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Missile launcher

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This article covers both missile and rocket launchers.

A Missile Launcher fires self-propelled, guided, projectiles that usually contain explosive, chemical, or destructive energy warheads. Missiles may use a chemical rocket, jet engine, or something more esoteric, such as an anti-gravity drive.

A Rocket Launcher fires unguided, self-propelled projectiles. They contain the same types of warheds as a missile. Usually rockets are propelled by a chemical, exothermic reaction. However, this does not preclude other forms of propulsion.

Contents

Portable Missile Launchers

Imperial Missile Launchers

Astartes Missile Launcher (Soundstrike-Pattern)

Missile Launcher

The standard Imperial Missile Launcher has a built in targeting device and is fired from the shoulder. It is a single round weapon, and cannot be fired on the move. Standard Imperial Guard doctrine is for one man to carry aim and fire the missile launcher, whilst a second man carries the ammunition and re-loads the weapons. A well-drilled fire team can maintain a formidable rate of fire, enough to daunt the bravest of tank commanders. Space Marines generally carry their own ammunition, being easily strong enough to hold the missile launcher in one hand whilst re-loading with the other. Note also that whilst an Imperial guardsman will generally fire from a kneeling or prone position, Space Marine enhancements grant them a superior aim even from standing.

Soundstrike Missile Launcher

The Soundstrike-Pattern Missile Launcher is an alternative to the standard single-tube missile launcher used by Space Marines. The Soundstrike attaches a special missile rack and auto-loader to a backpack power unit. As the Space Marine fires his missiles, the auto-loader's gripping claw works rapidly to refill the launcher from the back-mounted ammo source. In effect, the Space Marine can fire his choice of missile without interruption until the missile rack is empty.

Cyclone Missile Launcher

De Cyclone Raketenwerfer

The Cyclone Missile Launcher is a variant specially designed to be fitted to Terminator Armour. Loaded with Krak Missiles and Frag Missiles, the Cyclone consists of two "cube shaped" missile boxes twin-linked by a targeter and sensor array, with the missile and sensor unit is fixed on the shoulders of Terminator armour. This allows the Space Marine to use a Storm Bolter and Power Fist with the Missile Launcher simultaneously. Older designs of the Cyclone missile launcher had the sensor array hand-carried by the Terminator, thus taking away the option of a power fist but making it more accurate.5

Armourbane Missile Launcher

The armourbane missile launcher, is a launcher unique to the Deathwatch of the Jericho Reach. A squat, wide-barrelled launcher half as tall as a Space Marine, specializing in dealing with heavily-armoured ground units. This launcher is typically loaded with hunter-killer krak missiles and fitted with an array of augurs and special cogitators to guide its missiles to their targets, and os ,pre efficient than a Soundstrike missile launcher. The special augur array mounted combines the benefits of a preysense sight and a red-dot laser sight.10

Imperial Munitions Types

  • Frag Missiles are designed to explode on impact with any surface, raking the immediate area with lethal shrapnel. Primarily an anti-infantry weapon, it can be used against light vehicles with some success. Frag Missiles are often ineffective against heavy infantry.
  • Krak Missiles are primarily designed as anti-vehicle weapons, Krak Missiles contain a high strength, low blast shaped charge, causing massive damage to anything it hits with minimal collateral damage. Also very effective against heavy infantry, bunkers and other armored targets.
  • Astartes Anti-Plant Missiles a stronger variant of the Anti-Plant Missiles. They release a vicious cocktail of toxins, viral agents, defoliants, and anti-fungal agents on detonation that reduce even the heartiest flora to a foul-smelling muck in minutes. Typically used to deny cover and to clear landing zones and fortification sites.11
  • Concussion Missiles are very effective at breaking up fortifications, and are much beloved by the Battle-Brothers of the Imperial Fists garrisoned at Watch Station Erioch.11
  • Other Types: Missiles are extremely versatile and can potentially carry any conceivable type of payload. Examples include: Anti-Plant, Virus, Vortex, Smoke, Gas, Tanglefoot, Haywire, Stasis, Plasma and Photon Flash.

Ork

Rokkit Launchas

De Bazzukka

Ork Rocket Launchers are extremely crude. Referred to as “Rokkit Launchas” they are little more than explosive rockets strapped to a stick. Unfortunately for the enemies of Orks, this makes them extremely easy to mass-produce, and due to the simplicity and inherent inaccuracy in the weapon they can be fired on the move with no noticeable loss of accuracy.8-p89

An Ork Rokkit Launcha.9

Ork Munitions Types

Ork Rokkits come in one type: Ork Rokkits. One size fits all, good for any job, the rokkit is big, loud and nasty.

Eldar

Eldar Missile Launcher

The Eldar Missile Launcher is the standard missile weapon for Eldar ground forces Instead of primitive launching-tubes favoured by the Imperium, they use extensively chambered pods. They are designed to contain several types of ammo, greatly decreasing the need to reload.7

Munition Types:
Eldar missile launcher.
  • Krak Missiles: Despite being of a higher level of technology, with a greater accuracy, the Eldar Krak Missile is essentially the same as Imperial Krak Missile.
  • Plasma Missiles: With the same purpose as Imperial Frag Missiles, Plasma Missiles are a more sophisticated anti-infantry missile. Instead of explosively propelled shrapnel, the Plasma Missile creates, unsurprisingly, an explosive expansion of plasma on impact with a hard surface. The strength of the Plasma Missile is roughly the same as that of a Frag Missile, but with an increased capacity to penetrate armour.

Reaper Launcher

The Eldar Aspect Warriors known as Dark Reapers carry missile launchers as standard.

