Variable Ordnance Missile System

The Variable Ordnance Missile System (VOMS) is the primary missile launch system for TASA ships of Corvette size and larger. Ships are equipped with an array of reusable VOMS tubes which can be loaded with different missiles of similar diameter. The VOMS tubes themselves come in four sizes to allow ships to carry different types of missiles, from smaller short range guided missiles to larger and longer ranged anti-ship torpedoes and even massive Inter-Planetary Ballistic Missiles.
A ship can have its VOMS loadout rearranged in port to allow it to carry different quantities and sizes of missiles, depending on the anticipated mission requirements. For instance, a ship tasked with orbital support may opt for a loadout consisting entirely of smaller scale Surface-Strike Cruise Missiles and Self-Guiding Multipurpose Missiles to engage surface threats. Meanwhile a ship expecting to engage enemy capital ships could carry a smaller number of large diameter VOMS tubes to carry torpedoes and dual-stage missiles. A ship could also carry any mix of the two.
VOMS tubes are usually located on the fore and aft faces of a ship's Weapons Superstructure Module. Smaller ships may only have forward facing missiles, and purpose-built ships may have hull mounted VOMS tubes as well. Larger ships usually have an internal magazine of missiles shared between a cluster of VOMS tubes which allows them to reload in the middle of combat. The process is rather lengthy with only one or a couple of automated manipulators conducting the reloads. Larger ships will also have longer tubes, which allows them to carry multiple missiles in a single tube, front to back. This allows them to conduct faster volleys before having to conduct a reload.
Most missiles launched from the VOMS tubes are equipped with a launch sled (informally known as "wadding") that uses cold gaseous reaction mass to propel the missile clear of the launching ship before the missile ignites its rocket or rockets. This is designed to prevent ships from cooking themselves with their own missiles. The wadding falls away from the missile before ignition and is usually burned up by the exhaust plume of the missile. In rare cases where this does not happen, wadding sleds can be recovered and reused, but this usually only occurs during post-battle cleanup operations in orbit.
The four VOMS tube diameters are: Small (49 cm), Medium (1 m), Large (__ m) and XL (__ m). Corvettes are unable to carry Large or XL tubes. Currently the only payload for XL tubes is the dreaded array of Inter-Planetary Ballistic Missiles (IPBMs) used as nuclear and kinetic deterrents. Such weapons are rarely equipped during peacetime, as their presence could be considered a provocative action. The TASA Space Corps has sought to develop autonomous vehicles and special purpose shuttlecraft that could be deployed from an XL VOMS tube, but these designs are still in the prototype stage decades after conceptualization. Part of the reason for this is that TASA member nations are reluctant to fund the project, since the increased use of XL VOMS tubes could be misinterpreted as an escalation towards the use of WMDs.
Small diameter VOMS tubes are most commonly employed on Corvettes, as even medium tubes would only allow corvettes to carry a handful of missiles. Small diameter missiles include:

• Small Diameter Kinetic Kill Missile (SDKK)
• Light Anti-surface Missile (LAPSM)
• Light Tactical Sensor Pod (TSP)
• "Clownfish" Light Tactical ECM Pod

Medium VOMS tubes are common on Frigate class ships and larger, offering a good balance between quantity and missile size. Medium diameter missiles include:

• Self-Guided Multipurpose Missile (SGM)
• Surface Strike Cruise Missile (SSCM)
• Tandem Kinetic Kill Missile (TKK)
• Low-Yield Thermonuclear Missile (LTN)
• Long Range Interceptor Missile (LRIM)

Large VOMS tubes are used to deploy more massive missiles with larger payloads and greater thrust capability than medium missiles. The most common of these is the Anti-Ship Torpedo, which is a large self-guiding missile designed to deal lethal blows to capital ships. Some of the large type missiles include:

• Anti-Ship Torpedo (AST)
• Dual Stage High Thrust Missile (DSHT)
• Multiple Independent Threat Cluster Missile (MITC)
• Orbital Submunition Delivery Vehicle (OSDV)
• Special Payload Delivery System (SPDS)
• Extreme Range Variable Payload Missile (ERVP)
• "Starburst" Joint Countermeasure Missile

Item type

Weapon, Ranged

Owning Organization

TASA Space Corps