Mark15 torpedo
The Mark15 torpedo is a defensive torpedo system used by the Planetary Union Fleet in the The Crypt series. It is designed to intercept and destroy incoming torpedoes, missiles, and other small threats using a high-dispersion kinetic payload. The Mark15 is typically used in layered defense strategies alongside point-defense systems such as the AP6 rotary cannon.
Contents
Overview
Unlike the Mark16 torpedo, which seeks and destroys enemy ships, the Mark15 is purely defensive. Its job is to disrupt or destroy incoming threats before they reach the ship. It is deployed as a short-range countermeasure against enemy salvos, missile swarms, and even boarding craft in some scenarios.
Capabilities
Mark15s are highly effective in close-range threat interdiction. Their scatter-based payload allows for:
- Destruction of incoming torpedoes and missiles
- Area denial against light armor or small strikecraft
- Layered defense when coordinated with point-defense systems
While they lack onboard intelligence, they are fast, compact, and brutal at what they do.
The Mark15 is guided via analog inertial systems and short-range passive detection. It does not contain biological targeting like the Mark16 torpedo. Instead, it relies on timing and proximity sensors to deploy its payload in the ideal zone for interception.
Warhead
The Mark15 contains four scattershot warheads, each packed with thousands of dense metal bearings. Once the torpedo reaches the optimal point near its target, the warheads eject and detonate. This creates a rapidly expanding cloud of high-velocity bearings, which function like shrapnel in space. Even a single bearing can destroy or destabilize an incoming torpedo, missile, or small vessel.
Defenses
The Mark15 has no point-defense capabilities of its own, but its defensive value lies in:
- Saturation effect — a cloud of kinetic kill agents
- High velocity to reach the intercept point quickly
- Difficult-to-track analog emissions
Its simplicity and analog design make it resilient in STC-compromised battlespaces.
Designation
In the Fleet Contact Management System (CMS), Keeling-launched Mark15s are tracked by type and sequence: Keeling Mark15-One, Mark15-Two, etc. They are labeled on the nav-orb with the ID Burster.
Use in Fiction
Mark15 torpedoes are frequently deployed in response to incoming enemy torpedoes and missiles. In many engagements, they serve as the first line of defense as they have a range significantly greater than point-defense systems like the AP6.