Munition Type:

  • Reaper Missiles are fired from the Reaper Launcher. They fire rapidly, and although they do not create a blast, they are slightly more powerful than Plasma Missiles. Primarily designed to combat heavy infantry, they are the bane of Space Marine commanders.

Tempest Launcher

The Tempest Launcher is a multiple missile launcher that has indirect fire capability. It is fielded by Dark Reaper Exarchs.

Chaos Space Marines Missile Launchers

Chaos Space Marines carry a mix of issued pre-heresy Imperial Missile Launchers, and modern Imperial Missile Launchers taken from defeated Imperials. All Chaos Missile Launchers operate the same as Imperial Missile Launchers.

Tau

Tau ranged weapon technology is more advanced than that of the Imperium. This includes Missile Launcher technology, however the Tau army is organized such that standard troopers do not carry Missile Launchers like other races. Instead the two varieties of Missile Launchers available to the Tau are carried on Battlesuits.

Missile Pods

Missile Pods are mounted on the XV8 Crisis Battlesuits and come as standard on the XV-81 and the XV-84. Missile Pods are medium range, rapid-fire missiles slightly less powerful than Imperial Krak Missiles. A combination of their size and the Battlesuits they are mounted on, a Missile Pod can be fired on the move.

Smart Missile System

Smart Missile Systems are the pinnacle of battlesuit missile technology. Medium strength and capable of very rapid fire (twice as fast as Missile Pods), the Smart Missile System is so high tech it does not require a line of sight to its target. Instead each missile fired contains a sophisticated guidance system allowing it to maneuver around obstacles and terrain and hit and impact upon a target without risk to the firer. Due to its size, the Smart Missile System can only be mounted on the bulky Broadside Battlesuit and cannot be fired on the move (without an additional stabilizing upgrade).

Vehicle Mounted Missile Launchers

The Imperials, the Tau Empire and the forces of Chaos all make use of vehicle mounted Missile Launchers.

Imperial Vehicle Mounted Missile Launchers

Exorcist Multiple Missile Launcher

Main article: Exorcist

The Exorcist Multiple Missile Launcher is a large device used primarily for destroying enemy emplacements and armored vehicles, used solely by the Ordo Hereticus.

Hunter Killer Missiles

A Hunter-Killer Missile is a single shot, self-guided missile with a Krak warhead. Designed to bolt on to any Imperial vehicle, it provides extra anti-armour firepower for a variety of situations. A “fire and forget” weapon, once a target is selected, the Hunter Killer Missile will aim, fire and guide itself to the target.

Whirlwind Multiple Missile Launcher

The Space Marine Whirlwind artillery tank and Land Raider Helios both mount a Whirlwind Multiple Missile Launcher. It consists of a large bank of either Vengeance or Castellan Missiles.
Muntions Type:

  • Vengeance Missiles are the standard round, with a moderately high strength and large blast radius; they are deadly to Infantry.
  • Castellan Missiles each contain dozens of mines, which are scattered upon impact. This gives the Space Marines the ability to rapidly seed minefields in strategic locations without risking troops.

Hyperios Missile Launchers

Mounted on the Whirlwind Hyperios, the Hyperios Missile Launcher, combined with advanced targeting gear, is designed for close air defence.

Manticore Missile Launcher

The Manticore Missile Launcher, mounted on the Chimera-based Manticore, is a mobile multiple rocket launcher capable of firing a variety of rockets, from standard high explosive fragmentation warheads to oxyphosphur incendiary warheads, from air-gas to surface-to-air interceptor missiles.

Support Sentinels

Support Sentinels are armed with either a Multiple Rocket pod, or a Missile Launcher.

  • Multiple Rocket Pods are a rapid-fire launcher loaded with standard Frag Missiles but with a faster rate of fire.
  • Missile Launchers mounted on Sentinels are designed to fire indirectly, however they still fire standard Frag and Krak Missiles.

Apocalypse Missile Launcher

The Apocalypse Missile Launcher is a huge construct. It is usually found on top of the carapace of a Reaver Battle Titan. They can, however, be equipped on a Warhound Scout Titan.6

Tau Vehicle Mounted Missile Launchers

Smart Missile System

Various Tau vehicles mount a Smart Missile System identical to the ones carried by the XV-88 Broadside Battlesuit, though only battle tanks carry it.

Seeker Missiles

Many Tau vehicles have the ability to carry Seeker Missiles. Most Tau vehicles can carry up to two Seeker missiles but there are variations, such as the Sky Ray, which carries six as its primary weapon.

Seeker Missiles are self guided high strength anti-armour missiles similar to Imperial Hunter-killer Missiles. However the targeting approach is radically different. Seeker Missiles are guided to their target by energy beams emitted from Markerlights, normally carried by forward units of Tau Pathfinders and Stealthsuit Teams, although normal Fire Warriors also carry them as a means of providing fire support. When fired a Markerlight records targeting information which is then transmitted to a Seeker Missile which automatically launches from the vehicle it is mounted on, and guides itself around any intervening terrain or obstacles to impact with the target. This technology makes infiltrating Tau troops much feared by tank commanders.

Seeker Missiles operate independently of the vehicle they are mounted on unless it too is equipped with Markerlight technology.

Chaos Space Marine Vehicle Mounted Missile Launchers

Due to their exile in the Eye of Terror for millennia, the Traitor Legions have not been privy to much Imperial advancement of technology. For this reason, they still solely use the Havoc Missile Launchers on their vehicles in an anti-personnel capacity, rather than Hunter-Killer Missiles.

Related Articles

Space Marine Weaponry (List)

Sources

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