Capital missiles

The capital missile is a large missile used by every known interstellar power.It is a long range missile with a maximum range of 15 light seconds. It is much larger than a Standard missile but is 25% less massive than a SBM. It has the same explosive power as a SBM but has a less powerful drive which explains the reduced range and smaller magazine space. It also has the more advanced ECM than both the standard missile and the SBM.The capital missile is mounted only on BCRs and larger ships.

work in progress

Shiva option, pg 276: Shorter-ranged than the SBMs, the capital missiles carried warheads that were just as powerful, and they used the internal volume freed up by their smaller drive systems to pack in sophisticated onboard ECM, which made them extremely difficult targets for the missile defences.

The capital missile (Code: CM) is actually a large family of weapons. The first documented use of the CM was by Terran Federation during the First Interstellar War and used to great effect against the Khanate of Orion. With the exception of the Rigellian Protectorate (Prefering the developement of the strike fighter) and the Theocracy Theban (who didn't contemplate but later deployed), it is a common weapon system.

The capital missile and it's cousins are launched from the capital missile launcher (Code: Rc), the Capital Gun/Missile Launcher (code: Wc), the Zarkolyan missile box launcher (Code: Wb), or the advanced capital missile launcher (Code: Rca). There were later, higher technology launchers but these occured after the Terran Civil War and the creation of the PSU.

The Capital Missile family would eventual include:

The Strategic Bombardment Missile - Instrumental to many of the TFN's historical victories.

Shiva option, pg 276: SBMs were less accurate at extreme range than capital missiles were, and they were relatively easy targets for point defese to intercept. But they also had half again as much reach.

The 2nd Generation Close Assault Missile - A shorter ranged missile akin to the sprint mode of the standard launchers. Unlike the first generation which required being mounted to an XO rack, these were small enough to be launched from an internal launcher.

The 2nd Generation Anti-Mine Ballistic Attack Missile - A more compact and safer incarnation of the massive XO rack version. These truely made minesweeping an easier concept.

The Capital Bombardment Missile - A missile not developed within the Grand Alliance, the CBM was meant to give capital gun/missile launchers the same versitility that the ancient standard missile launchers had. Instead, the nations of the Grand Alliance and later the PSU would continue to carry SBMs, CMs, and CAM2s in their magazines.

The Extended Range Bombardment Missile - The Khanate of Orion, having not developed the CBM and not knowing of the developement of the Heavy Bombardment Missile (HBM), knew that the SBM was the longest ranged weapon in history. The Khanate of Orion decided that this was long past time for an upgrade. The end result was the ERBM and had a 25% increase in range over the venerable SBM, incorporated the penetration aids of the capital missile launcher, and could only be fired from a Wc or better. Considering the massive size and limitations of the HBM deployed by the Rim Federation in the post Terran Civil War era, the ERBM would go on to have great popularity within the major stellar navies.