PHOTON TORPEDOES
By Lt. Commander George Bogler, Chief Engineer
The photon torpedo was developed as a tactical weapon that could be used while a starship is traveling at warp (FTL) speeds-when phasers are ineffective to useless. They were first developed in 2215 and have become standard equipment on Starships and Space Stations capable of firing them (they are not practical for shuttles for instance). They function by combining matter & anti-matter to create a massive explosion.
Originally frozen deuterium pellets were forced into shaped magnetic pockets holding anti-deuterium. Modern photon torpedoes utilize thousands of tiny packets of matter & anti-matter which are kept physically separated until after launch. Once launched, the packets are mixed, although still magnetically isolated, in preparation for detonation. At the proper moment the targeting software in the torpedo drops the magnetic fields resulting in the annihilation of the payload, torpedo casing, and any other matter within the range of the reaction. Shields absorb and deflect this energy, but only to certain limits before collapse.
Standard design of photon torpedoes took some time to become fully developed. Casing and delivery systems were in place early in the 23rd century, but the first models had a range of just 750,000 km and produced a relatively low explosive yield. The modern version by comparison, has a maximum range of 4,050,000 km when launched from a vessel at warp speeds. Torpedoes launched from a stationary point (i.e. a station or a ship in orbit) have a much shorter range as well as a somewhat lower yield (due to lesser kinetic energy). The exact yield value is classified. A special "warp sustainer" engine built into the torpedo casing allows it to continue to travel at launch velocity once it leaves the launching ship's warp field. However this sustainer cannot initiate warp on its own. The weapon is guided either from the launch point or by on-board software.
A fairly recent advancement in torpedo technology is the "Quantum Torpedo". The exploitation of the "zero point energy field" (a subspace phenomenon) yields a dramatically higher yield with little or no energy increase to fire or decrease in range. This technology is also safer than storing antimatter.
A standard torpedo measures 2.1 x 0.76 x 0.45 meters and weighs 187.6 kilos. Explosive yield is determined by the amount of deuterium and anti-deuterium loaded into the weapon. This allows a Captain of Tactical Officer significant flexibility in choosing the exact tactical strength needed in a given situation.