(Version 2.1 - Last modified: 05/06/98)
Both missiles and bombs have been used in warfare since well before the
first World War. Early designs were usually inefficient and often didn't
work well. As time passed, both missile and bomb technology grew greatly. By
the late twentieth century, it was possible to aim the weapons remotely with
accuracies of within less than three meters. Use of inertial,GPS, and other
types of navigation later enabled even more precise targeting.
The ability to carry missiles or bombs gives a vehicle a high degree of
versatility in the amount and combinations of firepower it can carry into
combat. Several special types of missiles can be carried in addition to
normal, conventional (general purpose) missiles. These include air-to-air,
air-to-ground, and surface-to-air missiles.
In addition to these types, various kinds of warheads can be placed on
the different missile types. Warheads can vary from smoke or tear gas to
high explosive or even thermonuclear warheads.
Bombs, though not quite as diverse as missiles in type, can also use a
multitude of warheads. For their size, bombs can carry a larger payload than
comparative missiles.
This netbook is designed to both replace and expand upon the missile
table presented in the Rifts® Main Book. The original statistics
presented were far from realistic and quite often rediculous. The tables and
articles in this netbook are intended to be used for Rifts® Earth.
Phase WorldTM and other advanced settings
are not covered and would normally have more powerful and advanced
weaponry (including perhaps anti-matter and gravity-based weapons).
Below are articles covering the destructive power, ranges, speeds, and
other statistics of different types of missiles and bombs available.
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Conventional Missiles: mini-, short-,
medium-, long-range, and cruise-missiles.
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Specialty Missiles: air-to-air, air-to-ground, and
surface-to-air missiles.
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Special
Warheads: cluster, deployable minefields, and more.
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Conventional Bombs: conventional bombs.
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Special Bombs: cluster, deployable
minefields, and fuel air explosives.
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Thermonuclear Weapons: thermonuclear missiles and bombs.
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Weapon
Guidance: different guidance types and availability.
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Nuclear
Weapons: an article with detailed data on nuclear weapons.
