Photon Torpedo

As the newly formed Starfleet began to explore the space surrounding the core worlds of the Federation, encounters with hostile races began to increase. In many cases, hostilities were avoided due to the diplomatic
efforts of both starship captains and Federation Diplomats. It was recognized early on that hostilities could often be limited when opposing forces realized they although they were outgunned, the Federation sought peaceful contact and not conquest. This got many parties to the bargaining table and peaceful resolutions to most confrontations. In fewer cases, when technological parity was evident, many races sought open hostilities with the Federation and in a handful of cases, hostilities erupted with races even clearly at a disadvantage to Federation technology. While lasers, and later phasers, would be the backbone of Federation starship armament, a heavier weapon was necessary to act as a deterrent as well as become the
'heavy artillery' should fighting become unavoidable.

Lasers and phasers, even though they were 'zero-time of flight weapons' (meaning almost instantaneous contact on target from the moment of firing) were at a serious disadvantage when used at warp velocities. Hitting and enemy vessel was nearly impossible at high relativistic velocities, at warp velocities it almost was impossible. Energy weapons travel at the speed of light, once emitted outside the warp field, lasers and phasers could actually be slower than the target vessel if it were traveling at warp speeds. If a hit is secured at high speed, the time on target is measured in pico-seconds or less, not enough time to inflict any appreciable damage. It was no leap in logic to see that the major energy source of matter/anti-matter annihilation could prove to be heavy weapon Starfleet needed. The trouble was delivering it to the target.

Since most early matter/anti-matter science and technology was devoted to containment and control of this awesome power, scientists and armament engineers had to reverse the process. They had to create a way to create the annihilation on demand and develop a delivery system. Looking at existing technologies such as the rudimentary nuclear projectiles in use for debris clearing, independent sensor probes and defensive counter-measure technology, an interim system of fusion explosive torpedoes were introduced into the Starfleet arsenal. These missiles and drones would be the forefathers of the modern day Photon and Quantum Torpedoes. Late in the development of the fusion missiles, a reliable technique for detonating
variable amounts of matter and anti-matter had continued to elude Starfleet armaments engineers, while the delivery system (consisting of guidance, propulsion, and launch systems) were virtually complete.

The exact nature of the problem lay in the rapid total annihilation of the torpedo's warhead. While most early warp engines destruction lay in the failure of anti-matter containment and appeared relatively violent, the actual rate of particle annihilation was quite low. The first successful warhead developed for Starfleet in 2215 was a simple matter / anti-matter collision device of a 1:1 ratio of matter / anti-matter. The device consisted of six frozen deuterium slugs backed by carbon-carbon disks and driven by microfusion initiators into six corresponding magnetic cavities, each holding anti-deuterium in suspension. As the slugs drove into the cavities, the annihilation energies were trapped briefly by the magnetic fields, and then suddenly released. The annihilation rate was deemed adequate to serve as a heavy weapon and was soon deployed to all deep
interstellar Starfleet vessels. While a torpedo could coast indefinitely after firing, the maximum effective tactical range was 750,000 kilometers because of stability limits inherent to the containment field design.

While the range, or more actuarially the duration, was a sever limitation, the new Photon Torpedo was warp capable, equipped with micro-cochrane warp engines and fully capable of engaging warp equipped enemy vessels. The yield of the Photon Torpedo was fully capable of destroying enemy vessels in a single volley or downing the enemy's defensive shields if they were so equipped. While equipped with advanced sensors and onboard guidance, they were still dependent on proper alignment when firing and possessed limited tracking capabilities. Perhaps the most severe handicap was maneuverability, as the micro-warp engines did not possess the large multiple field coils of their larger brethren and their ability to adjust the warp fields for turning was extremely limited.

