Photon Torpedo

The standard by which all other Secondary Weapons are judged, Photon Torpedoes are high velocity projectiles, with a matter/anti-matter warhead as their payload. The onboard deuterium and anti-deuterium are kept separate until the detonator systems activate, due to impact or reaching their pre-programmed maximum range. At the moment of detonation, magnetic fields direct much of the force of the explosion in a similar fashion to shaped charges of conventional chemical explosives in order to inflict as much damage to their targets as possible.

## Usage

There is some debate amongst historians and tacticians alike who introduced the Photon Torpedo first. The Klingon Empire employed anti-matter warheads as early as 2175, but they were primitive and resulted in incomplete detonation of the anti-matter onboard. The anti-matter warhead was introduced to Starfleet in 2205 with a series of prototypes codenamed "Thor's Lightning". These were first deployed on board Asia Class Exploratory Cruisers.

The modern Photon Torpedo debuted in 2214, and by the 2230s, Missiles were no longer carried as back-up weapons aboard Federation Starships. The Klingon Empire had switched from Missiles to Photon Torpedoes of a remarkably similar type after the disastrous (for them) battle at Aeolius VII in 2219.

## Types

In Starfleet service, there are currently several marks of Photon Torpedo in service. Torpedo Tubes of a later mark can fire those of preceding marks, but for safety reasons it is not advisable to fire a torpedo of a later mark from an earlier tube.

* Mark V Photon Torpedo - These are older types dating from the 2260s that remain in service on ships of the Federation Reserve Fleet
* Mark VI Photon Torpedo - Introduced in 2271 as part of the Type II Technology Programme, these have largely been superseded in service.
* Mark VII Photon Torpedo - Introduced in 2287, these are the standard issue torpedo for Starfleet vessels as of 2292. Standard Torpedoes of the Klingon Empire are believed to be similar in performance, although they are not known to delineate their torpedoes into different marks. Photon Torpedoes used by the Terran Empire from the Mirror Universe are also believed to be of similar yield to the Mark VII.
* Mark VIIS Photon Torpedo - A reduced power, limited capacity torpedo tube with reduced range designed for Fightercraft usage. Klingon Fightercraft torpedoes are believed to be similar.
* Mark VII-B Photon Torpedo - A subtype of the Mark VII designed to burst into a small shockwave. Used for hunting cloaked ships. Klingon and Interstellar Concordium burst torpedoes are based on this type, and are similar in performance.

Further developments in warhead design in the 2270s resulted in the Heavy Photon Torpedo.

## Specifications (Mark V)

* **Type:**  Secondary
* **Range:** 330 SRU
* **Rate of Fire:**  10 RPM
* **Damage:** 25 DR

## Specifications (Mark VII)

* **Type:**  Secondary
* **Range:** 330 SRU (990 SRU onboard Salazar Class Torpedo Cruisers.)
* **Rate of Fire:**  10 RPM
* **Damage:** 32 DR

## Specifications (Mark VII-B)

* **Type:**  Secondary
* **Range:** 495 SRU
* **Rate of Fire:**  10 RPM
* **Damage:** 45 DR (Shockwave)