Flare Sci-Fi Forums: Torpedo Warheads...

This is topic Torpedo Warheads... in forum Starships & Technology at Flare Sci-Fi Forums.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://flare.solareclipse.net/ultimatebb.php/topic/6/581.html

Posted by Baloo (Member # 5) on :

A few questions:

How many types of photon/quantum torpedo warheads are there?
I presume the warhead's effects are primarily heat, blast, and radiation. Are there other effects?
Are quantum torpedoes noticeably more effective (on screen) than photon torpedoes?
Are they primarily a short-ranged or long-ranged weapon?

Just curious.

--Baloo

------------------
"Politicians and diapers should be changed regularly, for the same reason."
--(Unknown)
Come Hither and Yawn...

Posted by Marko Latin on :

1. There are 2 kinds of torpedoes: The Quantum Torpedoes (recently developed by starfleet and much more powerful) and Photon torpedoes (older, weeker but they are used everywhere 'cause they still pack a punch)

2.I don't know much about that but i know that radiation isn't one of the effects but heat and blast certanly are...

3. Yes, Quantum torpedoes are more powerful

4. Short ranged. Because they can be easily avoided at long ranges...

Just trying to help...

------------------
Dream on...in the end...dreams are everything...

Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :

I often wonder if torpedoes are effective at all, considering the six it took to destroy the JH bug in "Valiant." Have we ever seen photons or quantums destroy anything with known properties?

------------------
Frank's Home Page
"I can't remember stuff." - John Linnell

Posted by Obese Penguin (Member # 271) on :

1: Heat and Blast mostly

2: I believe that the Torpedo warheads can be switched with sensor pods and such. Heat and Blast mostly

3: I really dont know much about Quantum Torps but by what I see in First Contact and such Quantums produce a larger BOOM then photons , I do know that the Soverign has a Quantum Torp Turret that can fire mutiple torps at a time and the Defiant can fire four at a time.

4: Short to mid Range

------------------
"Marge .. Do you have other men in this House ? .. Radioactive men?"
~Homer "The Simpsons"

Jupiter Station , Starfleet Research & Development

[This message has been edited by Dhunter (edited January 19, 2000).]

Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :

If we want to count all projectile-weapons in modern Trek there's "high-yield warheads" and the good 'ole Tri-Cobalt device too.

I'm sure the early fight in Valiant was designed primarily to look good, it wouldn't be the same if the Valiant killed the bug just by blowing at it.
But if you want "canon" reasons, we can say that the Valiant-gunner couldn't aim for shit and scored a vital hit with the last volley only.
A good example of the quantum's abilities is in "Defiant" when Tom Riker dropped three pairs of quantum's on a Galor-class, pretty much disabling it.

What I REALLY would like to know is how the torpedo changes by adjusting it's spread. I recall hearing .75 spread and full spread. They mentioned it as early as in TNG, so someone must know SOMETHING!!

------------------
Somehow we're going somewhere.

Posted by KXZ (Member # 119) on :

A photon torpedo explosion should emit some radiation because gamma radiation is a byproduct of matter/antimatter reactions.

------------------
All hands, abandon ship! All hand, abandon...
BOOM!

Posted by bonecrusher on :

I agree with shadow, the tactical officer was novice, the defiant could blow one away with a single Qtorp. The valiant crew sucked that's why, refers to ST 6 "I shall blow you out of the stars" to show why they sucked and even Janeway isnt stupid enough to attack a ship 100X bigger than you!!!

------------------
"I Got two words for you.. S*uck it!"-DeGeneration X
Oh Hell Ya there back!

Bonecrusher
http://members.xoom.com/smartiee

Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :

Actually, you're sort of disagreeing with me.

IIRC, we saw the torpedoes hit the ship in "Valiant."

------------------
Frank's Home Page
"I can't remember stuff." - John Linnell

Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

Yeah, but it depends upon where the torps hit. If you hit the warp core, ka-blammo! If you hit the holodeck, all you do is piss people off. :-)

Nimrod: I believe "spread" refers to a group of torps all fired together. A "full spread" means that they cover as much area as possible. If you want to concentrate your fire in a smaller area, you used a lower spread.

