the shape of things to come

SINGLE-SHOT (OS) MISSILE LAUNCHERS
Introduced: 2676 (Terran Hegemony)
Extinct: 2800 (Inner Sphere)
Recovered: 3030 (Free Worlds League)
A variation on the LRM, MRM and SRM systems (including Streak
launchers, torpedo launchers and even the Narc missile beacon launcher)
the single-shot launcher—also known as one-shot or OS—is a curious
concept that did not so much go extinct in the Succession Wars as fall into
general disuse. Hardly considered lostech (even the date given for their
fi rst introduction is more to pin down when the use of one-shot launchers
became common for the SLDF), the single-shot missile launcher design
simply modifi es a standard missile launch system with a shortened, fi xedmount
ammo bin carrying a one-salvo capacity. Used only when tonnage
is at a premium, one-shot launchers off er a little extra punch in a pitched
fi ght, but with an all-or-nothing approach that can be as much a curse as
the lack of a bin full of explosive munitions might be a blessing.
Of course, with the advent of the generally more potent Marian-style
Rocket Launchers, the One-Shot missile concept may once more be on its
way to extinction.
STREAK SHORT-RANGE MISSILES
Introduced: 2647 (Terran Hegemony [Streak-2]), circa 2820 (Clans,
[Streak-4, Streak-6])
Extinct: 2845 (Inner Sphere)
Recovered: 3035 (Free Worlds League [Streak-2]), 3058 (Draconis
Combine, [Streak-4, Streak-6])
The Star League development of the Streak SRM missile system was
a significant enhancement of existent missile launcher technology,
incorporating a kind of “smart override” feature in the targeting and fi ring
mechanisms. Developed as a means of conserving ammunition, the
Streak system literally refuses to fi re unless all of the launcher’s tubes
simultaneously achieve a “hard lock” on their target. While this approach
guarantees a hit when the weapon fi res, some have seen the system’s
requirement for using only its own missile types (rather than any of the
specialty munitions now available) as a hindrance. Combined with the
Streak’s increased cost—to say nothing of the unnerving risk that it may
override a shot at the critical moment it is needed—this has kept the
Streak system from completely replacing standard SRMs in the arsenals
of Inner Sphere militaries. Even today, standard SRM launch technology
continues to outnumber Streak systems in the product lines of companies
across the Sphere by almost two to one.
Curiously enough, the Clans—whose Streak launchers are much
lighter, smaller and capable of longer reach—have also maintained the
dual SRM styles of Streak and non-Streak systems. The reasons for this,
especially when they have allowed standard lasers and autocannon to
fall by the wayside under similar circumstances, are not fully understood
even today.
TORPEDO LAUNCHERS
Considered by many a niche class of LRM and SRM systems—and
sometimes erroneously classified as a special munition for standard
launchers—torpedoes are the maritime-only versions of their surfacelaunched
kin. Though they are as eff ective underwater as missiles are
in most respects, torpedoes are almost never seen on BattleMechs or
vehicles not specifi cally designed for blue-water operations. The standard
short-range torpedo (SRT) or long-range torpedo (LRT) launcher can only
function at water depths of six meters or more, and their munitions cannot
be swapped out for standard missiles because of physical diff erences
in the launch mechanisms. This incompatibility has, understandably, led to
little love for this weapon system, and so few manufacturers mass produce
them today. In fact, the Sea Devastator LRT-20 and Sea Harvester SRT-6
systems—both employed on the Galtor-produced Neptune combat submarine—are
the best known of these weapons Inner Sphere-wide, and
represent less than one percent of munitions sales by these companies.
MISSILE MUNITIONS
To enhance their eff ectiveness and widen commanders’ options on the
modern battlefi eld, today’s LRM and SRM launchers can be loaded with
several types of special munitions for a variety of special-purpose missions.
This variability tends to come with the limiting caveat that not all
munitions work as eff ectively for all systems. Nor can most of these make
use of specially enhanced launchers, such as the Streak system or torpedo
systems, or in conjunction with targeting enhancements like the Artemis
(though at least in the latter case, Artemis-equipped launchers may be
able to fi re these missiles).
Artemis/Narc Missiles: Developed in conjunction with the targetenhancing
technologies that bear their names, Artemis- and Narcenhanced
missiles are available to standard LRM and SRM launchers [as
well as the MML system —EB]. Artemis-enhanced missiles, when used
with a launcher that features an Artemis IV fi re-control system, focus their
volleys better, delivering more missiles to the target than typical of unenhanced
missiles. Narc-enhanced missiles accomplish the same goal, but
only against targets previously struck by an attacker-friendly Narc or iNarc
homing pod. Where neither condition applies (such as Artemis-enhanced
missiles fi red by a non-enhanced launcher, or Narc missiles fi red on a non-
”Narced” target), or when hostile ECM suites are particularly active, these
missiles behave more like conventional rounds.
Flare LRMs: Developed for nighttime combat, flare munitions are
not an off ensive weapon system, but more of a tactical support technology
intended to reduce the eff ect of darkness in today’s battlefi eld.
Fired indirectly, almost like artillery, fl are munitions—available only for
standard LRM launchers—infl ict no damage to a target unit, but instead
deploy in mid-air overhead, where the munitions open up parachutes and
ignite phosphorescent stores to illuminate everything within up to 100
meters of the fl ight. A centuries-old technology—deployed even in the
days before spacefl ight, but fallen into disuse in favor of more destructive
warhead yields—fl ares came back into popularity around 3054, when the
Free Worlds League began producing the munitions for their LRM-heavy
support units.
Fragmentation Missiles: Available for standard SRM or LRM launch
systems, fragmentation munitions contain high-explosive warheads
encased in brittle metal shells. Between the shell shrapnel itself and the
additional debris within—including coils of wire, hard pellets, and the
like—fragmentation missiles are expressly designed to maximize their
potential to kill or mutilate human beings en masse. Though they have
little eff ect on armored units, including battle armor, vehicles and ’Mechs,
fragmentation missiles are devastating to conventional infantry, able
to decimate platoons twice as effi ciently as a fl ight of similarly classed
standard missiles. Also a fairly ancient technology abandoned in favor of
more eff ective armor-defeating weapons, the Free Worlds League brought
fragmentation missiles back into play in 3050—no doubt inspired by lessons
from the recently ended Andurien confl ict.
Harpoon SRMs: A maritime hunter’s weapon not designed for the
battlefi eld, the SRM harpoon is the heaviest of its kind. Essentially little
more than a kinetic, piercing head and a reinforced, detachable cable, the
SRM-launched harpoon can pierce the hide of most any marine animal
known in the Inner Sphere, and tow the hapless—and, hopefully, mercifully
dead—creature into the vessel. While they can be quite eff ective
against unarmored infantry, battlefi eld armor is eff ectively immune to the
standard harpoon SRM, and most vehicles or ’Mechs could make quick
work of the tow cable even if successfully speared.
Incendiary LRMs: An extension of the Inferno SRM concept, Marik
forces reportedly first deployed incendiary LRMs as a defoliant and
anti-infantry weapon system during a 3053 clash on Gibson. Unpopular
for the volatile nature of the chemicals used in the warhead, which can
cook off in the bins if the internal temperatures rise too high, Incendiaries
are—thankfully—rarely deployed in combat.