Most bombs used are not smart bombs. However, this does not mean that they do not have guidance systems. Bombs are able to use almost all of the guidance systems normally employed by missiles. See the Weapon Guidance article for more information on different guidance types and availability.
New Rule: The damages listed are for being caught within the blast radius of the explosion. Everything within the blast radius takes the damage listed. If the bomb hits the target directly, double damage is taken. To determine whether the target was hit directly, use the natural, unaugmented, strike roll. If the roll was 18, 19, or 20 then the target was hit directly, otherwise it was only caught in the blast radius. Effectively, this means that in this case critical strikes are on a roll of 18, 19, or 20 instead of only the normal 20.
Almost all of the bombs are available as smart bombs. These smart bombs have steering fins and a small rocket motor in addition to advanced targeting systems. With the rocket motor, they are even able to pursue a moving target. However, they are limited to a range of an extra one-half mile (0.8km) in addition to the normal drop altitude range. These bombs will automatically hit a large stationary target like a building or bridge or blanket a specific area. They have a +6 to strike a moving target. Volleys can all strike the same target or they can each veer away to hit a different target. Remember that bombs do NOT benefit from the strike bonuses of the pilot. Smart bombs cost an extra 30,000 credits (i.e. add 30,000 to the price). See the Weapon Guidance article for more information.
Fusion warheads are non-nuclear explosives that are much more powerful than other warheads of comparable size. Generally, only nuclear weapons are more powerful for their size. Fusion warhead technology is quite advanced, therefore only the most high-tech nations and city-states (such as CS, NGR, Republic of Japan) will possess these. These weapons do not emit deadly radiation, an EMP, or any of the other side-effects normally associated with nuclear weapons. (Please note that the term "fusion" is not meant to imply a fusion reaction.)
Unlike smart bombs, free-fall bombs cannot deviate to strike moving or alternate targets. Free-fall bombs do however, possess crude steering fins which can be used to steer the bomb toward the target. The horizontal range of a free-fall bomb depends upon the altitude from which it was dropped. The higher the altitude, the longer the possible range of the bomb. Because free-fall bombs do not need to devote space to rockets or guidance systems, they can carry a slightly larger payload (increase damage and blast radius by 15%).
| Drop Altitude | Maximum Horizontal Range |
|---|---|
| 0-1,000ft (0-305m) | 100ft (30.3m) |
| 1,001-4,000ft (306-1219m) | 2,500ft (762m) |
| 4,001-10,000ft (1220-3048m) | 5,500ft (1,676m) |
| 10,001-20,000ft (3,049-6,096m) | 10,500ft (1.99 miles/3.2km) |
| 20,001-30,000ft (6,097-9,144m) | 16,500ft (3.13 miles/5.03km) |
| 30,001-40,000ft (9,145-12,192m) | 22,000ft (4.16 miles/6.7km) |
| 40,001-50,000ft (12,193-15,240m) | 28,000ft (5.3 miles/8.5km) |
| 50,000+ft (15,241+m) | 33,500ft (6.3 miles/10.2km) |
Conventional explosives make up the vast majority of bombs carried by aircraft. There exist a variety of types of bombs and each type usually comes in several sizes.
Note: When a description says it can carry X number of bombs, it can carry that many heavy bombs. Other bomb sizes can be carried in varying amounts:
| Warhead | Damage | Maximum Range | Blast Radius | M.D.C. | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Explosive (light) | 2D6x10 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) | 30ft (9.1m) | 10 | 7000 |
| High Explosive (medium) * | 3D6x10 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 40ft (12.2m) | 15 | 12,000 |
| High Explosive (heavy) * | 4D6x10 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 50ft (15.2m) | 25 | 20,000 |
| High Explosive (x-heavy) * | 5D6x10 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 60ft (18.2m) | 35 | 30,000 |
| Fragmentation (light) | 2D6x10 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) | 80ft (24.4m) | 10 | 7500 |
| Fragmentation (medium) * | 3D4x10 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 100ft (30.3m) | 15 | 11,000 |
| Fragmentation (heavy) * | 4D4x10 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 120ft (36.4m) | 25 | 17,000 |
| Fragmentation (x-heavy) * | 4D6x10 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 150ft (45.5m) | 35 | 22,000 |
| Armor Piercing (light) | 3D4x10 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) | 5ft (1.5m) | 10 | 15,000 |
| Armor Piercing (medium) * | 3D6x10 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 15ft (4.6m) | 15 | 25,000 |
| Armor Piercing (heavy) * | 4D6x10 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 25ft (7.6m) | 25 | 40,000 |
| Armor Piercing (x-heavy) * | 5D6x10 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 35ft (10.6m) | 35 | 60,000 |
| Plasma/Heat (light) | 3D6x10 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) | 15ft (1.5m) | 10 | 20,000 |
| Plasma/Heat (medium) * | 4D6x10 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 30ft (9.1m) | 15 | 38,000 |
| Plasma/Heat (heavy) * | 5D6x10 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 50ft (15.2m) | 25 | 55,000 |
| Plasma/Heat (x-heavy) * | 6D6x10 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 80ft (24.4m) | 35 | 75,000 |
| Fusion (light) * | 6D6x10 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 80ft (24.4m) | 10 | 80,000 |
| Fusion (medium) * | 1D4x100 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 100ft (30.3m) | 15 | 90,000 |
| Fusion (heavy) * | 1D6x100 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 120ft (36.4m) | 25 | 105,000 |
| Fusion (x-heavy) * | 2D4x100 | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 150ft (45.5m) | 35 | 125,000 |
| Tear Gas (medium) * | None | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 80ft (24.4m) | 15 | 7000 |
| Smoke (medium) * | None | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 80ft (24.4m) | 15 | 7000 |
| Fire Retardent (medium) * | None | 1/2 mile (0.8km) * | 80ft (24.4m) | 15 | 7000 |
| * Bombs are available as Smart Bombs (see above). | |||||
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By Chris Curtis (curtis@thepentagon.com).
With help from Mad Dog
and Kitsune (Kitsune@vabch.com).
Copyright © 1997, 1998, 2002 Chris Curtis. All rights reserved.
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ConventionalBombs.php -- Revised: January 27, 2021.