Difference between revisions of "Advanced Tactical Missiles"

Revision as of 17:43, 14 April 2019

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 a powerful warhead that is able to quickly lock onto and impact an enemy target. ATM Launchers come in three distinct types: Extended Range (ER), Standard (STD) and High Explosive (HE). ATMs are the most powerful conventional missile weapon system deployed and are only outclassed by the ArrowIV and Thunderbolt Missiles. The ER and STD variants are hampered by a minimum range (120m for STD and 150m for ER), making them less useful for close-range engagements but more effective for medium-long range fighting. However their lack of the LRM's ballistic trajectory coupled with a shorter lock-on time makes them more useful at direct engagements than their non-ATM counterparts. The HE variant has no arming deadzone, making it the weapon of choice for close-range and brawling Mechs, and its staggered launching pattern helps prevent enemy players from returning effective fire due to the shaking imparted by the explosions. ATMs will not travel further than their maximum range, instead exploding when the maximum range has been reached.

The ATM is a Clan-only weapon system.

Weapon Stats

Advantages/Disadvantages

The main advantage of the ER and STD ATM weapons are their fast travel speed and maneuverability, which when coupled with the flat trajectory makes it well suited for engaging airborne targets. The HE ATM weapon fires in a staggered launching pattern and imparts screen shaking, making it good for preventing accurate return fire.

On the down side ATMs carry less missiles per ton of ammunition, giving it less staying power than comparable missile racks of different systems, making them more prone to running out of munitions than other systems. In addition their smaller salvo size means they are affected by enemy AMS more than systems with larger salvos.

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:

See Also

• Long Range Missiles

• Extended Long Range Missiles

• Medium Range Missiles

• Short Range Missiles

• Streak Short Range Missiles