Discussion on SW torps
Ryan Spickard
again just to see what the opinions are now.
So from the ROTJ novelization (pg. 468 in the Star Wars Trilogy
printing...sorry, its the only copy I have, so the page in the seperate
novel will be different):
"It's too big, Gold Leader," yelled Wedge. "My proton torpedoes won't even
dent that."
...
"We're carrying concussion missiles--they should penetrate."
This conversation occurs during Lando's and Wedge's inner-Death Star reactor
run, right before they destroy said reactor.
What interests me in this quote is that Lando used the term 'penetrate' and
Wedge said 'dent'. So, does this mean that they were not using technical
and exact words (wouldn't be much of a stretch to say so in that
context/situation)? Or, more interesting, does this imply that concussion
missiles are potentially more penetrating than proton torps (at least in
this situation)?
Now, with the first option, it could be that a proton torp would have simply
punched a hole through the reactor, without causing enough damage to destroy
it in the needed time frame. While using an area-effect weapon, like the
concussion missile, would destroy enough.
However, if the second option is valid, perhaps concussion missiles do have
armor-peircing capabilities that would warrant their use in this context
(similar perhaps to modern day munitions designed to penetrate deep before
detonating their main payload).
Thoughts?
--
--
Ryan M Spickard
www.plutonian.org
www.mindlesscartoonviolence.com
Ryan Spickard
First off is the MF firing the concussion missiles, and their effects:
http://www.plutonian.org/images/asvs/rotj-conmis-001.jpg
http://www.plutonian.org/images/asvs/rotj-conmis-002.jpg
http://www.plutonian.org/images/asvs/rotj-conmis-003.jpg
http://www.plutonian.org/images/asvs/rotj-conmis-004.jpg
http://www.plutonian.org/images/asvs/rotj-conmis-005.jpg
http://www.plutonian.org/images/asvs/rotj-conmis-006.jpg
http://www.plutonian.org/images/asvs/rotj-conmis-007.jpg
http://www.plutonian.org/images/asvs/rotj-conmis-008.jpg
http://www.plutonian.org/images/asvs/rotj-conmis-009.jpg
Here's Wedge's Protorps at work:
http://www.plutonian.org/images/asvs/rotj-protorp-001.jpg
http://www.plutonian.org/images/asvs/rotj-protorp-002.jpg
http://www.plutonian.org/images/asvs/rotj-protorp-003.jpg
http://www.plutonian.org/images/asvs/rotj-protorp-004.jpg
http://www.plutonian.org/images/asvs/rotj-protorp-005.jpg
http://www.plutonian.org/images/asvs/rotj-protorp-006.jpg
Allen W. McDonnell
"Ryan Spickard" <ry...@plutonian.org> wrote in message
news:gnj1le$tb8$1...@news.albasani.net...
I thought we had concluded years ago that Proton missiles are focused fusion
weapons, the nuclear version of a shaped charge, whereas Concusion missiles
are spherical explosions that take out wide spread targets? That being the
case the Proton warhead would punch a hole through that particular target
while the concussion missiles would take out the entire support structure
and let the reactor shift in its mount (like we saw).
Ryan Spickard
news:vaudnZ_C9f1bBwPU...@provide.net...
That does seem to be the case from the official stuff...I just think that
this demonstrates that con missiles can be used to penetrate at least light
armor before detonating.
Allen W. McDonnell
Makes perfect sense to me, for example reportedly some USA "bunker buster"
missile wareheads have the delay burst option so that they can penetrate
into the target before detonation to increase their effectiveness against
hardened targets.
--
*******************************
Oxygen: - An intensely habit-forming accumulative toxic substance. As little
as one breath is known to produce a life-long addiction to the gas, which
addiction invariably ends in death. In high concentration it causes death
quickly, but even in a 20% dilution few survive more than a 0.8 century.
Isaac Asimov
Ryan Spickard
Yeah, thats it. There have been bunker buster warheads for a while now, and
other similar warheads...ummm...shit...let me think...semi-armor peircing
high explosives (SAPHE), Armor Piercing Explosive (APEX) come to mind for
anti-AFV duty...don't know how much they are used for anti ship use. Phong
would know I bet.
Allen W. McDonnell
Civilian ships are typically 1" mild steel, no need for armor piercing to
burst through those, and most naval vessels by averages are also not armored
or are armored with Kevlar blankets between hull layers to trap shrapnel and
disperse its energy. Sabot rounds are available for the guns on the ships
if needed, but even then most rounds are simply HE rounds with a hardened
tip. The best ammunition for armor piercing is purportedly the CIWS 20mm
depleted uranium rounds, they are short range but they will chew through 4
inches of hardened steel armor and they fire about 3000 rounds a minute.
--
~~
Always appeal to a man's enlightened self interest, you can trust him to
look out for himself honestly,
It's when you appeal to his Honor or the Common Good that he stops paying
attention.
Commander RayCav
hole in a reactor, being that it's a reactor designed to contain a
reaction, well, you're no longer containing the reaction. So I imagine
that would do some really not fun stuff either way.
Allen W. McDonnell
"Commander RayCav" <ray...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:b946b324-ca99-44c9...@l39g2000yqn.googlegroups.com...
True, but the difference between a reactor shutting down due to safety
systems automatically activating or exploding as they did in both ANH and
ROTJ to destroy the Death Star is quite significant.
Commander RayCav
Well, I know that real-life nuclear reactors are designed to shut down
if a reaction were to no longer be controlled. I don't know what they
do if the actual containment system has been compromised, or if the DS
reactors work that way.
But meh, it's all good.