By 2271, Starfleet research finally paid off as newer more versatile Photon Torpedoes were introduced. These newer torpedoes had the ability to be programmed with a variable yield and this increased their range and maneuverability. With a range of 3,500,000 kilometers for mid-range detonation yield and arming just before firing, Starfleet finally got the weapon they were looking for. Now equipped with a warhead that held
variable amounts of matter and anti-matter in thousands of minute packets, these are held in suspension by powerful magnetic field sustainers within the casing at the time of torpedo loading. They are held in two separate regions of the casing until after launch. The suspended component packets are mixed, though they still do not come into contact because of the fields surrounding them. At a signal from the onboard detonator circuitry, the fields collapse and drive the materials together, resulting in the characteristic release of energy. This method increases the annihilation surface area by three orders of magnitude resulting in a more complete annihilation and energy release.

The standard photon torpedo (there are several variants) is an elongated elliptical tube constructed of molded gamma-expanded duranium and a plasma-bonded terminium outer skin. The completed casing varies in size due to the different types of torpedoes, but the standard casing of the Mark VI Photon Torpedo is 2.1 by 0.76 by 0.45 meters and masses 247.5 kilograms. Along the horizontal axis of the standard torpedo are ports for warhead reactant loading, hardline optical data network connections, and propulsion system exhaust grills. Within the casing are deuterium and anti-deuterium holding tanks, central combiner tank and their respective magnetic suspension components; and warp sustainer engine. The holding and combiner tanks shells are gamma-welded hafnium titanide. The tank liners, as well as the warp sustainer engine coils, are all constructed from directionally cast silicon-copper carbide to maximize field efficiency.

The micro-warp engines of the torpedo is not a true warp engine due to its small physical size, being one twelfth the minimum matter/anti-matter reaction chamber size. Rather, it is a miniature M/A fuel cell, which
powers the sustainer coils to grab and hold a hand-off warp field from the ship's launcher tube. The ship's launchers are smaller versions of the propulsion warp coils and emit the proper warp field configured for optimal firing of the torpedo. If the ship is at warp speed, the onboard M/A cell can only sustain the hand-off warp field for a short time. Other torpedo flight modes are triggered according to initial launch conditions. If
launched during low-impulse flight, the launch coils will drive the torpedo up to 75% of higher sublight velocity. If launched at high sublight, the onboard field sustainer will hold the hand-off field and not cross the threshold into warp, but will continue to drive the torpedo at high relativistic velocities. It is the reaction of the hand-off warp field with the onboard sustainer engine energies that give off the characteristic 'glow' of a torpedo in flight.

Once given prelaunch trajectory programming directly by the ODN, the torpedoes targeting and guidance systems communicates with the warp sustainer computer to calculate the optimum travel time to target. This
allows the arming circuitry a minimum of 1.02 seconds to combine the warhead fuels. Updated in-flight by subspace radio link, the trajectory changes needed can be made by differentially constricting the sustainer
exhaust grills.

Launcher tubes on modern Starfleet vessels are constructed from machined tritanium and sarium farnide. It is strung with sequential field induction coils and launch assist gas generators to provide initial power to the sustainer and propel the torpedo away from the starship. The launcher tube is 30 meters in length and can be loaded with as many as ten torpedoes at one time for simultaneous launch. In such cases, the torpedoes will track together until a predetermined position and then 'spread out' into a preprogrammed pattern developed by the ship's Tactical Officer and Tactical computer. Once fired, the launcher tube is purged of surface residues by flash sterilization, the coils charges are neutralized, and the firing sequencer is reset to await a new load of torpedoes.

There are a number of torpedo variants. Each type serves a specific function, although the standard Mark VI casing is the most versatile and most adaptable. Most Class One starships have 20% of their torpedo loads assigned to these variants, the remaining being the standard Mark VI.

Bibliography-

Star Trek The Next Generation Technical Manual – by R. Sternback and M.
Okuda
Starfleet Dynamics - John David Schmidt
Jackill's Starfleet Reference Manual - Volume One - by Eric Kristiansen

Author – Chief Engineer Lt. Wayne N Snyder
Date: August 15, 1998