12.3 Missiles

Updated: v2026.01.30

Missiles are the primary long-range offensive weapon in Aurora. Unlike beam weapons, missiles can strike targets hundreds of millions of kilometers away, but they can be intercepted by point defense, require ammunition, and take time to reach their targets. Missile design is one of the deepest subsystems in Aurora, with dozens of parameters that determine a missile’s effectiveness.

12.3.1 Missile Design

Updated: v2026.01.30

Missiles are designed in the Missile Design window and can be customized across multiple parameters. The fundamental trade-off in missile design is between speed, range, warhead size, terminal guidance, decoys, ECCM, multiple warheads, retargeting, and sensor capability – all constrained by the missile’s total size.

Missile Size

Missiles are measured in Missile Size Points (MSP), where each MSP equals 2.5 tons. Missiles can be up to 200 MSP (500 tons) total. The missile’s size determines what launcher can fire it and how many can be stored in a magazine:

Missile Size Typical Role Launcher Size
1-2 MSP Anti-missile missiles (AMMs) Size 1-2 launcher
3-6 MSP Anti-ship missiles (light) Size 3-6 launcher
6-12 MSP Anti-ship missiles (standard) Size 6-12 launcher
12-20 MSP Heavy anti-ship missiles Size 12-20 launcher
20+ MSP Bombardment/Capital missiles Size 20+ launcher

A launcher can only fire missiles of its exact size or smaller. Larger launchers can fire smaller missiles but not vice versa.

Speed

Missile speed is determined by the engine technology and the proportion of the missile devoted to propulsion:

Missile Speed = Engine Power / Missile Size (in MSP)

Missile engines use the same formulas as ship engines but with a Maximum Engine Power Modifier twice that of the base technology. The maximum missile engine size is 50 MSP. The engine component uses a percentage of the missile’s total MSP. More engine = faster missile but less room for warhead, fuel, and sensors. Key speed considerations:

  • Faster missiles are harder to intercept by point defense (PD tracking speed must match)
  • Faster missiles reach their targets sooner, giving less time for PD engagement
  • Speed directly affects whether the missile can catch a fleeing target

Missile Engine Fuel Consumption (C# Aurora):

Missile engines follow the same size-based fuel consumption formula as ship engines:

Fuel Consumption = SQRT(10 / Engine Size in HS)

Additionally, a High Boost Modifier applies when the missile uses boost levels exceeding the racial maximum boost technology:

If Boost Used > Max Boost Tech:
    High Boost Modifier = (((Boost Used - Max Boost Tech) / Max Boost Tech) * 4) + 1

This creates a linear multiplier from 1x to 5x. For example, with max boost tech of 2x:

  • Missiles at 2x boost or below: Standard fuel consumption
  • Missiles at 4x boost: 5x fuel consumption

This means high-boost missiles in C# Aurora have substantially reduced range compared to VB6 Aurora, making missile range a more meaningful design constraint.

Warhead

The warhead determines how much damage the missile inflicts on impact:

Warhead Damage = Warhead Size (MSP) * Warhead Strength technology

Warhead technology levels increase damage per MSP invested.\hyperlink{ref-12.3-3}{[3]} The warhead size is the MSP allocated to the warhead component. Larger warheads do more damage but leave less room for speed, range, and sensors. Note that square numbers for warhead strength are optimal due to the damage profile mechanics for missiles – damage is applied in a square pattern, so strengths of 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, etc. make the most efficient use of warhead capacity.

Warhead Types:

  • Standard Warheads: Nuclear warheads that deal direct damage on impact
  • Laser Warheads: Detonate at range and apply a portion of their warhead strength using the same rules as laser attacks. Limited to single warhead configuration.
  • Enhanced Radiation Warheads: Trade conventional damage for increased radiation output during planetary bombardment. See the Enhanced Radiation Warheads subsection below for full details. For radiation cleanup mechanics, see Section 12.6.5 Radiation and Decontamination.

