Missiles are one of the standard weapons of most forms of modern combat, they deliver a powerful, accurate punch at great distances often able to inflict critical damage on any but the most heavily armored targets. Using a wide variety of warheads, seekers, propulsion, and guidance systems, missiles are flexible, energy efficient, and powerful weapons. when combined into multi-launcher batteries they can send waves of lethal ordnance at an enemy that may be hard pressed to defend against the incoming fire.
The missile launcher can be attached to other weapons mounts, including laser, sandcaster, and particle weapons, as well as ballistic turrets. combining weapons in a single mount do give extra flexibility on ships with limited hardpoints, however the most powerful arrangements combine missiles into a single battery.
The smallest launcher typically carried by a starship is the turret mount. a canister fitted with firecontrol linkages to the ships own sensors feeds target data to the missiles own guidance and seeker systems, directs the missile in the general direction of the target, and fires the missile. from that point on the missiles sensors, and flight control systems take over and the gunnery team can move on to the next target, or fire additional salvos at the same target.
While launchers can be a simple rail fed individual missiles from a ready store placed near the launcher, a common model places the missiles in a single canister mounted on arms to lift it clear of the hull to freely rotate and elevate to track targets, then fold away when not in use. to reload a fresh canister of missiles, the mount rotates the canister into position over loading hatches, a fresh canister is slid into the canister, and locked into place. This speeds reload times, but is not universal, however many missile launcher uses the fire, rotate to reload position, back into firing position cycle.
to reduce the mass being rotated by the mount fire control, and anchoring structures are located it eh hull of the ship, allowing a gunner, to set in the position or operate it from remote stations elsewhere in the ship. The pedestal is still required to mount data transfer, sensor linkages, and power systems for the various hardware to operate the weapon systems.
