A proton torpedo trick

Setzer · Post by **Setzer** » 2003-01-13 12:17pm

It's been established that proton torpedoes can make extremely tight turns. That gives me an idea. Why can't an X-wing detect and lock onto a TIE fighter flying behind it? The proton torpedo is fired, turns around, and kills the TIE on your 6. Have they done this in any book?

SPOOFE · Post by **SPOOFE** » 2003-01-13 02:20pm

I believe it was done in one of the X-wing books, but required a few seconds on the part of the astromech droid to redirect the protorp's guidance.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2003-01-14 03:55am

Beause your fire the torpedo, then fly into it as you're moving forward. Theres an idea for an effective anti starfighter weapon though. In AoTC when Obi Wan ejected the parts canister. You could mount a hi speed ejection unit that fires a one shot fragmentation burst, kind of like the anti starfighter blisters on capital ships. Unhielded fighters would be shredded by this tactic.

Boba Fett · Post by **Boba Fett** » 2003-01-14 04:17am

Did we see any situation when the SW fighters targeted something that is out of LOS? The target sensor is capable to track the targets out of LOS but it can lock only in LOS.

I don't remember...although it would be quite stupid if their target sensors can't work out of LOS.

The games always worked in LOS mode although...

Robert Treder · Post by **Robert Treder** » 2003-01-14 05:20am

In the games, you could acquire a lock without LOS, but the projectiles couldn't negotiate obstacles. So yeah, basically, they depicted an LOS-only targeting system.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2003-01-14 05:22am

If you count simes when starfighters or shuttles "broadcast their targeting information" to other ships. Corran Horn got the targeting lock on the Lancer frigate in the "Rogue Squadron" and gave that to a bunch of Y-wings.

Tycho also did that in the same novel I believe when he fed data to Corran's disabled X Wing who still managed to fire a protorp and destroy a TIE.

Boba Fett · Post by **Boba Fett** » 2003-01-14 06:05am

Robert Treder wrote:In the games, you could acquire a lock without LOS, but the projectiles couldn't negotiate obstacles. So yeah, basically, they depicted an LOS-only targeting system.

How did you acquired target lock out of LOS in the sims?

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2003-01-14 10:15am

In order to get the lock you had to keep the crosshairs on the ship until it lit up red. If the target got out of your LOS though the lock was immediately lost and you had to reacquire.

In the Rogue Squadron games and SoTE you would fir homingweapons forward andthey would lock on to the nearest enemy target w/o discretion.

Andras · Post by **Andras** » 2003-01-14 12:05pm

Darth Fanboy wrote:Corran Horn got the targeting lock on the Lancer frigate in the "Rogue Squadron" and gave that to a bunch of Y-wings.

No, he didn't. He had the Y's lock onto his transponder signal, and led the torps into a collision with the Lancer.

FX · Post by FX » 2003-01-14 02:37pm

The best reason I can come up with is that all SW fighters are single person ships, and working with sensors to get a non-LOS lock would take too much in cockpit attention to attain. Create a fighter that has a second crew member and it would be possible, but the increase in size and weight to hold the second man would most likely make the fighter a sitting duck for faster and more agile ships.

Lord Pounder · Post by **Lord Pounder** » 2003-01-14 03:02pm

What about the Y-Wing then. It's a 2 person fighter.

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2003-01-14 04:53pm

What about the Y-Wing then. It's a 2 person fighter.

The other fellow is the Tail-gunner and ECOM guy, To be fair the pilot should be able to get the lock-ons, heck F-16s manage just fine in real life why not X-wings?

Probably to Avoid the Anime Missle-doken of death syndrom is my only guess

Boba Fett · Post by **Boba Fett** » 2003-01-15 09:40am

Darth Pounder wrote:What about the Y-Wing then. It's a 2 person fighter.

There're 2 types of Y-wings.

The older model is the BTL-A4 wich is a single person craft.

After the presentation of the T-65B (double seated X-wing), Koensayr decided to redesign the old Y-wing.

The new model is the BTL-S3 Y-wing, which is double seated and the ion cannon on the top can be independantly rotated and aimed by the co-pilot.
It's slightly faster then the old one but a little longer also.

The old model featured in ANH.

You can read about the newer model in SotE. (Bothans piloted the Y-wings, when Luke and Dash disabled the Black Sun freighter)