Plasma Torpedo
A Plasma Torpedo is a type of plasma rifle based upon the SML3 Plasma Rifle, but adopted for much greater firepower and use aboard aircraft, spacecraft or terrestrial vehicles or ships. A plasma torpedo is a ball of super-heated plasma encased inside a magnetic field. Once the ball hits solid matter or other resistance, the magnetic field collapses and releases the plasma in a short, but powerful burst, scorching and burning most types of matter and, due to the much larger amounts of plasma used compared to the SML3, instantly vaporizing most unportected humanoid targets. Plasma can be generated from a variety of materials, and energy is usually supplied by the power plant of the vehicle the torpedo launcher is mounted onto (while SML3's could only use energy cells as power supply). Plasma torpedo shots are non-homing, but there are also variants which include a missile-like body in the projectile, allowing it to be steered like a homing missile.
Applications
- NOD Banshees use Proton Torpedos consisting of pure protons encased inside a magnetic field. Just like with spatial plasma torpedos, the damage done by this weapon spreads evenly over the systems of any ship or tank fired upon in form of a protonic charge, rendering the target's atoms to isotops. The weapon is especially efficient against vehicles, because the charge dissapates rapidly in non-conductive material, thus giving a narrow area of effect which makes it less useful against smaller targets like infantry. If fired upon the conductive material of a large and easy to spot ground vehicle however, the effects are devastating, and the weapon is able to deal even with a Mammoth Mk. II battlemech with ease. NOD gained this technology by reverse-engineering alien (Scrin) technology.
- Palladin Cannons use a similar system. They fire a solid shell encased in two layers of magnetic field. The outer layer traps plasma to the projectile while the inner layer protects the projectile itself from the plasma. The projectile includes a power storage and magnetic coils capable of stabilizing the magnetic field over a long course of flight, which gives the weapon a much greater range and tolerance towards countermeasures than can be achieved by pre-charged magnetic fields without a permanently recharging field. Palladin Cannons are especially useful against larger structures, and are mostly used for siege, because their projectiles travel very slow and the magnetic field encasing the entire projectile makes any kind of guidance difficult, thus the projectile is simply following a basic arcing ballistic trajectory and is hardly capable of succesfuly engaging any moving targets.
- A similar system was used as alternative armament of the Shock Cannons of Space battleship Yamato, by trapping energy from the Wave Motion Engine in a magnetic field and firing it. However, this weapon is better referred to as Tachyon Torpedo.
- The character Primo, who had been constructed by the Leninist Dynasty as a cybernetic ultrasoldier, mounts a plasma cannon implanted in each of his arms. Likewise, one of his attack techniques is called Super Plasma. When using Super Plasma, Primo uses the plasma cannons to accumulate plasma within a super-powerful magnetic field he projects with generators in his hands. The accumulated plasma forms an huge, glowing, super-heated orb that he can then hurl at his enemies. Upon contact, the magnetic field collapses and the expanding plasma scorches most units and installations to the ground. However, the energy is purely technological and, despite the fusion power used to fuel the plasma, in no way as efficient as Ki energy.
- Raider mechs, Twister transporter and Morpher use small plasma cannons.
