>>(3) Missile electronics don't last against enemy ECM longer than 30
>>seconds in UF. Ship-to-ship combat is at close range. No 'missile
>>pods,' because missiles are not the main armament of UF ships.

>So, does this mean that you can use missiles, but only fast
>ones at very close range so as not to give shipborne ECM time to
>counter?

Yes. Ten kilometers is about the maximum range for any non-dumb missile/torpedo.

>Oh, and while we're on the subject, what is the difference (in UF)
>between a missile, a photon torpedo, and a proton torpedo?

There are a -lot- of missiles and torpedoes in UF, so let me go over the five missile types most likely to pop up in UF.

First, there's the missiles Valkyries carry. I forget their actual name, but 'Robotech missile' will do. These are very short-range, light-yield IFF weapons, designed for maximum storage on a battle platform. Since Valk combat usually takes place at point-blank range, these are effective for overwhelming an opponent's ability to evade.

Second is the concussion missile. This is a higher-yield IFF weapon with a much longer burn time- long enough for ECM to eventually jam its circuits. It is the fastest missile- but not the fastest projectile at all- type available to starfighters, and is usually carried on fixed-platform interceptors or space superiority fighters.

Third is the proton torpedo. This is the heaviest IFF missile a starfighter usually carries. Compared to the concussion missile, it is slow, but it has nearly five times the explosive power of the concussion missile. A starfighter kill with a proton torpedo is rare; it is usually deployed against small capital ships. Old capital ships and pirate ships also mount these, but by 2388 the main line fleets have moved up to photon torpedoes.

Photon torpedoes are dumb missiles (except when specially modified, which is rare). Thus, in theory they can fly indefinitely. Their lifespan, however, is limited due to their explosive content; antimatter, contained by a short-lived battery-powered magnetic field. Thus, the weapon rapidly loses punch with distance, until it eventually self-detonates. It's a close-range weapon, and at close range within line of sight it is -devastating.- Photon torpedoes are too dangerous- and too large- to mount anywhere except full-size starships.

Finally, you have the drum bomb, which is not technically a missile; it is a momentum-only munition carried by specially modified fightercraft. It cannot be jammed, cannot be diverted, can only be destroyed short of target. They strike with a force comparable to photon torpedoes and usually spell the end of any engagement- because you have to be winning already to insure the drumb bomb hits its target.

Redneck

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