Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Approved Tech Creespa-Class Concussion Missile Warhead

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Popo

I'm Sexy and I Know It
Creespa-Class Concussion Missile Warhead

Intent: To create an innovative and devastating alternative concussion missile warhead designed for two stages of damage: Maximize thermal damage to ray/deflector shields and burn through the outer hull of the targeted ship, causing explosive decompression damage.
Development Thread: N/A
Manufacturer: Tenloss Corporation
Affiliation: Tenloss Corporation, Open Market
Modularity: The warhead can attach to almost any existing concussion missile system. The thermite mixture inside the warhead can be altered, though Tenloss offers only one thermite composition for sale. Tampering with the warhead can cause injury, blindness, maiming, or death and will void the warhead's warranty. Please do not store in extreme heat. Please keep away from open flames or intense heat sources.
Production: Mass-Produced
Material: Durasteel warhead shell, Aluminum powder/dust, Iron Oxide powder/dust, Barium Nitrate, Sulfur, Molecular Binder Chemicals, springloaded thermally treated ceramic plate, magnetic panels.
Description: As the galaxy continues to burn from conflict, war, and unrest, the demand for missiles and warheads has blown through the roof. Realizing the high market demand, but unwilling to risk investing in the missile business due to high competition, Popo found a happy medium in the development, manufacture, and sales of missile warheads.

Unfortunately, most missile companies manufactured both warheads and warhead delivery systems, forcing Popo to find unique, alternative warhead designs to compete directly with other companies. It was during a routine inspection on board the Wheel that a new and innovative idea revealed itself to the Hutt.

After witnessing a pair of welders applying a small packet to the outer hull of the space station, Popo was amazed to see the item combust in no atmosphere and burn a hole straight through the durasteel hull of the space station. When questioned, the pair of workers explained that they used a chemical called thermite to burn through the hull of the ship to install piping and wiring. They also explained that they could only do so when the compartment on the opposite side of the hull was voided of atmosphere to prevent explosive decompression. The pair also stated that thermite was easily bought, made, and used requiring only basic components to manufacture.

Soon after, Popo expanded the offices and factories on Raxus Prime to begin producing the materials required for thermite and started his R&D departments within Tenloss to being work on a warhead designed to weaponize the composite.

The result was the Creespa-Class Concussion Missile Warhead. The warhead is designed to impact directly on the targeted ship and activate. Upon impact, the magnetic plate on the tip of the warhead adhere to the ship's hull. The impact triggers the spring loaded ceramic plate which snaps forward and pushes the thermite against the tip of the warhead. This also ignites the thermite through the use of a magnesium strip that ignites when the ceramic plate moves. Once activated, the thermite ignites melting through the warhead's tip and causing a thermal bloom reaching upwards of 2,500-3,000 degrees Celsius. Against ray or deflector shields, the sheer levels of heat can burn out the shield generator through thermal energy, though only smaller ships are susceptible to this as larger ships field larger shields and generators (sustained barrages will quickly bring them down, however). Against the actual hull, the thermite ignites at the same temperatures and melts and burns a hole through the actual hull itself, puncturing through to the inside of the target. This causes a roughly fist sized hole in the enemy hull and can, with a sustained barrage, weaken the hull on smaller ships, though the primary use is to vent atmosphere within the ship. Also, because the warhead isn't technically explosive, only thermal oriented, shooting a missile would only cause an explosion equal to the amount of fuel in the actual missile as the thermite would simply burn on ignition, not explode. Any missiles flying close enough to the propellant detonation, or flying directly through the burning thermite, would obviously explode on contact.

The system is not without it's faults, however. Thermite will react to intense heat, requiring the warhead to be stored away from intense heat and where a stray laser can't ignite them. Also, while highly damaging to ships, the missile is next to useless on ground based targets aside from “bunker busting” to create assaultable breaches in fortified structures or bases. The warhead also sees decreasing usefulness in extended engagements as it is only designed to weaken the hulls of small escort ships and to vent atmosphere. With both instances, this usually has occurred by mid to late engagements.

Classification: Thermal/Kinetic Missile Warhead
Size: Missile Warhead
Status: Legal
Length: .6 meters (Averaged. Varies for missile types)
Weight: 100kg (Averaged. Varies for missile types)
Ammunition Type: Thermite metal composition
Ammunition Capacity: 1 warhead
Effective Range: N/A (Mounted on most pre-existing concussion missiles)
 
I like the idea of adapting modern-day technologies to Star Wars, but there is a functional question that needs addressing:

What's the mechanism of delivery? Thermite isn't a directional, shaped charge, so it's not going to "project" towards the whole. There needs to be some way for it to stick to the hull in order for it to continuously burn through the hull. In the real world, this is accomplished by gravity: A thermite grenade can be placed on top of an object, and gravity would hold the thermite to the object, allowing it to melt its way through. In space, without gravity, that wouldn't be the case. The inertial of the missile could help, but the impact would also cause the thermite package to bounce off, thus dissipating the impact. Finally, whatever mechanism that holds the thermite to the hull would also need to withstand the heat of the thermite.

This question actually also applies to the damage done to the shields.

What are your thoughts on this? I like your idea, so I'd like to work with you to find a solution and implement this technology.

Please tag me in your reply. Thanks!
 

Popo

I'm Sexy and I Know It
@[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]
I think I got it, but if not lemme know and I'll edit again. I figured a magnet on the tip and a springloaded thermally treated ceramic plate would work. If not, I'll go back to the drawing board lol

Also, Thermite is both Real World and Star Wars. I found it on Wookieepedia the other day which gave me the idea lol I'll find the link later though. Too tired to do much digging right now :p
 
I believe you. I'm just always wary of Star Wars-versions of RL technology because SW is notorious for not getting anything (scientifically) right. :p

The mechanism should work.

I do have a quibble, though. Explosive decompression wouldn't be that great in this case, since it's generally going from one atmosphere to zero, which isn't THAT explosive. At least not in the movies. Plus, the starship's hull is going to be pretty strong, and a fist-sized hole isn't going to compromise structural integrity all that much. So the weapon would be great for breaching and voiding atmosphere, just not ripping giant holes via explosive decompression.

Thoughts?

@[member="Popo"]
 
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