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By AARON SKETCHLEY (aaronsketch@HOTdelete_thisMAIL.com)

Ver 2.6 2016.03.06

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Official Setting information is in darkgreen. Extended Universe information is in steelblue.

Missiles Resource

Table Of Contents
FCS and Era Guidance Sensor Types	Hardpoints and Combat Modifiers Munitions Load per Hardpoint	Glossary Missiles (leftovers, refer to FCS for details)

FCS (Fire Control System) and Era

• Missiles FCS 00's
• Missiles FCS 10's & 20's
• Missiles FCS 30's
• Missiles FCS 40's
• Missiles FCS 50's

The FCS analyzes data during combat with hostile forces. Data readouts and stats can be displayed either on the cockpit's HUD display (the transparent panels above the main display), and/or the hexagonal three-panel screen in the center of the console, which can also be used to display video images. The FCS is located behind the nosecone radar (VF-1, VF-19, VF-25) in Fighter, and in the chest in Battroid (VF-1).

Aircraft can only use the armaments that are programmed into their FCS - effectively turning even 'smart' weapons into 'dumb bombs' when they are mounted on an incompatible FCS equipped aircraft. The FCS can be reprogrammed, but it generally takes weeks to months of programming to enable a new weapon to fully integrate into the FCS. With large organizations, such as the Unified Forces, the time it takes may be even longer due to red tape (the exception being during a major conflict. E.g.: the rapid introduction of MDE weapons during the Anti-Vajra War.

In general, an FCS...

• is optimized for the role of the vehicle it is installed in (E.g.: a space glider won't have an FCS capable of dropping bombs within an atmosphere).
• can use only the munitions produced in the generation that the vehicle is made in.
• requires a software update or overwrite to use munitions produced in a different generation¹.
• is able to use munitions not in it, but the munition is -3 strike, and any combat modifiers from the munition do not apply. Also, the FCS is unable to use the munitions (advanced) abilities.
• can be scavanged from one aircraft and put it in another. However, due to airframe differences, the scavanged FCS may not work to the same degree as it did in its original vehicle².
• program and database can be copied from one generation of aircraft into another, but due to airframe differences and even computer memory size restrictions (raising the possibilities of being unable to copy the entire FCS, or the CPU being unable to crunch the numbers fast enough during combat), the copied FCS may not work to the same degree as it did in its original vehicle^{2, 3}.

The FCS can be operated in various modes, pending the mission and current situation of the vehicle, such as:

• Wide-range Search Mode: usuing radar, IR and LADAR (if available).
• Track Mode: tracking enemy craft, using IFF.
• ACM (Air Combat Maneuvers) Mode: capable of tracking a limited number of craft during high-G manuvers.
• Anti-ship Mode: for use with anti-ship missiles, using radar cross-sections.
• Air-to-ground Mode: tracking enemy craft using IFF, IR, optics, and LADAR (if available).
• Gun Mode: tracking enemy craft and missiles using radar, IFF, IR, optics, and LADAR (if available).

¹ E.g.: the VF-11C Thunder Bolt Interceptor in Macross the Ride has had its FCS updated from a standard VF-11's (FCS 30) to the next generation (FCS 40 or 50), allowing it to use the micro-missile pods and high-manueverability missiles developed for the AVF project)
² GM's option on what, if any, negative effects there are.
³ reprogramming - only applicable to the aircraft. Different aircraft with the same FCS also require extensive reprogramming - although it can be done in half the time.
⁴ E.g.: the VF-1J's FCS is specifically programmed to be compatible with the GBP-1S Armour Pack. Other VF-1, such as the A and S types, can also mount the GBP-1S, but they are -3 strike if their FCS hasn't been updated.

Guidance Sensor Types

Fire-and-forget: a type of missile which does not require further guidance after launch such as illumination of the target or wire guidance (TOW), and can hit its target without the launcher being in line-of-sight of the target. This is an important property for a guided weapon to have, since a person or vehicle that lingers near the target to guide the missile (using, for instance, a laser designator) is vulnerable to attack and unable to carry out other tasks. Fire-and-forget missiles can be jammed by electro-optical dazzlers.
Generally, information about the target is programmed into the missile just prior to launch. This can include coordinates, radar measurements (including velocity), or an IR image of the target. After it is fired, the missile guides itself by some combination of gyroscopes and accelerometers, GPS, organic RADAR, and infrared optics. Some systems offer the option of either continued input from the launch platform or fire-and-forget.

