Weapon specs (FreeSpace Reference Bible)

These descriptions are taken from the FreeSpace Reference Bible (pp. 34-37). Please do not edit the descriptions themselves. Use the Notes section to make comments.

GTW ML-16

Argon laser weapon; uses transparent ceramic technology in order to create an optical system that is extremely durable and stable under battle conditions; provides adequate destructive damage to the hull of enemy ships by vaporizing molecular bonds at the target area and destabilizing molecular bonds across the grain of the hull material.

GTW-41 Disruptor Cannon

A gas-focused krypton laser; when the ship is in flight, the chamber of the GTW-41 rotates at a constant speed; a small amount of NO2 is injected into the container .05 ms prior to the emission of the laser light; the rotation of the NO2 in the chamber focuses the laser pulse to a state that is only very slightly (1%) diffused; after the laser pulse is emitted from the chamber into space, the chamber expels the NO2 into space (thus expelling ionized molecules and moisture); the process repeats for each subsequent burst of laser energy; as this laser is very slightly diffused, it is not effective as a destructive weapon, but as a tactical weapon; the Disruptor Cannon is best suited and is used for the permanent disabling of enemy ship subsystems.

GTW-15 Avenger

A rapid-fire, computer-controlled radar and gun system; capable of firing at a rate of more than 4500 rounds per minute; used primarily for close-defense situations; uses closed-loop radar technology to locate, identify, and direct a stream of highly destructive 45mm projectiles to the target.

GTW-32 Flail

A rapid-fire, low energy, ceramic optic focused, krypton laser; used in tactical situations to distract or lead an enemy to their destruction at the hands of other allied fighters; this weapon, if used over an extended period of in-flight battle, can destroy an enemy fighter, but, as a destructive weapon, should only be used as a last resort.

GTW-5 Prometheus

Named after the Titan who gave fire to humanity, the Prometheus is a laser-based weapon; an advanced radar and X-ray tracking system lock on the target and determine the target’s material structure; argon laser focused via transparent ceramic optics; uses only slightly more energy than the GTW ML-16; the laser is generated at the destructive frequency (full out-of-phase) for the target’s material structure; emitted no more than .02 ms after targeting and activation by the pilot, the Prometheus stands as one of the GTA’s most effective deterrents to enemy attack, an effective form of defense for GTA pilots, and as a durable, portable, and highly destructive offensive tool.

GTW-7 Banshee

An electromagnetic weapon; sends rapid pulses of exceptionally strong electromagnetic energy resulting in a 1.63 x 105 J blast that forces its way through any known shield technology and produces a dramatic shearing effect which quickly destroys the target ship’s materials; named for the fact that in an atmosphere, the pulse creates an atmospheric disturbance similar to a quasi-human scream at 180 dB; uses up a tremendous amount of available ship energy; already, it is has been used by many GTA fighter aces and test pilots as a coup de grace, although such a use for this massively powerful offensive weapon is officially viewed as poor sportsmanship by the GTA.

GTM MX-50

Available for all space battles, defensive and offensive; medium payload (16.5 Kt); infrared tracking and semi-intelligent targeting; pilot chooses desired target, and the MX-50 tracks the chosen target based off the emission of heat from the engine, the weapon bays, and the cockpit of the target ship; the MX-50 will always attack a target that is determined to be hostile by the onboard computer of any GTA combat vessel, thus ensuring a higher kill rate, should the pilot find himself in a heated battle situation where precise aiming might be difficult.

GTM-31 Disruptor Missile

Advanced signal processing; high precision interception capability; small payload (9 Kt), combining both conventional explosives and a localized blast of energy caused by the effect of impact upon the laser-propulsion system of the missile; designed to temporarily disable subsystems on hostile targets.

GTM-2 Fury

Small, fast dumbfire missiles; fired in swarms; GTA fighters can carry more Fury missiles than conventional missiles, due to their small size; used for distraction and other tactical measures; very small payload (3 Kt).

GTM-4 Hornet

Infrared and ultraviolet tracking; designed to fire in small groups of 4 missiles per burst; light medium payload per missile (12 Kt); semi-intelligent on-board tracking; single-pass kill probability will not exceed 60% on average; designed as an offensive version of the Fury.

GTM-9 Interceptor

All-aspect seeking; laser tracking senses energy reflected off a target from the primary weapon systems of the target, increasing single-pass kill probability; medium payload (18.5 Kt); missile is designed to pierce reinforced hull, thus securing itself to the target, prior to detonating (15 ms delay).

GTM Phoenix V

All-aspect seeking; same tracking system as the Interceptor; large payload (50 Kt), but somewhat slower than the Interceptor; one of the best fire-and-forget missiles ever developed; many fighter pilots within the GTA regard the Phoenix V as the weapon of choice against high value, heavily defended targets.

GTM-1 Synaptic Bomb

Missile propulsion unit carrying several small intelligent "bomblets"; when distance to target is less than 100 m or when time to impact is less than 2 sec., bomblets direct missile to the most vulnerable part of the ship of those parts of the ship facing the missile; bomblets then separate from missile propulsion unit and form a sphere; inertia continues to carry bomblets in the direction of the target; the missile propulsion unit continues to advance toward the target; when the missile hits the target or 1.5 sec. after the missile should have hit the target, the bomblets explode; the spherical shape of the formation of the bomblets helps to ensure a fairly even level of damage across a sensitive area on the target; the spherical shape also ensures that the target will not be able to effectively maneuver away from the blast, thus "pinning" the target to a specific area in space; can also act as dumbfire; medium payload per bomblet (15 Kt); very small payload for missile (2 Kt).

GTM-43 Stiletto

All-aspect seeking; laser tracking similar to the Interceptor; missile is protected by a small shield system, allowing for greater success in payload delivery during busy melee situations and intense firefights; fast, but low in-flight maneuverability compared to other missiles of comparable size; low maneuverability due to the size of the missile’s payload (60 Kt) and on-board shield system.

GTM-3 Tsunami

Intelligent tracking similar to GTA targeting system; prior to launch, communicates with ship computer, gathering data about enemy target types and whereabouts; slow, low maneuverability; antimatter warhead (500 tonne3 mass-to-energy conversion); due to instability of antimatter, no more than 6 may be carried on board a GTA bomber at any given time, unless pilot is granted a special permit by an appropriate governing body or pilot is to participate in a glory mission.

GTM N-1 Harbinger

Fusion bomb surrounded by 3 salted fission bombs; propulsion unit is a half-size version of a regulation GTA fighter thruster (Class II); given the weight of the payloads, the missile is slow despite the power of the thruster; as the Harbinger is exceptionally large, GTA fighters and bombers are limited to carrying 2 of these weapons at any given time; the resultant shock wave from this weapon is potentially deadly, due to the size of the payloads (5000 Mt in total); use near allied installations or allied ship groupings is strongly discouraged by the GTA; most effective when used in preemptive defensive strike against non-military installations.

Notes

Note discrepancies, inaccuracies, and trivia here