Difference between revisions of "Advanced Tactical Missiles"

Latest revision as of 21:05, 21 August 2022

Advanced Tactical Missiles, or ATMs are a medium-long range weapon system with improved tracking compared to other missile weapons.

Overview

An Advanced Tactical Missile Launcher fires fast direct flying warheads that are able to quickly lock onto and impact an enemy target. ATM Launchers come in three distinct types: Standard (STD), Extended Range (ER) and High Explosive (HE). The STD and ER variants are hampered by a minimum range (120m for STD and 150m for ER), making them less useful for close-range engagements. The HE variant on the other hand is the weapon of choice for close-range combat and brawling, and its staggered launching pattern helps prevent enemy players from returning effective fire due to the shaking imparted by the explosions.

The ATM is a Clan-only weapon system.

Weapon Stats

Gameplay & Hints

• The main advantage of the STD and ER ATM weapons are their fast travel speed and maneuverability, which when coupled with the flat trajectory makes them best suited for shooting at targets in the open and out of cover.
• When shooting at aircraft, it is often best to wait until they are moving away before firing, as even the awesome maneuverability of ATMs has a hard time keeping up with a high speed flyover.
• Ballistic trajectory can be achieved by launching missiles away from the target and upwards.
• The HE ATM weapon fires in a staggered launching pattern and imparts screen shaking, making it good for preventing accurate return fire.
• Smaller salvo size of ATM's means they are affected by enemy AMS more than systems with larger salvos.
• As with all missiles, crouching will decrease lock-on time.

Canon

Introduced in 3054 by Clan Coyote, the Advanced Tactical Missiles featured the ability to select different ammunition types. ER Ammunition significantly extended the range of the launcher beyond that of even LRM's, HE Ammunition gave the missiles a much more powerful warhead at a cost of range, and Standard Ammunition split the difference. With each launcher having an integrated Artemis IV FCS the Advanced Tactical Missile launchers also featured improved cluster accuracy over traditional LRM and SRM launchers. ATM's are mounted in tube clusters of three. The release of the ATM is significant because it ended the technological stagnation of the Clans (along with the Heavy Laser that would be introduced a few years later).

To date the Inner Sphere has not attempted to duplicate the ATM, instead focusing on specialized munitions for the LRM and SRM launchers already available in the field.

BattleTech reference

Usage

The following Clan assets equip ATMs: