Missile

Missiles are the standard main armament of warships, self-propelled weapons that carry a warhead to a target and detonate on contact or close beside it. Crews call them torpedoes in ship-to-ship fighting and nukes when the warhead is nuclear. Launched clear of the tube, a missile turns onto its target and then burns hard; it can pull far more acceleration than any crewed ship, which makes it nearly impossible to outrun and devastating when it lands. Its ability to steer gives it a much longer reach than a railgun. Against it stand point defense cannons, so attackers answer with better guidance and with salvos large enough to swamp the guns. There is also a minimum sensible range, because a kill at close quarters throws debris back through everyone nearby.