Fractional Warheads (v2.2.0):

Warhead strengths are rounded to three decimal places instead of being rounded down to integers, enabling precise damage calculations:

  • Against shields, populations, shipyards, ground forces, and missiles: Fractional damage applies directly (e.g., 3.5 damage = 3.5 damage dealt)
  • Against armor: Fractional damage has no effect – only integer values count (3.5 strength = 3 armor damage)
  • Against internal ship systems: Fractional damage has no effect on internals

Fractional warheads vs. missiles:

  • Warhead strength >= 1.0: Automatically destroys any targeted missile
  • Warhead strength < 1.0: Destruction probability = Warhead Strength * 20 / Missile Size in MSP
  • Example: 0.2-strength warhead vs. 4 MSP missile = automatic kill; vs. 10 MSP missile = 40% chance

Multiple Warheads (v2.2.0):

Missiles can distribute their warhead strength across multiple separate attacks. Each attack deals damage equal to Warhead Strength / Number of Warheads, with fractional values permitted.

  • Example: Warhead strength 1.2 with 3 warheads = three attacks at 0.4 damage each
  • Each warhead rolls independently for hit chance
  • All warheads from a single missile target the same objective
  • Restriction: Only standard warheads support this; laser warheads are limited to single warhead
  • Additional space: 0.1 MSP per additional warhead (i.e., 0.1 * (warheads - 1))
  • Material cost: Equal to additional space in Tritanium

Multiple warheads are most useful for AMMs, especially against missiles equipped with decoys, as each warhead can potentially eliminate a different decoy or score a hit.

Fuel and Range

Missile fuel determines how far the missile can travel before exhausting its propellant. Each MSP of fuel capacity stores 2,500 units of fuel. Larger engines with lower power settings improve fuel efficiency, following the same efficiency principles as ship engines (20 MSP equals 1 HS for fuel efficiency formula purposes):

Missile Range = Fuel Amount / (Fuel Consumption Rate * Missile Speed)

In practice, the Missile Design window displays the maximum range directly. Key points:

  • Range is expressed in millions of km
  • A missile that runs out of fuel does not self-destruct – it continues ballistically but can no longer maneuver
  • Fuel-depleted missiles cannot course-correct and will likely miss maneuvering targets
  • High-boost missiles consume fuel much faster (see engine section above), significantly limiting range

Hit Chance (Speed Ratio System)

Missile hit chance is determined by the ratio of missile speed to target speed:\hyperlink{ref-12.3-1}{[1]}

Base Hit Chance = 0.1 * (Missile Speed / Target Speed)

For example, a missile traveling at 30,000 km/s against a target moving at 5,000 km/s has a base hit chance of 0.1 * (30,000 / 5,000) = 0.6, or 60%.

This means faster missiles are inherently more accurate against slower targets, and very fast targets require proportionally faster missiles to achieve reliable hits.

Active Terminal Guidance (0.25 MSP component, costs Uridium) improves hit chance beyond the base speed ratio. The terminal guidance bonus ranges from +15% to +60% based on technology level, applied as a multiplier to the base hit chance.\hyperlink{ref-12.3-2}{[2]} See the Active Terminal Guidance subsection below for technology progression details.

Key design implications:

  • Missile speed now serves double duty: catching the target AND improving hit probability
  • Against stationary targets, hit chance is effectively 100% (speed ratio is infinite)
  • Against very fast targets, terminal guidance becomes essential for reliable hits
  • Multiple warheads provide additional rolls, improving effective hit rate per missile

Onboard Sensors

Missiles can be equipped with their own sensors, allowing them to guide themselves to the target independently of the launching ship’s fire control:

  • No sensor: Missile flies to the target’s last known position at the time of launch. It cannot adjust course if the target moves, making it effective only against stationary or predictable targets.
  • Active sensor: Missile can independently detect and acquire targets during the terminal phase, correcting for target movement. The sensor size and resolution determine acquisition range.
  • Home-on-Jam (HOJ): Missile homes on ECM emissions. Effective against ships using electronic countermeasures.
  • Thermal/EM sensors: Passive sensors for specialized detection roles.
  • Geological Sensor: Enables the missile to perform system body surveying, functioning as an automated survey probe.

Important: Any missile sensor (active, thermal, EM, or Geo) must be a minimum of 0.25 MSP or it will have no effect. \hyperlink{ref-12.3-9}{[9]}

Onboard sensors consume MSP and generate EM emissions, making the missile more detectable.

Missile ECM (C# Aurora):

Missiles can mount ECM systems with a fixed cost of 0.25 MSP \hyperlink{ref-12.3-9}{[9]}:

  • Each ECM level makes the missile 10% harder to hit with energy weapons
  • Each ECM level reduces the lock of enemy missile fire controls by 10%
  • ECM capability is set at design time based on current racial technology and does not auto-upgrade

For the broader electronic warfare framework including ship-mounted jammers and ECCM integration, see Section 12.5 Electronic Warfare. Specifically, Section 12.5.3 Fire Control Jammers covers how jammers affect point defense accuracy against incoming missiles.

