Starfighter-mounted bomb size

[Dunames Lopez]

The best known canon bombers, such as the Y-wing or TIE/sa bomber, could carry 8 proton bombs (with the TIE/it bomber being able to carry twice as many). As I intend to make a thread about supplying bombs that are the size of standard proton bombs, whose payload can render everyone in the blast radius toxicomaniac (i.e. drug addicts), one may wonder how big are those bombs. Canon usually keeps quiet about how big proton bombs are, although we know that Arakyd ST2 light concussion missiles (those that are starfighter-mounted) are about 1m long and 15cm diameter.

I would think that proton bombs would come in various sizes; my idea of a heavy starfighter-borne bomb would be about 3 meters long for a 350-400mm diameter, weighing about half a ton, much like real-world airborne bombs of that caliber, and only one or two can be fitted to a Y-wing or a TIE/sa bomber (double that number on a TIE Interdictor). How big are the proton bombs we see in Ep. V?

 

[Kurayami Bloodborn]

Here's the important thing about ordnance. It isn't size. It is all about power. A seismic charge like you see in Episode 2 during the fight between Jango and Obi Wan is capable of destroying an asteroid with ease. A proton bomb, while not on par in destructive capability(at least in terms of overall radius from what I can recall) is still many times more powerful than explosives we use today. I've seen estimates that place them on par with nukes in term of energy delivered to the target, yet without the need to level a city in one hit. So the question is what you are utilizing in the bombs for. As for size there isn't one given an it is hard to estimate based on what is available on Wookiepedia.

From what you are describing you are looking at an air bursting bomb as that would give you maximum dispersal of the included drug. Now keep in mind this is not a guaranteed effect, as a re-breather unit as is common on many helmets and filtration units are designed for scenarios very similar to this. Not to mention that drugs affect every person differently not to mention different species.So you would need to make note that it is a POSSIBILITY, that those in the blast radius who were affected would have such a reaction to the drug. So you would have in all likelihood a small dispersal charge that would also serve to atomize the drug within. This is similar in principal to a fuel-air explosive, minus the crazy explosion afterwards.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Size does matter, if only for subbing it: after all, I want that bomb to fit existing bombers.

And, yes, the mechanisms and their power matter too. Perhaps some kind of shrapnel would contain the drug and release it upon contact...

 

[Jsc]

whose payload can render everyone in the blast radius toxicomaniac (i.e. drug addicts),

Please explain how dropping a nuke = drug addiction.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

A dispersal charge would atomize a chamber within the payload (ideally a drug that can be inhaled or skin-absorbed, depending on the species of the target) which contains the drug. Or that would be a shrapnel bomb, where the shrapnel would atomize the drug contained inside it upon contact with a solid or a liquid...

Just that I once threaded for supplying the drugs to some company that wanted to build grenades for the purpose of rendering the targets unable to use the Force; how would a fighter-borne bomb that makes Force-using targets unable to use the Force (and render everyone, including NFUs, in the blast radius drugged) be different from a grenade, aside from its power (and size)?

 

[Kurayami Bloodborn]

You don't need exact sizes. You would simply list it as being of similar dimensions to a standard seismic charge/proton bomb/what have you. Meaning it would work with any system able to deliver such ordnance. You seem to want this to be a charge that is mounted externally rather than internally. In reference to that take dimensions form real life ordnance of the same basic idea as what you are using. Something like a MK. 82 500 pound general purpose bomb.

Take into account that you simply want to atomize the drug, if the explosive burns too hot (too energetic) then you have only succeeded in making a pretty firework since you would burn up the liquid within. In addition to that, if you use too much then the dispersal cloud would be too large to create the desired effect. Too little or too low energy and you don't get either the atomization or dispersal needed. The shrapnel idea would require a completely different avenue of approach as it would actually need to coat the shrapnel itself for a long enough duration to reach the target. The tiny pieces of metal would be moving at a very high rate of speed and would be rather hot, not simply from residual energy from the explosion, but also due to atmospheric friction. However, many suits of armor can take a shrapnel hit without hardly a scratch, and many envirosuits are designed to be used in harsh environments. That doesn't even touch on Mandalorian armor or other armors that are environmentally sealed. Again though, what you are looking to do is possible but difficult for a large radius of effect, especially with shrapnel.

Your best bet in this case would likely be the atomization approach, with a good amount of testing behind it to find an explosive compound that is energetic enough to get the desired spread and atomize the drug without destroying it. Just remember that an enemy in environmentally sealed armor or even with a re-breather unit is not going to feel the effect of this to nearly the level of addiction, if at all.

 

[ADM. Reshmar]

[member="Dunames Lopez"] you would need to sub the bomb in the tech section and just equate it to a proton bomb. If it is smaller and less powerful you can make it half the size of a proton bomb or if it is twice as powerful make it twice as big. You can make it anything you like within reason so long as it can be compared to a proton bomb for exchange purposes.