Category:Capital Missile

Capital Missiles were developed by the First Star League to defend against AeroSpace Fighters and other small craft. The capital-scale direct fire weapons used on Star League WarShips were inefficient at intercepting smaller targets, only occasionally scoring a hit. Unrestricted by the small size mandated by 'Mech and AeroSpace Fighters, engineers and scientists made huge strides in missile targeting and effectiveness. These missiles were very effective at destroying small craft. After the fall of the Star League and the loss of WarShips, capital missile production ceased. Production restarted during the Clan Invasion alongside the production of new WarShips.

Special teleoperated versions of the Star League capital missiles were developed by the Draconis Combine Admiralty in 3056 and 3057 to overcome two problems with the original missiles: Its expendable nature and the guidance package. If the capital missile missed its target, it would simply self-destruct. Though this prevented navigation hazards, it was still wasteful, particularly with the primitive guidance packages the post Succession Wars era Successor States could manufacture. The easiest way to solve the problem was to remove the guidance package and install communications links that would allow friendly operators to guide the missile like a remote-controlled AeroSpace Fighter. Though the teleoperated missiles lost the ability to attack small craft, the ability to manually guide the missile and change targets more than made up for it.

Capital Missiles are popular for Pocket WarShips because they are the only capital scale weapon system that can fit on a DropShip sized platform.

There are several Capital Missiles in use with the Inner Sphere and Clans:
 * Barracuda
 * White Shark
 * Killer Whale
 * Kraken-T Noteworthy because it's only available in a teleoperated version.

Each missile has its own launcher but several WarShips use a special missile launcher, the AR-10, that is capable of firing any capital missile that is not teleoperated.