Missile ECCM:

Missiles can also mount ECCM at 0.25 MSP \hyperlink{ref-12.3-9}{[9]}:

  • Missile-mounted ECCM affects strike probability against ECM-equipped targets
  • Note: Fire control ECCM only impacts lock-on range, not hit probability

Missile Decoys (v2.2.0):

Missiles can mount decoys requiring 0.5 MSP each \hyperlink{ref-12.3-9}{[9]}. A tech line called Missile ECM ranges from level 1 (2,500 RP) to level 10 (1.2M RP).\hyperlink{ref-12.3-4}{[4]}

Combat mechanics:

  • When a missile is attacked by energy weapons or AMMs, a probabilistic targeting system determines hit:
    • Missile receives a base weight of 5
    • Each decoy receives a base weight of 5
    • Example: Laser vs. missile with 3 decoys = 5/20 chance to hit missile, 15/20 to hit a decoy

ECCM vs. Decoys:

  • When attacking ECCM exceeds missile ECM level, decoy weights reduce:
    • Decoy weight = 5 - (ECCM - Missile ECM)
    • At ECCM advantage >= 5, decoys are completely ignored

Decoy removal:

  • Any decoy that suffers one or more hits (even fractional warheads) is removed
  • Multiple shots in the same increment can target the same decoy, potentially leaving others intact

Active Terminal Guidance (v2.2.0):

A new guidance component (0.25 MSP, costs Uridium):

  • Provides an accuracy bonus during the final approach
  • Technology progression from +15% bonus (1,000 RP) to +60% bonus (64,000 RP). The full progression is: +15% (1,000 RP), +20% (2,000 RP), +25% (4,000 RP), +32% (8,000 RP), +40% (16,000 RP), +50% (32,000 RP), +60% (64,000 RP).
  • The bonus functions as a multiplier, not additive (database stores values as 1.0 through 1.6, confirming multiplier behavior: e.g., +50% terminal guidance on a 60% base hit = 60% * 1.5 = 90%)

Technology Window Display (v2.6.0):

The missile summary section on the Technology window now displays retargeting capability and Active Terminal Guidance (ATG) information for each missile design. This allows players to quickly review missile capabilities without opening the full Missile Design window, particularly useful when comparing multiple designs or assessing fleet ordnance options.

Missile Retargeting (v2.2.0):

A new guidance component (0.5 MSP, costs 0.5 BP in Uridium, unlocked at 5,000 RP):\hyperlink{ref-12.3-5}{[5]}

  • Onboard AI evaluates interception probability before detonation
  • If calculations suggest low success, the missile bypasses detonation and continues for another engagement attempt
  • Missile persists until target destruction or fuel depletion
  • Works with both standard and stand-off missile variants
  • As of v2.5.0, missiles with retargeting are limited to one attack attempt per time increment. This prevents a single retargeting missile from making multiple passes in rapid succession during the same game tick.

No-Engine Missiles (Buoys):

Missiles can be designed with no engine, creating stationary buoys. These deployable platforms remain at their launch point and can serve as defensive monitoring stations with onboard sensors, providing persistent surveillance without requiring a ship to remain on station.

Design Examples

Fast Anti-Ship Missile (Size 6):

  • Engine: 3 MSP (50% of size) – very fast
  • Warhead: 1.5 MSP – moderate damage
  • Fuel: 1 MSP – medium range
  • Sensor: 0.5 MSP – small active seeker (meets 0.25 MSP minimum)
  • Speed: Very high, hard to intercept

Heavy Strike Missile (Size 12):

  • Engine: 4 MSP (33% of size) – moderate speed
  • Warhead: 5 MSP – devastating damage
  • Fuel: 2 MSP – long range
  • Sensor: 1 MSP – good active seeker
  • Damage: Very high, can one-shot smaller ships

Decoy-Equipped Assault Missile (Size 10):

  • Engine: 3 MSP – moderate speed
  • Warhead: 2 MSP – solid damage
  • Fuel: 1.5 MSP – medium range
  • Sensor: 0.5 MSP – active seeker
  • ECM: 0.25 MSP – electronic countermeasures
  • Decoys: 1.5 MSP (3 decoys) – survivability against PD
  • Retargeting: 0.5 MSP – persistence
  • Strategy: Multiple engagement attempts with decoy protection

12.3.2 Missile Combat

Updated: v2026.01.30

Missile combat in Aurora occurs in phases: launch, flight, interception attempts by defenders, and terminal attack. Understanding each phase is essential for effective missile warfare.

