Systems: New Missile for the Liberator - The "SLLAM"

[Grognard]

"SLLAM"
Strategic, Liberator, Land, Attack, Missile
(...or "Slammer" if you like)

Inspiration:
Tomahawk Cruise Missile. We have zero naval vessels, and the tomahawk is a very cool asset, so a Liberator would be a likely candidate to put a missile like this into service.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomahawk_(missile)
Tomahawk Missile Variants - YouTube

Purpose:
Medium range, air to ground, situational strikes. A tool for Liberator pilots to fire. An asset to make the Liberators more unique relative to other air assets, specifically the Galaxy Gunship role.

Discription:
The SLLAM is a big "cruise missile" useful for situational strikes. The missile fires in a very slow launch, until it picks up speed to a medium velocity. Real world tomahawks are a long range asset, fired by ships, that delivers a heavy payload accurately. However, with the distances PS2 maps will afford, I made some creative adjustments, and tried to keep the flavor.

Employment:
The SLLAM is carried only by Liberators, one missile per wing, perhaps two if deep certs are taken. It is fired by the pilot, in a frontal arc only. Though it is a big missile, the Galaxy has other jobs to do, therefore this missile should be Liberator specific. It also helps to give the Liberator more uniqueness vs the Galaxy Gunship. It can be fired at full visual range, to simulate best, the flavor of a "cruise missile".

Balancing Factors:
The Liberator should only be able to carry two SLLAMs, with perhaps a high level cert upgrade to four, because of the SLLAMs size. An in-flight SLLAM should be vulnerable to bursters, and lock-on AA (ground troops, and aircraft) due to its size, and medium "crusing" speed, if situationally aware troops are viligant. This missile should not be confused by flares or chaff, as it targets by GPS (simulated). Furthermore, it should be resilient to AI and AV direct fire weapon lucky shots. Obviously, a SLLAM would be useless against flying craft.


Edit: Changed name to make more sense, and some spelling.

[MedicDude]

Not a tomahawk, but bomb sight guided bombs, yes. And those bombs better have fins for lateral sighting, one of my biggest gripes with PS1's liberator. I'd really like to shy away from aircraft being designated for shooting squishies, they should be anti-armor and fighter solutions.

[Grognard]

Originally Posted by MedicDude

Not a tomahawk, but bomb sight guided bombs, yes. And those bombs better have fins for lateral sighting, one of my biggest gripes with PS1's liberator. I'd really like to shy away from aircraft being designated for shooting squishies, they should be anti-armor and fighter solutions.

Yeah, I dont envision this as a strafing "rocket" either. They are potentially giving the Liberator a rocket of some kind already, anyway. Bombs, Rockets, and strafing local targets are beyond the pervue of this suggestion. It does however bring up a good point about how to avoid misuse...

To make certain it is used as a more "strategic" cruise-type missile, it would make sense to have an initializing timer. Therefore, it does not arm before five seconds (remember it launches slow, and cruises to target). Perhaps, that can be certed down to a minimum of three seconds, and still be in keeping with the intent. If it strikes an object within the initialization period, the payload-abort would kick in. It would also, likely, require a scoping sighter to aquire a target, since the theme of the missile requires a little distance.

A payload initializer, and scoping sighter, would lock it into its intent, and can not be used like a air ground faction specific fighter, cause we already have that.