Archer missile

Archer missile
Production overview
Type:	Ship-launched Missile Delivery System
Specifications
Ammunition type:	Varies
Operation:	Tube-fired
Effective range:	Long
Service history
In service:	Insurrection Human-Covenant War Post-Covenant War conflicts

The Archer Missile Delivery System is an anti-ship Missile Delivery System used by the CMA Navy and UNSC Navy.

Overview

Archers are relatively cheap anti-ship missiles, and considered highly-adaptable and long-ranged. They are used as generalist missiles for all purposes, and continued to see use as extremely capable armaments throughout the Insurrection, Human-Covenant War and Post-Covenant War conflicts. They are capable of being fitted with a number of warhead options.

Warships usually carry large numbers of Archer missiles to complement their Magnetic Accelerator Cannons. While individual Archers are vulnerable to point-defense weapons and have limited destructive potential, their sheer numbers make up for their lack of individual effectiveness. Covenant shield technology can withstand large numbers of Archers, though unprotected ships can be destroyed by Archer missile strikes to the hull and superstructure.

Models

The pre-refit Able-class heavy destroyer is equipped with Archer missiles of an unknown model. An unidentified UNSC carrier class is also equipped with three hundred Archer missiles of an unspecified model.

M42 Archer

The M42 Archer Missile Delivery System was employed as early as the mid-25th century, and was employed on vessels of the CMA Navy alongside the Ares missiles. Several CMA warships of the era including the gargantuan Punic-class supercarrier, Mako-class corvette and the UNSC's S-14 Baselard strike fighter equipped the M42 Archer, with the CMA predominantly stocking them alongside the Ares missile series for its warships.

The dawn of the 26th century brought more usage for the M42, with the Point Blank-class prowler employing it. Following the end of the Human-Covenant War, the M42 gained prominence in the fleets of the rebuilding UNSC Navy. The Strident-class heavy frigate and Poseidon-class light carrier are both armed with two M42 pods each. However, its most notable postwar usage would come in the form of a mass stocking on the Punic's spiritual successor, the Infinity-class supercarrier.

Carriers

• Infinity-class supercarrier - 350x M42 Archer pods (24 missiles per-pod; 8400 Archers total)
• Punic-class supercarrier - 100x M42 Archer pods
• Phoenix-class colony ship - N/A
  • UNSC Spirit of Fire refit - 24x M42 Archer pods
• Poseidon-class light carrier - 2x M42 Archer pods

Frigates

• Strident-class heavy frigate - 2x M42 Archer pods

Corvettes

• Mako-class corvette - 2x M42 Archer pods

Prowlers

• Point Blank-class prowler - 80x M42 Archer pods

Strikecraft

• S-14 Baselard - Two M42 Archer missiles

M58 Archer

M58 Archer Missile Delivery Systems are considered long-ranged anti-ship missiles, and can be fitted with various warhead options. As a mainstay munition in the fleet, the M58 is mounted on the majority of warships designed for UNSC usage, starting in the late 25th century.

Battleships Vindication-class light battleship - 50x M58 Archer pods Carriers Epoch-class heavy carrier - 80x M58 Archer pods Orion-class assault carrier - 70x M58 Archer pods Cruisers Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser - 50x M58 Archer pods Marathon-class heavy cruiser - 70x M58 Archer pods Autumn-class heavy cruiser - 32x M58 Archer pods Halcyon-class light cruiser - 20x M58 Archer pods UNSC Pillar of Autumn refit - 32x M58 Archer pods

Destroyers Able-class heavy destroyer (2525 refit) - 20x M58 Archer pods Halberd-class light destroyer - 26x M58 Archer pods Frigates Paris-class heavy frigate - 26x M58 Archer pods Mulsanne-class light frigate - 20x M58 Archer pods Stalwart-class light frigate - 16x M58 Archer pods Charon-class light frigate - 10x M58 Archer pods Corvettes Gladius-class heavy corvette - 2x M58 Archer pods Scholte-class missile corvette - 2x M58 Archer pods

The number of individual devices per pod varies: the refit Halcyon-class light cruiser Pillar of Autumn was armed with twenty-four M58 Archers per each of its thirty-two pods as part of its refit for Operation: RED FLAG, a notable increase from the standard Halcyon loadout of twenty. while the Paris-class heavy frigate UNSC Commonwealth, mounted thirty missiles in each pod instead.

Service history

Prior to the Human-Covenant War, the UNSC found the missiles to be effective against Insurrectionist combatant ships. with a single Archer missile considered capable of crippling all but the largest of UNSC ships. Against the Covenant, however, they realized that the defensive measures employed by the enemy ships such as energy shields and point defense lasers suddenly rendered Archer missiles near-obsolete - lasers were able to pick off up to half of the missiles launched, and those that hit were rarely enough to penetrate the shields. At least one Covenant ship class, the Makar-pattern light corvette, possesses jamming measures that interfere with the guidance systems. Tactics were developed to counter this, using the more devastating but slower-firing Magnetic Accelerator Cannons to break through the shields, rendering the hulls vulnerable, but on the whole Archers proved to be ineffective weapons against the Covenant. Archers may be used in support of ground forces, launched from orbit to strike a ground-based target.