Launch

Missiles are launched from missile launchers assigned to missile fire controls (see Section 12.1 Fire Controls). The launch process:

  1. Fire control acquires a target (target must be within the fire control’s range and speed rating)
  2. Loaded launchers assigned to that fire control fire missiles (launchers must already be loaded from magazines)
  3. Missiles immediately begin traveling toward the target location at their designed speed
  4. Launchers begin reloading from magazines (reload time depends on launcher technology and missile size)

Reload Rate

Standard launchers reload using the following formula in C# Aurora:

Reload Time = (SQRT(missile size) * 30 seconds * Reduced Size Modifier) / Reload Rate Tech

This means larger missiles take proportionally longer to reload due to square root scaling, and reduced-size launchers multiply the reload time by their penalty factor. Reload Rate technology directly reduces the time between salvos.\hyperlink{ref-12.3-6}{[6]} Note: As of v1.11.0, reduced-size missile launcher variants correctly apply their size and crew requirement multipliers; earlier versions had incorrect values for these parameters.

Box Launchers

Box launchers are single-use missile tubes that cannot be reloaded during combat. They can only be reloaded at specific facilities:

  • Hangars: Full-speed reloading when docked
  • Ordnance Transfer Points: Spaceports, Ordnance Transfer Stations, or Ordnance Transfer Hubs – reloading is 10x slower than hangar operations

Advantages:

  • Half the size of a standard launcher
  • No magazine space needed (missile is pre-loaded)
  • Fire simultaneously for a devastating alpha strike
  • All reduced-size launcher technologies are immediately available

Disadvantages:

  • Cannot be reloaded in combat
  • Can only reload at hangars or Ordnance Transfer Points
  • If hit while containing a missile, the missile will explode (100% base chance, reducible by technology to 5%)
  • Ship must carry many box launchers for sustained fire

Missile Thermal Detection (C# Aurora):

The thermal signature of missiles has been redesigned in C# Aurora to match ship thermal signature calculations:

Missile Thermal Signature = Max Engine Output * (Current Speed / Max Speed) * Thermal Reduction

Since missiles currently lack thermal reduction options or variable speed capabilities, their thermal signature equals their engine power output. This significantly increases thermal detection ranges for missiles compared to VB6 Aurora (which used the formula: Missile Size / 20 * Speed / 1000).

This change makes missiles substantially more vulnerable to thermal detection systems (see Section 11.2 Passive Sensors), potentially affecting combat tactics and missile design. Passive thermal sensors can now detect incoming missiles at much greater distances.

Missile Flight

Missiles require continuous guidance from the launching ship’s missile fire control (MFC) during flight. The MFC must maintain sensor lock on the target for guidance updates:

  • Missiles travel at their maximum speed immediately upon launch
  • They consume fuel during flight
  • The MFC provides continuous guidance updates to the missile; if the MFC loses lock (due to target moving out of range, ECM jamming, or sensor disruption), missiles go ballistic – flying to the target’s last known position
  • Missiles with active onboard sensors can independently detect and track targets during their terminal phase, correcting for target movement even if MFC guidance is lost
  • Missiles with Home-on-Jam sensors home on ECM emissions from the target
  • Missiles without any onboard sensors are entirely dependent on MFC guidance; if guidance is lost, they fly to the last known target position and will likely miss a maneuvering target

Salvo Doctrine

Missiles are most effective when launched in large salvos:

  • Point defense can only engage a limited number of missiles per combat tick
  • A salvo of 50 missiles overwhelms PD that can kill 10 per tick
  • Timing salvos to arrive simultaneously (even from multiple ships) maximizes the number that leak through PD
  • Overkill (more missiles than needed) is preferable to under-committing and losing all missiles to PD

Terminal Phase

When missiles approach their target area:

  1. Missiles with active onboard sensors search for targets in the terminal phase, acquiring the target independently
  2. Defending point defense systems may engage the incoming missiles (see Section 12.4 Point Defense)
  3. Each missile that survives PD rolls for a hit based on the speed ratio formula (Base Hit Chance = 0.1 * Missile Speed / Target Speed), modified by terminal guidance if equipped
  4. Hits apply warhead damage to the target
  5. Damage resolution follows standard rules (see Section 12.6 Damage and Armor)
  6. Multiple hits from a salvo are resolved sequentially

Note: Missiles without onboard sensors that arrive at the target’s last known position but find no target there will simply be wasted. This is why onboard active sensors are critical for engaging maneuvering targets at long range.

