Haven't found any suggestions quite like this yet, so I'm going with this as my first new thread post.
I realize we have all dumbfire missiles which are basically rockets, but they're costly to use and limited in power. So I figured, why not take out all the fancy gizmos and rocket propellant and replace it all with more explosive? That would cut down on the cost per unit while still providing plenty of explosive power, assuming you're skilled enough to land a hit and not accidentally maneuver into your own bombs after releasing them.
The idea I'm thinking for is that of an unguided bomb, similar to a missile, but completely unpowered and with a stronger punch. Instead it will rely on the speed and trajectory of the ship that drops it to reach its destination, be it a straight line in space, or an arced drop planetside whenever that becomes available. Capacity could be similar to missiles or just slightly greater, and you would always have to mindful of the hard point location when deploying them to avoid accidentally bumping into them. With no rocket thruster giving off heat, the bomb itself could even be harder to distinguish on radar. Perhaps even 'more expensive stealth' variants could exist.
Now of course, its initial use would be limited. It would be very difficult to hit most ships with a bomb during a dogfight, but against larger slower ships it could introduce a new type of space divebomber loadouts. It's biggest benefit would be for bombarding slower capital ships along their trajectories. But it could find other uses as well. Suppose you find yourself in a laser joust with another ship, as a lot of vipers like to do. You could drop a few bombs right in their path before peeling off as a nice little surprise. Or against a freighter like an Anaconda or Python, if timed right a pilot could rush at the ship and release bombs at near point blank range before pulling out of the way (like dive bombing) to do massive explosive damage (hopefully you aren't too close when they hit).
Potential Advantages
Cheap (no need for fuel, avionics, motor, etc.)
More BOOM (Can fit larger warhead than missiles due to above reasons)
Aren't affected by Chaff, Heat Sinks
Potential Disadvantages
Difficult to aim
Speed is slow, based on ship (easy for PDT to shoot down)
Can easily be outmaneuvered
Can accidentally detonate against your own ship if not careful
Explosive damage could harm own ship if too close to target
Bomb Variety Ideas
Stealth bombs - More expensive, don't show up on radar to avoid alerting your target of its approach
EMB bombs - for barraging capital ship shields
Cluster bombs - Bomb can break into smaller bomblets after a certain distance travelled
HE bombs - Bigger damage variety?
Thoughts?
I realize we have all dumbfire missiles which are basically rockets, but they're costly to use and limited in power. So I figured, why not take out all the fancy gizmos and rocket propellant and replace it all with more explosive? That would cut down on the cost per unit while still providing plenty of explosive power, assuming you're skilled enough to land a hit and not accidentally maneuver into your own bombs after releasing them.
The idea I'm thinking for is that of an unguided bomb, similar to a missile, but completely unpowered and with a stronger punch. Instead it will rely on the speed and trajectory of the ship that drops it to reach its destination, be it a straight line in space, or an arced drop planetside whenever that becomes available. Capacity could be similar to missiles or just slightly greater, and you would always have to mindful of the hard point location when deploying them to avoid accidentally bumping into them. With no rocket thruster giving off heat, the bomb itself could even be harder to distinguish on radar. Perhaps even 'more expensive stealth' variants could exist.
Now of course, its initial use would be limited. It would be very difficult to hit most ships with a bomb during a dogfight, but against larger slower ships it could introduce a new type of space divebomber loadouts. It's biggest benefit would be for bombarding slower capital ships along their trajectories. But it could find other uses as well. Suppose you find yourself in a laser joust with another ship, as a lot of vipers like to do. You could drop a few bombs right in their path before peeling off as a nice little surprise. Or against a freighter like an Anaconda or Python, if timed right a pilot could rush at the ship and release bombs at near point blank range before pulling out of the way (like dive bombing) to do massive explosive damage (hopefully you aren't too close when they hit).
Potential Advantages
Cheap (no need for fuel, avionics, motor, etc.)
More BOOM (Can fit larger warhead than missiles due to above reasons)
Aren't affected by Chaff, Heat Sinks
Potential Disadvantages
Difficult to aim
Speed is slow, based on ship (easy for PDT to shoot down)
Can easily be outmaneuvered
Can accidentally detonate against your own ship if not careful
Explosive damage could harm own ship if too close to target
Bomb Variety Ideas
Stealth bombs - More expensive, don't show up on radar to avoid alerting your target of its approach
EMB bombs - for barraging capital ship shields
Cluster bombs - Bomb can break into smaller bomblets after a certain distance travelled
HE bombs - Bigger damage variety?
Thoughts?