Dead-Fire Missiles

Revision as of 12:29, 13 December 2020 by Seer (talk | contribs) (Major update to the DF missile entry as drawn from IO and TH)
Dead-Fire Missile
Production information
Type Ammunition
Tech Base Inner Sphere (IS)
Year Introduced Clan = N/A

IS = 3052 DC

Technology Rating C
Availability Ratings X/X/E[1]
Technical specifications
Heat ** (**)
Tons Clan = N/A

IS = *

Critical Slots *
Ammo Per Ton x1[2]
Ammo Cost (per ton) x0.6[1]
BV (1.0) Clan = N/A

IS = —

BV (2.0) Clan = N/A

IS = See Below[3]



Description

Tactical Handbook

Dead-Fire Missiles are one of the most effective weapons to emerge from a search to find cheaper alternatives to the spiraling costs of conventional military hardware in the wake of the Clan Invasion. The Draconis Combine spearheaded this effort as they lost numerous worlds to the Clans, but all Successor States soon followed suit. The DF missile lacks any internal guidance system because they are generally the most expensive component, and their removal made the new missile substantially cheaper to produce. Weight savings enabled manufacturers to pack the warheads with more explosives, giving the DF missile nearly twice the punch of its standard cousins.[4]

Interstellar Operations

First researched and developed ca. 3050 by the Draconis Combine, the Dead-Fire Missile emerged as an early effort to offset rising munitions costs. Devised as an alternative missile load for standard LRM and SRM launchers, they featured larger warheads at the expense of targeting systems and thrust power. The DCMS appeared impressed by their potential, fielding prototypes by 3052, but the advent of the MRM launcher led the Combine to abandon DF missiles by the end of the 3050s. By that point the technology was shared or copied by virtually every Inner Sphere state at the time.[5]

Manufacturers

The Dead-Fire Missile is manufactured on following planets:

Brand Planet Company Used by References
Unknown Menke Menke Armor and Armament Capellan Confederation [4]
Unknown Terra ComStar Manufacturing bases ComGuards [4]
Unknown Luthien Luthien Armor Works Draconis Combine [4]
Unknown Gulkana Yeffters Weapons Factory Federated Suns|Federated Commonwealth [4]
Unknown Westover Andurien AeroTech Free Worlds League [4]
Unknown Oriente Oriente Weapon Works Free Worlds League [4]
Unknown Coventry Coventry Metal Works Lyran Commonwealth|Federated Commonwealth [4]
Unknown Skye Cyclops, Incorporated Lyran Commonwealth|Federated Commonwealth [4]
Unknown Tharkad TharHes Industries Lyran Commonwealth|Federated Commonwealth [4]
Unknown Indicass Ceres Metals St. Ives Compact [4]

Damage & Range Table

Type Damage Minimum Range Short Range Medium Range Long Range References
DF LRM 2/Missile, C5/*(*) 4 1-5 6-10 11-15 [2]
DF SRM 3/Missile, C3/*(*) 1 1-2 3-4 5-6 [2]

Rules

Game Rules

Tactical Handbook Rules

Use the Missile Hit Table to resolve DFM fire. Roll 3d6 and use the lowest die results to determine the number of missiles that hit. Roll each hit location separately to simulate the missiles' lack of guidance systems. DF missiles use standard rules when resolving ammunition explosions, but are considered active the moment they are pulled from the ammunition bay; if a launcher is hit before using up all the DF missiles, they explode. All critical locations for the launcher are destroyed and the 'Mech takes damage equal to the maximum damage of the DF missile flight. DF missile ammo bays, however, are protected from the chain reaction that can occur with hot-loaded LRMs and are unaffected by launcher explosions.[4]

Interstellar Operations Rules

DF missiles may only be fired from standard LRM and SRM launchers, and may not benefit from any form of targeting enhancements; the use of Artemis, Narc, etc., will have no effect. Heat generated will be the same as standard ammunition. Upon a successful hit, consult the appropriate column of the Cluster Hits Table with a -3 modifier applied to the roll. On a result of <2 only a single DF missile hits the target. Each missile in a DF LRM volley distributes its damage in 5-point clusters as a normal LRM does; each DF SRM missile that hits rolls for a separate hit location. DF warheads explode with the damage value of a full shot of missiles, multiplied by the remaining flights in the ammo slot.[6]

Interstellar Operations Construction Rules

Dead-Fire missiles are compatible only with standard-type LRM and SRM launchers, and may only be carried in full-ton lots which provide the same number of shots as an equivalent ton of standard missiles for all given launcher sizes and types. For aerospace damage values, use the damage value of an equivalent-sized rack as if it struck its target with a Cluster Hits Table roll of 4.[6]

Battle Value Table

Dead-Fire Missiles are available for the LRM, SRM, and MML.

Munition BV Reference
DF LRM 5 6 [3]
DF LRM 10 16 [3]
DF LRM 15 27 [3]
DF LRM 20 36 [3]
DF SRM 2 2 [3]
DF SRM 4 4 [3]
DF SRM 6 5 [3]
DF MML 3 (SRM) 4 [3]
DF MML 3 (LRM) 3 [3]
DF MML 5 (SRM) 6 [3]
DF MML 5 (LRM) 4 [3]
DF MML 7 (SRM) 10 [3]
DF MML 7 (LRM) 6 [3]
DF MML 9 (SRM) 14 [3]
DF MML 9 (LRM) 8 [3]

MML: "Value provided for reference"[3] as "[e]ven though the multi-missile launcher system did not exist at the time D-F missiles were in use, Battle Values for those weapons are also provided, as such launchers may technically employ them."[7]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Interstellar Operations, p. 219, "Additional Alternate Era Weapons and Equipment"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Interstellar Operations, p. 218, "Additional Alternate Era Weapons and Equipment"
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 Interstellar Operations, p. 196, "Alternate Era Weapons and Equipment Battle Value Table"
  4. 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 Tactical Handbook, pp. 56-57, "Dead-Fire Missile"
  5. Interstellar Operations, p. 131, "Specialty Munitions: Dead-Fire (DF) Missiles"
  6. 6.0 6.1 Interstellar Operations, p. 132, "Dead-Fire (DF) Missile Rules"
  7. Interstellar Operations, p. 193, "Prototype Specialty Missiles (Clan Invasion)"

Bibliography