Missile Endurance

Missiles have limited fuel. If a target evades long enough for missiles to exhaust their fuel:

  • Missiles can no longer maneuver
  • They continue on their last trajectory
  • A maneuvering target will likely evade fuel-depleted missiles
  • This makes missile range vs. target distance a critical consideration

Practical Tips

  • Always launch in the largest salvos possible – small salvos are efficiently killed by PD
  • Size your magazines for multiple engagements, not just one salvo
  • Consider mixed salvos: fast missiles to saturate PD followed by heavy missiles for damage
  • Missile speed should exceed target speed or the missile can never catch it
  • Onboard sensors prevent wasted missiles when fire control is jammed or outranged
  • Keep reload time in mind: your first salvo is free, but subsequent salvos depend on launcher reload speed

12.3.3 Anti-Missile Missiles

Updated: v2026.01.30

Anti-Missile Missiles (AMMs) are small, fast missiles designed to intercept incoming enemy missiles before they reach their targets. They form the long-range layer of a defensive system.

AMM Design Philosophy

AMMs differ from offensive missiles in several key ways:

  • Small size (1-2 MSP): Maximizes magazine capacity and launcher density (see Section 14.3 Supply Ships for collier resupply)
  • Very high speed: Must be faster than the incoming missiles to intercept
  • Minimal warhead (1 damage): Only needs to destroy a missile, not a ship
  • Maximum speed: High speed ratio against incoming missiles ensures reliable hit chance
  • Short range: Only needs to reach incoming missiles within the defensive envelope

A typical AMM design:

  • Size: 1 MSP
  • Engine: 0.6 MSP (60% devoted to speed)
  • Warhead: 0.1 MSP (minimum viable)
  • Fuel: 0.2 MSP (short range – missiles are close when engaged)
  • Sensor: 0.1 MSP (small active seeker for terminal guidance)

AMM Fire Controls

AMMs require missile fire controls with resolution 1 (50 tons) to engage missile-sized targets. These fire controls have short absolute range due to their low resolution, but missiles are engaged at close range anyway. Key requirements:

  • Resolution 1 for missile-sized targets
  • Sufficient range to cover the defensive engagement envelope
  • The fire control must be active (generating EM) to guide AMMs

Engagement Sequence

  1. Incoming missiles are detected by sensors (active or passive)
  2. AMM fire control acquires incoming missiles as targets
  3. AMMs launch toward incoming missiles
  4. AMM active seekers acquire targets for terminal guidance
  5. Each AMM that catches a missile rolls to hit based on speed ratio (AMM speed vs. target missile speed)
  6. Hit AMMs destroy or damage the incoming missile

AMM vs. Missile Matchup

The effectiveness of AMMs depends on:

  • Speed differential: AMMs must be faster than incoming missiles to catch them; higher speed also directly improves hit chance via the speed ratio formula
  • Terminal guidance: AMMs with active terminal guidance gain additional hit probability, especially against fast missiles where speed ratio alone may be insufficient
  • Numbers: One AMM per incoming missile at minimum; redundancy improves kill rate
  • Engagement time: Longer time between AMM launch and missile impact = more intercept opportunities

Magazine Capacity

AMMs are small, so magazines can hold many of them. A magazine holding 10 standard size-6 missiles can hold 60 size-1 AMMs. This volume advantage is critical: you need many AMMs to reliably stop large incoming salvos.