Note: if missile has more than 1 different system available during the terminal stage, it can switch between them each action if countermeasures are used against it.
• Combined Sensor (active radar during interception, infrared or TV during terminal stage)
• IR (Infrared; heat seeking)
• I/IR (Imaging Infrared) [able to "see" in infra-red, much like the CCD in a digital camera, and can be much more accurate and harder to fool with decoys. In addition to being more flare-resistant, they are also less likely to be fooled into locking onto the sun, another common trick for avoiding heat-seeking missiles.]
• Maddog (radar) & Pitbull (INS (Inertial Navigation System) or IRST (Infra-Red Search and Track) during interception and radar during terminal stage)

Guidelines

1. missiles takes at least one (1) action to travel the distance from launcher to target. This is regardless of how close the combatants are. The prime reason is the missile's rate of acceleration. Sure, they accelerate faster then a jet, but they are no where close to the near instantaneous acceleration of bullets and beam weapons.
2. the time it takes for missiles to hit can be increased, if the target takes action to bravely run away from the missiles. A note of caution with this: facing is directly proportional to the time a missile takes to hit. For example, in a dogfight, the chasing plane's missiles will take longer to hit the plane being chased due to the direction of travel. In a head to head encounter, the missiles are going to take even less time to hit due to the even greater speeds - this is also the one situation where missiles will hit the same action that they are launched.
   if the missile is a larger, "smart" missile, then it will turn around and try and catch up and hit its target. However, the chance that a "smart" missiles can reacquire it's target is extremely remote. (At speed differentials equal or lesser than mach 1: 5% per action per missile's remaining flying time (roll each action), with the total increases by 5% per action. Ie: action 1: 5%, action 2: 10%. At speed differentials between mach 1 and 5, reduce the 5% to 1%. Impossible at speed differentials greater than mach 5.)
3. ALL missiles in Macross have multiple attacks per melee, no matter the size. The differences are the targeting computer and the overall range of the missile.
4. only "smart" missiles can dodge. Regular missiles, even with multiples of actions, can only use their actions for attacks.
5. ALL missiles fly at speeds faster then Mach 1. Missiles tend to fly faster than the speed indicated. Consider the indicated speed the missiles base speed, and add it to the speed of the vehicle that it is launched from. Missiles will achieve the speed about an action after being launched.
6. unless if a VF is already flying at speeds at or above Mach 1, the chance of accelerating to a speed where missiles can be outrun is rare (if fired upon from the rear quarter). In general, the attacking missiles will have at least 2 chances of hitting the accelerating vehicle before the accelerating vehicle has too great a speed for missile.

Hardpoints and Modifiers

1. the weight and shape balance between the hardpoints is important. If unbalanced, the VF's performance may be reduced. In game terms, this is an optional -1 to dodge/parry per missile/equipment that's unbalanced. This includes single medium or larger sized munitions loads, but doesn't include partially expended munitions of the same type (Ie 1 AMM-1 on one side, and 2 or three AMM-1 on the other side).
2. ALL VFs have four (4) or six (6) pivoting hard points (two (2) or three (3) per wing.) For ease of reference: A, B and C, D; or A, B, C and D, E, F.
3. All hardpoints carrying the same munitions can be fire-linked.

Munitions Load per Hardpoint:

Standard six hardpoint VF loads have hardpoints A & F, B & E, and C & D with matching loadouts.

Glossary

• AtG: Air-to-Ground
• AtA: Air-to-Air: usually fragmentation.
• AtS: Air-to-Surface
• All Purpose: can be used in AtG and AtA attacks.
• Armoured Targets: Tanks, APCs, Destroids, ships (space and surface) and buildings. Rule of thumb: if it can fly, it's not armoured.
• Armour Piercing: the warhead is most likely HEAT. (Explosive force is funneled down a thin tube into the armour, causing it to liquify and the remaining explosive force is funneled inside the armour.) Though HESH is also possible. (The explosive "pancakes" on the armour prior to explosion. Armour is not penetrated but the "pancaked" explosive charge cause fragments to break off on the inside of the armour and bounce around.)
• BVR: Beyond Visual Range
• High-Maneuverability Missiles (HMs) are a recent addition to the UN Spacy missile arsenal. They aren't available prior to 2040. These super-smart bombs are more powerful and have a longer range than their predecessors, plus advanced electronic tracking systems and maeuvering jets that allow them to pursue their prey relentlessly. HMMs are available in short range (SRHMM), medium range (MRHMM), and dogfight missile (DHMM) versions.

Short Range Missiles

• SENSOR TYPE: heat seeking
• ATTACKS: 3 (in most cases, the missile will use one attack to get to the target. The missile usually only has three attacks when fired from the chasing plane in a dog fight.)
• PAYLOAD: Five per hardpoint, up to a potential maximum of 20.
• RATE OF FIRE: 1-5 missiles per hardpoint.

Medium Range Missiles

• SENSOR TYPE: heat seeking
• RATE OF FIRE: varies but usually 1 to 3 per hardpoint
• PAYLOAD: varies but usually 3 per hardpoint

REFERENCES

Palladium Books Game Engine and MDC Rules

The above is based, in part off of the UNSDB Missile Stats.