capital” missiles by the Elysians put no small amount of pressure on deWulf corporations to develop an equivalent weapon. While the average plasma torpedo was roughly equivalent in yield, the Elysian missiles were longer ranged, harder to shoot down, and had a (comparatively) larger yield. While some of these issues could be dismissed, the war over longer range was the critical factor that forced research to go from a theoretical possibility to a practical requirement.

Several designs for a larger torpedo were considered, including several more “unorthodox” designs that dispensed with the more classic torpedo shape or used multiple smaller drive engines to boost the range. Ultimately however the base design fell to a larger-diameter warhead design with a more robust, but ultimately simple evolutionary design.

So, while I had basically made the standard plasma torpedo a, well, torpedo shape, the possibility arose of doing something more interesting than just “long rounded cylinder”. A few of these ideas are better than others, and while I think I’m going to settle on the second one down for the “real” capital plasma torpedo, the last idea is both rather unique and has some interesting possibilities. Something that I’ll keep for later, I think.