AMM Launcher Configuration

Dedicate specific launchers to AMMs:

  • Size-1 launchers for size-1 AMMs
  • Maximum reload rate technology
  • Multiple launchers per fire control for rapid response
  • Consider box launchers for a large initial defensive volley

Layered Defense: AMMs + CIWS

The optimal defense combines AMMs (long-range layer) with CIWS/point defense beams (close-range layer):

  1. AMMs engage at medium range (100,000-500,000 km), thinning the salvo
  2. Area-defense beam weapons engage survivors at 10,000-50,000 km
  3. Final-fire CIWS engages at point-blank range (10,000 km)
  4. Any missiles surviving all three layers hit the ship

Practical Tips

  • Design AMMs to be faster than any missile your enemy is likely to build
  • Carry at least 3x as many AMMs as you expect to face in a single enemy salvo
  • Size-1 AMMs with maximum speed are nearly always better than larger, slower interceptors
  • AMM fire control range limits your defensive envelope – make it large enough for multiple engagement passes
  • If enemy missiles have onboard ECM, consider designing AMMs with Home-on-Jam capability
  • Test your AMM effectiveness in combat simulations before relying on them in a real engagement

12.3.4 Laser Warheads

Updated: v2026.01.30

Laser warheads are a specialized warhead type that detonates at standoff range rather than requiring direct impact. When a laser warhead missile reaches its target area, it detonates OUTSIDE the 10,000 km CIWS engagement range, firing a focused energy beam at the target.

Key Mechanics:

  • Laser warheads bypass close-in beam point defense (CIWS) entirely, since detonation occurs beyond their engagement envelope
  • Damage is calculated using the same rules as laser attacks, applying warhead strength as laser damage
  • Only a portion of warhead strength applies at standoff range, following laser range/damage falloff
  • Laser warhead missiles are limited to a single warhead (no multiple warhead configuration)
  • AMMs and longer-range area defense beams can still intercept laser warhead missiles during their approach

Missile Contact Grouping (v2.6.0):

Missile contacts are now grouped on the tactical display using the same logic as ship contacts. This means large numbers of missiles in similar locations will be consolidated into grouped contact entries rather than showing each missile individually, reducing display clutter when tracking large salvos across multiple systems.

Tactical Implications:

  • Highly effective against ships relying primarily on CIWS for defense
  • Less effective against ships with robust AMM screens or long-range beam PD
  • The standoff detonation means the missile does not need to survive the final 10,000 km approach
  • Best used in mixed salvos: standard missiles to absorb PD fire, laser warheads to bypass CIWS

Design Considerations:

  • Larger warhead strength increases standoff damage but reduces missile speed and range
  • Onboard sensors remain important for terminal acquisition before standoff detonation
  • Whether ATG applies to laser warheads is unknown — requires in-game testing or developer confirmation (unverified — #851) \hyperlink{ref-12.3-11}{[11]}

12.3.5 Enhanced Radiation Warheads

Updated: v2026.01.30

Enhanced radiation warheads are specialized warheads designed for planetary bombardment. They trade conventional blast damage for greatly increased radiation output, making them effective at irradiating enemy colonies to reduce population and industrial capacity.

Technology Progression \hyperlink{ref-12.3-7}{[7]}

Technology Yield / Radiation Multiplier Research Cost
Enhanced Radiation (50% Yield, 2x Rad) 50% conventional damage, 2x radiation 1,000 RP
Enhanced Radiation (33% Yield, 3x Rad) 33% conventional damage, 3x radiation 2,500 RP
Enhanced Radiation (25% Yield, 4x Rad) 25% conventional damage, 4x radiation 5,000 RP
Enhanced Radiation (20% Yield, 5x Rad) 20% conventional damage, 5x radiation 10,000 RP

How Enhanced Radiation Works

  • The yield percentage reduces the warhead’s conventional blast damage by the stated fraction (e.g., 50% yield means the warhead deals half its normal damage to structures and armor)
  • The radiation multiplier increases the radiation generated per bombardment hit by the stated factor (e.g., 2x Rad means double the normal radiation output)
  • Enhanced radiation warheads use 0.25 MSP per radiation level in the missile design \hyperlink{ref-12.3-8}{[8]}
  • The radiation component is separate from the warhead MSP allocation – you allocate MSP to both the warhead (for base damage) and the enhanced radiation component (for radiation multiplier)

Comparison with Standard Warheads

Standard warheads generate some radiation during planetary bombardment, but enhanced radiation warheads dramatically increase this output at the cost of reduced blast damage. This makes them particularly suited for:

  • Population reduction: Radiation kills population over time, even after bombardment stops
  • Colony denial: Irradiated colonies become difficult to use without decontamination
  • Attrition campaigns: Sustained low-level bombardment with enhanced radiation can cripple an enemy colony’s productivity without completely destroying its infrastructure

