Missile Defence

Chaff is a new missile countermeasure used by all ships. M8s use them to an effective degree.

Introduction

Missile defense is a new system in LU designed around the "chaff" which is a re purposed mosquito missile. All ships have the ability to fire chaff. There is a hotkey available to the player to launch chaff when there's an incoming missile. Once launched, the chaff is nearly always successful at intercepting enemy missiles.

Missile Boats

To add a little value to M8 class ships, when an M8's missile turret is set to Missiles Only, it will monitor all ships (of the same race) within the chaff's range, which is about 20 km.

If any missiles are targeting a monitored ship, the M8 will fire a chaff at the incoming missile. Chaff are no ordinary missiles; they're lightning quick, and carry a very generous proximity fuse. Any missile that comes within a few hundred meters of a chaff is destroyed.

As an added benefit to the upgraded chaff missile, when fired, they will target the nearest incoming missile, regardless of current target.

Note that only one turret per M8 really requires Missiles Only to be set, leaving the other turret for attacking.

Chaff Countermeasure Defense System

CCDS is a ship system that enables auto firing of chaff at incoming missiles. There is no configuration required beyond equipping the ship with chaff, and of course having the respective CCDS system installed on the ship. If the system is installed, the ship will track incoming missiles and fire chaff.

There are 3 variants; MK1, MK2, MK3.

The only difference between the three systems is who manufactures them, and in turn where they are purchased, and also the success rate the system has at intercepting the incoming missiles.

There is a random variable in the form of the pilot's flight skill, but other than that, the CCDS can intercept roughly 77%, 89%, 100% of incoming missiles for MK1, MK2, and MK3 variants respectively.

Installing this on a player ship is only useful if you don't plan on mapping your "fire chaff" hotkey like an idiot. If you don't do it, because you're a giant fool, you can install a CCDS and have the CCDS do the firing for you, with the standard interception chances.