Space Warfare Strategy

**Space warfare strategy** is the military strategy for dealing with combat in space

## Long Range

### Missiles/Torpedoes

In long range combat, missiles are dominant on the battlefield. Given proper time and distance to accelerate, missiles can reach an extremely high velocity. This makes missiles effective at long range but much less effective in CQB. Furthermore, if a missile destroys its target in CQB, the debris will likely damage any ship in the area, including the ship which engaged it.

Missiles typically come in two types, lightly armored and a heavily armored. Lightly armored missiles are significantly faster but are more susceptible to destruction by PDC and pellet shots. Heavily armored missiles are slower, but is more resistant to PDC fire and almost always unaffected by pellet shots.

#### Missile Types

##### **Nuclear**

A nuclear missile is a missile armed with a small nuclear warhead. These are the most destructive missiles used in space combat but are significantly more expensive than conventional warheads.

##### **Plasma**

Plasma missiles do superficial damage by melting away the armor plating of a ship. Often times, a salvo of plasma missiles are sent before a salvo of nuclear ones so that the nuclear missiles can inflict maximum damage.

##### **Flechette**

Flechette missiles carry small projectiles within the missile, and when near an enemy target, detonate and release the small projectiles which can cause multiple small hull breaches like PDC rounds in CQB. These missiles are more effective with smaller, more maneuverable craft where having one missile hit the target is considerably more difficult.

##### **Blindshielding Missiles**

Unlike other types of missiles, blindshielding missiles are not meant to impact a vessel, but blind enemy sensors by using hot gas.

#### Missile Tactics

##### **Salvo**

A salvo is a military tactic where there is a simultaneous firing of numerous missiles toward an enemy vessel in order to overwhelm an enemy's PDC grid. This is the most effective tactic against any ship or station.

#### Countermeasures

##### **Point Defense Cannons (PDC)**

Point Defense Cannons (PDCs) are guns that discharge bullets at a very high rate. PDCs are primarily used to destroy incoming enemy missiles at short range.

##### **Chaff**

Chaff is a radar countermeasure used to confuse the radar of an enemy missile. It consists of metallic and/or plastic fibers that cloud the radar with multiple signatures. This technique, however, is used mostly at very long range, when the enemy ship's radar cannot detect the chaff and relay the message to the missile.

##### **Lasers**

Unlike PDCs, lasers can be used to effectively destroy enemy missiles at a much longer range (typically 900-2100 km). However, lasers take a much longer time to destroy one missile and take up significantly more energy to use than one PDC.

##### **Pellet Shots**

Pellet Shots are a countermeasure used to shred an incoming enemy missile. Hundreds or thousands of pellet shots are shot towards incoming enemy missiles in a cloud. On a lightly armored (most) missiles, one pellet shot would shred the missile's interior, causing its destruction. Pellet shots are not as precise as PDCs and are not as effective when the ship is under acceleration.

##### **Blindshielding**

Blindshielding is a technique used to temporarily block enemy radar by detonating multiple torpedoes which release hot radar-blinding gas that last for around 30 seconds to 1 minute. In long range combat, they are most often used to block enemy missile radar while a ship maneuvers. The downside to this technique is that it also blocks the radar of the ship that used blindshielding.

## Medium Range (CQB)

### Railguns

Railguns are the primary weapon utilized in medium range CQB. Railguns work by using a powerful electromagnet to launch a projectile at a high velocity. Because of the high velocity of the railgun shell, the shell often passes straight through a ship. When railguns charge up and fire, they create an immense amount of heat, which sometimes requires a cooldown time and a thermal control system.

##### **Hollow Point Shell**

Hollow point railgun shells are designed to expand upon impact with a ship. This increases the radius of damage.

##### **Shatter Shell**

Shatter shells break into many parts upon impact with a ship, hence the name. These shells are designed to damage a larger part of a ship, while decreasing penetration. However, for shatter shells to be more effective they need to be launched at a slower velocity than hollow point or conventional shells, and are more effective at closer ranges.

### Rockets

Rockets are self-propelled guided projectiles that are most effective in medium-range CQB. Rockets are much faster than torpedoes or missiles and can evade lasers and PDC fire much easier. However, rockets deal only superficial damage to a ship, usually disabling PDCs, sensor arrays, and railguns. Heavy armor is immune to rocket damage.

## Close range (CQB)

### Point Defense Cannon (PDC)

In close range CQB, PDCs are used for direct combat. PDC rounds can do extensive damage to a when in close range CQB, and many PDC bullets can pass straight through a ship.

### Shotgun

The shotgun is a close range weapon that can do extreme damage to a ship when fired. A shotgun shell blasts shrapnel towards the enemy ship.

### Railgun

In close range CQB, railguns are much more accurate, and can take out a ship's engines or reactor much easier than in medium range CQB. Against a more maneuverable ship, railguns are less effective in close range CQB because the railgun takes some time to move in position and fire.

## Ship Classes

### Battleship

A battleship is a large, heavily armored ship. These are the most common ships in both the UFNN and TRMN. Battleships have the most firepower of all ship classes. They usually are equipped with all long range and CQB weaponry and countermeasures.

### Corvette

A corvette is a smaller, more maneuverable ship with a similar armament to the battleship. It is essentially a smaller version of the battleship.

### Carrier

A carrier is a large ship designed to carry smaller ships, such as corvettes or gunships. The carrier often acts as a space station for other military vessels. Since carriers are much larger and less armored than other ships, they are almost always accompanied by escort battleships.

### Gunship

A gunship is a small ship primarily armed with many PDCs. It is typically used as a support craft for defending larger ships against salvos.

### PT Boat

A PT boat is a lightly armored ship that carries and launches torpedoes. They usually stay far from the battlefield because of their light armor. They assist ships in launching salvos.

### Combat Drone

A combat drone is a small unmanned craft armed usually with one PDC or one laser turret. Large ships like battleships and carriers typically carry a number of combat drones.

### Repair Ship

A repair ship is a ship equipped with numerous drones and spare parts to aid a ship if it has been damaged on the field.

## Sensors

### Active

Active sensors uses both transmitters and receivers. Active sensors are more accurate and reliable, but gives away the exact position of the user. One type of active sensor commonly used is the RADAR.

### Passive

Passive sensors uses only receivers. Passive sensors are not as accurate or reliable as passive sensors, but they don't give away the position of the ship. Passive sensors are typically used when the ship is not under acceleration.