GTM Piranha

This warhead is an upgrade of the Great War-era Synaptic Bomb. A powerful anti-fighter defensive weapon used by both warships and bombers, the Piranha is a manually detonated missile that damages numerous targets through two means. The separating charge of the device is, in its own right a powerful explosive that can deal substantial blast damage within a large radius; but the real killer is the cloud of heat-seeking submunitions which erupt and target all hostile targets within range. Entire waves of enemy fighters have been known to disappear in a single rolling explosion in front of incoming heavy bomber wings.

Disadvantages of the weapon are as significant as its advantages. The weapon is enormously heavy, and its thruster only has enough power to push it out to a few hundred meters before it detonates. This puts the launching bomber dangerously close to the edge of the resulting carnage. Its size and mass also force the weapon to occupy a bomb bay, displacing precious anit-warship torpedoes. Finally, while the seeking submunitions are IFF-keyed, the separating charge is indiscriminate and will damage allied fighters just as much as the enemy if they're caught within the weapon's blast.

This weapon is not suitable for mixed formations. Either the bombers should defend themselves with barrages of Piranhas, or they should leave these missiles at home and trust their safety to fighter escorts. If both escorts and Piranhas are employed, the escorting fighters are virtually guaranteed to take needless damage.