The Mk. VII nuclear torpedo is a medium yield thermonuclear weapon developed by the Dread Conglomerate, originally as a defense against the alien organism known as Eggs
Function
The Mk. VII is designed as a penetrating torpedo, it's function is to penetrate deep into the hull of an enemy vessel, and then to detonate it's warhead, creating a nuclear firestorm within the atmosphere of the ship.
Design
The body of the torpedo is sheathed in copper plating, which allows the weapon to be fired by magnetic rails, removing the need for large amounts of fuel. The copper plates are ejected from the weapon shortly after launch. Maneuvering thusters can be activated mid flight if course corrections are needed. Warhead yields range between 200 megatons and 1 gigaton.
Use History
This is the latest in a series of nuclear weapons utilized by the Dread Conglomerate. The original Mk. I nuclear torpedoes were rushed into production to counter the threat posed by the Eggs. The later models were adapted to be used against non-organic vessels. Until the development of the Mk. V torpedo, the weapons were fired using chemical fuel. With the advent of the railgun-type firing mechanism, ships were able to carry many more weapons than they previously could, and more space in the weapons themselves could be devoted to targeting systems and warhead size.
Important Notes
A standard Javin-class battleship can carry as many as fifty of these weapons. After the Conglomerate Civil War, massive stockpiles of nuclear torpedoes were captured by the Outer Rim Republic. This is one of two standard issue thermonuclear weapon types, the other being the Planetkiller Nuclear Torpedo
