On Fri, Dec 8, 2017 at 10:26 PM, Rupert Boleyn <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 09Dec2017 1558, Kurt Feltenberger wrote:
>>
>> I've been contemplating a scenario where nuclear dampers are used and
>> had some questions regarding their deployment and effects.
>>
>> 1.  When defending against nuclear missiles, what exactly happens to the
>> nuclear warhead that the damper targets?  Does the warhead still
>> detonate but due to the damper field fail to reach critical mass and
>> thus produce a nuclear explosion?  (which sort of begs the question
>> about how useful tossing nuclear bombs at each other in space really
>> is...)
>
>
> I think the whole thing fizzles, so only the HE trigger goes off, and thus
> the weapon breaks up without going bang. And if the other side has good
> dampers, nukes aren't much use 9as shown by the attack vs defence tables in
> High Guard and Megatraveller). My recollection is that in HG good damper
> fields were fairly large and power hungry, so only cruisers and up could
> really afford to carry thing, making nuclear missiles something most useful
> for frying escorts and missile boats.
>

Keep in mind, that only low tech nukes even have an HE trigger.
It's much easier, safer, and more reliable to use a gravitic pinch initiator.