Design Considerations

  • Enhanced radiation warheads are most effective when the goal is long-term colony disruption rather than immediate infrastructure destruction
  • Standard warheads are more effective for destroying specific installations or shipyards
  • The 20% yield / 5x radiation variant maximizes radiation at the cost of minimal conventional damage
  • For bombardment mechanics including the 20x warhead damage multiplier, see Section 12.6.4 Planetary Bombardment
  • For radiation cleanup and decontamination, see Section 12.6.5 Radiation and Decontamination

12.3.6 Missile Salvo Sizing

Updated: v2026.01.30

Effective missile warfare requires careful consideration of salvo size. Point defense systems have a fixed throughput per combat increment, meaning small trickles of missiles are efficiently destroyed while large salvos overwhelm defenses.

Sizing Principles:

  • Small trickles are wasted: Launching 2-3 missiles at a time against a ship with moderate PD results in 100% interception. Those missiles are simply thrown away.
  • Salvo must exceed PD capacity: Calculate the enemy’s approximate PD throughput per increment and ensure your salvo exceeds it by a comfortable margin
  • Magazine depth matters: Carry enough ordnance for 5-10 full salvos per engagement. Running out of missiles mid-battle is a death sentence for a missile ship.
  • Overkill is acceptable: Spending 20% more missiles than theoretically needed is far better than losing the entire salvo to PD

The Community Sweet Spot: 4-6 MSP Missiles

Experienced players have converged on 4-6 MSP as the optimal size range for general-purpose anti-ship missiles:

  • Large enough for meaningful warhead damage, adequate sensor, and sufficient range
  • Small enough for high magazine density and large salvo counts
  • Affordable to produce in quantity for sustained campaigns
  • Fast enough (with good engine allocation) to challenge point defense tracking speeds
  • Smaller missiles (1-3 MSP) lack warhead punch against armored targets
  • Larger missiles (10+ MSP) reduce salvo sizes and are individually expensive losses to PD

Calculating Required Salvo Size:

Minimum Salvo = Enemy PD kills/increment * Time-to-target increments + Desired leakers

If an enemy can kill 8 missiles per 5-second increment and your missiles spend 3 increments in PD range, you need at minimum 24 + desired hits. In practice, add 50% margin for safety.

Magazine Planning:

For a ship designed around 5 MSP missiles:

  • A 500 MSP magazine holds 100 missiles
  • At 20 missiles per salvo, that provides 5 full salvos
  • For extended campaigns, plan for 8-10 salvos (160-200 missiles, requiring 800-1000 MSP of magazine space or collier resupply)

Missile Salvo Display (v2.6.0):

The Missile Salvos tab was reorganized in v2.6.0 to include system and location information, making it easier to track missile salvos across multiple star systems. The tab now displays:

  • System name where each salvo is located
  • Location coordinates within the system
  • Standard salvo information (size, speed, target, time to impact)

Additionally, the Galactic Map window received a new sidebar panel that displays missile salvos present in the currently selected system (see Section 3.5 Galactic Map). This provides at-a-glance awareness of active missile combat across your empire without needing to open the dedicated Missile Salvos window.

12.3.7 Ordnance Projects

Updated: v2026.01.30

Ordnance Projects provide an alternative method for developing new missile designs, bypassing traditional research labs entirely. \hyperlink{ref-12.3-10}{[10]}

How Ordnance Projects Work

Instead of researching a missile design through the standard technology system, you can develop ordnance directly through your industrial base:

  1. Create the project: Select an unresearched missile design and initiate it as an Ordnance Project
  2. Production cost: The project costs twice the design cost (2x the normal BP requirement)
  3. Factory production: Ordnance factories build the project using scaled mineral requirements matching the doubled cost
  4. Completion: When production finishes, one unit of that ordnance appears as “researched” ordnance, unlocking the design

When to Use Ordnance Projects

Ordnance Projects are most valuable when:

  • Research labs are fully committed to higher-priority technologies
  • You need a specific missile design urgently and have idle ordnance factory capacity
  • Your industrial base is stronger than your research capacity
  • You want to develop multiple missile designs in parallel without competing for lab time

Trade-offs

Factor Traditional Research Ordnance Project
Resource type Research points Build points + minerals
Cost 1x design cost (RP) 2x design cost (BP)
Production facility Research labs Ordnance factories
Bottleneck Lab capacity Factory capacity
Output Design unlocked Design unlocked + 1 unit

The doubled cost makes Ordnance Projects less efficient in pure resource terms, but the ability to use factory capacity instead of lab capacity provides strategic flexibility.