------------------
"If you attempt to return the device to the store, and you are missing one single peanut, the store personnel will laugh in the chilling manner exhibited by Joseph Stalin just after he enslaved Eastern Europe."

Posted by Baloo (Member # 5) on :

One more question (Canon answers only please):

Is the blast wave of a photon torpedo spherical or not?

--Baloo

------------------
"Politicians and diapers should be changed regularly, for the same reason."
--(Unknown)
Come Hither and Yawn...

Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :

Haven't seen one yet. The Klingons hit the Grissom with a torpedo-like weapon in STIII and cause a basically spherical blast, but that's not a very well controlled experiment on photorp blast patterns... In other cases, the things splash against shields or explode completely inside cavities or starships, mangling the blast pattern beyond recognition. I doubt we have ever seen a true free-space detonation...

...Except, waitaminit, "Resolutions". And even there it was an antimatter pod exploding, not just a torpedo. And perhaps "Changeling" where the TOS-era torp hits the tiny Nomad instead of a big starship - the patterns in both cases seem largely symmetrical, but with big flashes of light, one can't tell very well...

Timo Saloniemi

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

Well, it isn't really a matter of canon, now is it?

But you know, I don't know whether we've actually seen a torpedo explode like that, Baloo. We usually just get the generic flame (!?).

------------------
"20th Century, go to sleep."
--
R.E.M.

Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :

Since we in THESE days can create explosives with guided blast-angles I hope the torp's of modern Trek detonate in a guided blast, with most of the energy continuing against it's target when it hits, Otherwise it's a big waste of juice

with 50% of the blast dissapating in space.

For example, when the Ent-E blew the borg sphere up in the beginning of FC, the quantums seemed to just sink into the sphere, before causing a shipwide collapse.
That CAN be interpreted as a sign that SF-torpedos form their blast as a lance, penetrating the shields and hull if it's weakened enough, and work in a general, armour-piercing fashion.
I'm sure there are examples that contradict this, but hey, if there weren't thinkers, were would we be today?
Wait, don't answer that last entry.

------------------
Somehow we're going somewhere.

Posted by Baloo (Member # 5) on :

Nimrod: That's what I was getting at. Is it canon that torpedoes have "shaped" charges (or at least focussed blast effects) or was the above speculation. When I viewed the "First Contact" footage, it does not seem absolutely certain that the explosions are shaped, so much as directed by the framework of the cube. There's room for interpretation, in other words.

Has anything been seen (especially spoken) on-screen about this? A future VIVA LAS VEGAS entry may be in the making if there is nothing definitive on the subject.

--Baloo

------------------
"Politicians and diapers should be changed regularly, for the same reason."
--(Unknown)
Come Hither and Yawn...

Posted by Marko Latin on :

I heard that a quantum torpedo type 2 has been developed and the ENT-E has been fitted with them...
Is that true?
how many types of quantums are there?
there are nine types of photons as far as i know....

------------------
Dream on...in the end...dreams are everything...

Posted by Baloo (Member # 5) on :

NINE???

What does anyone else know about this? Are they different types for different purposes (perhaps with different warheads) or are there just nine different types of torpedo, each being a refinement of the last?

--Baloo

------------------
"Politicians and diapers should be changed regularly, for the same reason."
--(Unknown)
Come Hither and Yawn...

Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :

I believe that the Photon is currently up to a Mark XXXII or something similar. Captain's Chair lists the Defiant has having Mark XXX, XXXI, and XXXII photons. Quantums are listed a Mark Q-II, meaning this is the 2nd version in existance. The 1st was probably the tesbed design

------------------
"The things hollow--it goes on forever--and--oh my God!--it's full of stars!" -David Bowman's last transmission back to Earth, 2001: A Space Odyssey

Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :

Then there's the blue photon's from TOS and ST:I, and the GREEN one from ST:V, and a bunch of red ones ranging from Reliant to Ent-D. How many torpedos have the US navy come up with since WWI?

------------------
Somehow we're going somewhere.