Kinetic missiles

Kinetic Missiles

Kinetic missiles are generally guided devices which do not carry a warhead, but instead rely on similar principles to a bullet fired from a gun. Rather than having a costly warhead packed with explosives, the kill vehicle itself becomes the warhead - it's explosive power is the velocity at which it impacts it's target.

At a high enough velocity, a kinetic missile can breach clean through a target before critical mass is obtained. This principle is particuarly effective in fleet-to-fleet actions, whereby closely packed vessels can be destroyed with a single strike.

Kinetic missiles are in widespread use, across many disciplines, but were largely pioneered by the now-defunct Empire of the Eternal Dawn, which used them to marginal effect against a Melkor Unchained Sky Furnace.

Atomic Kinetics

Atomic kinetic missiles are tipped with fissile material. On impact, the heat release initiates fission in a certain percentage of the material (depending on material selection and other factors), resulting in a nuclear fission event with all the hallmarks of a 'traditional' nuclear assault.

Atomic kinetics are generally regarded as overkill.