UI References and Screenshots

Updated: v2026.01.29

References

\hypertarget{ref-12.3-1}{[1]}. Aurora Wiki (C-Missiles, C-Ship-Combat) and Naval Gazing Aurora 2.2+ Missile Warfare guide – Hit chance formula: Base Hit Chance = 0.1 * (Missile Speed / Target Speed).

\hypertarget{ref-12.3-2}{[2]}. Aurora C# game database (AuroraDB.db v2.7.1) – FCT_TechSystem (TechSystemID 33-39, 42): Active Terminal Guidance technology, 7 levels from +15% (1,000 RP) to +60% (64,000 RP), plus 0% baseline. All bonus percentages and research costs verified.

\hypertarget{ref-12.3-3}{[3]}. Aurora C# game database (AuroraDB.db v2.7.1) – FCT_TechSystem (TechTypeID=12): Missile Warhead Strength technology, 12 levels from Gun-Type Fission (2x MSP, 1,000 RP) to Gravatonic (30x MSP, 2,000,000 RP). Full progression: 2x/3x/4x/5x/6x/8x/10x/12x/16x/20x/24x/30x.

\hypertarget{ref-12.3-4}{[4]}. Aurora C# game database (AuroraDB.db v2.7.1) – FCT_TechSystem (TechSystemID 76-85): Missile ECM technology, 10 levels from ECM-1 (2,500 RP) to ECM-10 (1,200,000 RP). Cost progression: 2,500/5,000/10,000/20,000/40,000/80,000/150,000/300,000/600,000/1,200,000.

\hypertarget{ref-12.3-5}{[5]}. Aurora C# game database (AuroraDB.db v2.7.1) – FCT_TechSystem (TechSystemID 40-41): Missile Retargeting technology, unlocked at 5,000 RP.

\hypertarget{ref-12.3-6}{[6]}. Aurora C# game database (AuroraDB.db v2.7.1) – FCT_TechSystem (TechTypeID=13): Missile Launcher Reload Rate technology, 12 levels from Rate 1 (base) to Rate 12 (2,000,000 RP). Research costs follow standard doubling progression.

\hypertarget{ref-12.3-7}{[7]}. Aurora C# game database (AuroraDB.db v2.7.1) – FCT_TechSystem (TechSystemID 27498-27501): Enhanced Radiation Warhead technology, 4 levels: 50% Yield/2x Rad (1,000 RP), 33% Yield/3x Rad (2,500 RP), 25% Yield/4x Rad (5,000 RP), 20% Yield/5x Rad (10,000 RP). AdditionalInfo stores the radiation multiplier (2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0).

\hypertarget{ref-12.3-8}{[8]}. Aurora C# game mechanics – Enhanced radiation warhead component size is 0.25 MSP per radiation level. This is a fixed design parameter in the missile design interface. (Verified via missile design interface; exact MSP value is hardcoded in game logic, not stored in the database.)

\hypertarget{ref-12.3-9}{[9]}. Aurora C# game mechanics – Missile component MSP values are fixed design parameters in the missile design interface: Active/Thermal/EM/Geo sensors minimum 0.25 MSP, ECM 0.25 MSP per instance, ECCM 0.25 MSP per instance, Decoys 0.5 MSP each, Active Terminal Guidance 0.25 MSP, Retargeting 0.5 MSP, Enhanced Radiation 0.25 MSP per level, Additional Warheads 0.1 MSP each. (Verified via missile design interface and FCT_MissileType schema fields MSPActive, MSPEM, MSPThermal, MSPGeo, MSPDecoys, ECM, ECCM; exact MSP allocations are game design constants.)

\hypertarget{ref-12.3-10}{[10]}. Aurora Forums — https://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php?topic=13884.msg176533 — Steve Walmsley, January 4, 2026. Ordnance Projects cost twice the design cost, are built by ordnance factories with scaled mineral requirements, and upon completion one unit appears as researched ordnance.

\hypertarget{ref-12.3-11}{[11]}. (Unverified — #851) — Whether Active Terminal Guidance applies to laser warheads is undocumented. Requires in-game testing or Steve Walmsley confirmation.

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Aurora 4X Manual & Guide - Unofficial community documentation for Aurora C# (game by Steve Walmsley)

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