# Cyclonic Missiles



## Lord Hunsadia (Apr 30, 2009)

Can someone possibly describe what these missiles do? Lexicanum's not helping, and another Warhammer wiki only offers;
"Cyclonic torpedoes are much more immediate in action, having enough power to directly ignite a planet's atmosphere."
Which isn't very helpful...


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

That's pretty much all they do.

Considering they ignite the planets atmosphere, it's a form of Exterminatus for the Imperial Forces - and obviously Chaotic/Piratical/Rebellious/Seccessionist Forces have access to them.

The Cyclonic Warheads are ship launched Torpedoes, with Warheads that ignite the Oxygen in the atmosphere during their explosion.

I find it hard to understand how that would happen, due to the layer of Nitrogen to saturate and smother the flames, otherwise everytime we spark up, the world would go up in smoke, excuse the pun. So it's going to have to have some form of Oxygen, or other Flammable Gas producing facility, or maybe even the breaking down of Nitrogen.

Chemistry tells me that it's the Decomposition of something that generates heat. If you can decompose Nitrogen faster than the Explosion (as in it creates either a First explosion to desaturate the air, then a secondary explosion, which is really the big one), then you're looking at creating a wall of fire which will cause the Nitrogen to reach a higher Activation Energy, and either escape the Walls of Gravity (against reducing Smothering Ability, more Oxygen, More Fire, = Big Circle), or it actually physcially decomposes the Nitrogen.

So basically, explosion, reduces the Nitrogen Blanket/exudes a Flammable Compound, Oxygen goes up, the air you breath turns to fire, every one burns up in Armageddon, All life destroyed. Also, Fire = Melt, so Tanks aren't safe.

It is the only known way to destroy an Ork Population completely, and is also used on Tyranid Infestations, but that's through Starvation and Death by lack of Evolution, rather than through the destruction of their Organisms.

The other forms of Exterminatus include the Planet Killers Armageddon Gun, which is the only known method which involves actually Destroying the planet fully (rather than just the life forms). The Imperium did have mastery of the knowledge of how to Terra Form, so any Destroyed Populations from Cyclonic Missiles will be able to rebuilt in a few hundred years. However, the Planet Killer was a Major Morale Blow to the Imperium, knowing that it couldn't be rebuilt or Recolonized.

Also, the Basic Sustained Orbital Bombardment is another means of destroying a population, and due to the rarity of Cyclonic Warheads (each one is nigh on Irreplaceable, due to lost Technology), it is more common.


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

I always thought they were used in conjunction with virus bombs. Can't remember where I read it, but I recall in a novel that the virus bombs would destroy all organic life, causing the atmosphere to fill with highly combustable gases, which would be then ignited by the cyclonic torpedoes.


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## m3rr3k (Oct 14, 2008)

that'd be in galaxy in flames when Lokien (I believe... maybe tarvitz) contemplates the virus bombing from inside a shelter with some loyalist world eaters...


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

m3rr3k said:


> that'd be in galaxy in flames when Lokien (I believe... maybe tarvitz) contemplates the virus bombing from inside a shelter with some loyalist world eaters...


That's the one.k:


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Khorne's Fist said:


> I always thought they were used in conjunction with virus bombs. Can't remember where I read it, but I recall in a novel that the virus bombs would destroy all organic life, causing the atmosphere to fill with highly combustable gases, which would be then ignited by the cyclonic torpedoes.


Ah cheers for that - I thought I'd missed something but couldn't put my finger on it.

Yes, Fist is right - it's the equivalent of a Trillion people releasing Marsh Gas at the same time. Put that in a Hive, drop a Match down, and you'll be warming your hands from Space.


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## normtheunsavoury (Mar 20, 2008)

Yep, as has already been said, Cyclonic torpedoes are used alongside virus bombs. 
The bombs are filled with a super virus that destroys and eats all forms of life, reducing it down to a fetid pile of stinking rotting matter. 
All of this rotting organic matter, on a global scale, releases huge amounts of volatile gasses into the atmosphere, the cyclonic torpedoes then ignite these gasses.
The whole atmosphere bursts into flames and the firestorm strips all organic life from the planet leaving it completely dead.


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## revenant13 (Feb 15, 2008)

i thought the cyclonic torpedoes jacked up the tectonic plates of a planet, that later resulted in its explosion? is there more than one kind of cyclonic torpedo?


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## Cato Sicarius (Feb 21, 2008)

You're all confused, except for revenant13.

Cyclonic torpedoes jack up the tectonic plates and such, causing massive volcanic activity which will, eventually, destroy the planet's surface and leave it with no life.

Virus bombs release a deadly virus (a gas) which eats through organic life and rids the planet of all living creatures.

Atmospheric incinerator torpedoes are what all you blokes are talking about. They use an advanced plasma device which ignites the oxygen in a planets atmosphere. And I mean *all of it*. This leaves the planet burning, and it is reported that Medusa IV was burning for more than a month, looking like a piece of spherical amber from space, and once it was all over the planet's surface had been burnt down to glass.

But you are right about virus bombs being used in conjunction with cyclonic torpedoes. Once the gas is done, the torpedoes are fired and the planet is destroyed.


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

revenant13 said:


> i thought the cyclonic torpedoes jacked up the tectonic plates of a planet, that later resulted in its explosion? is there more than one kind of cyclonic torpedo?


I recall something like this alright, but I think they were seismic torpedoes. They burrowed towards the planet's core and what ever type of explosion that ensued caused volcanoes to erupt, planet wide earthquakes, tidal waves, and all sorts of nasty stuff like that.


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## kaled (Jun 24, 2008)

Khorne's Fist said:


> I always thought they were used in conjunction with virus bombs. Can't remember where I read it, but I recall in a novel that the virus bombs would destroy all organic life, causing the atmosphere to fill with highly combustable gases, which would be then ignited by the cyclonic torpedoes.


You don't need cyclonic torpedoes for that - at Isstvan III it was a lance strike from the Vengeful Spirit that ignited the atmosphere.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Cato Sicarius said:


> But you are right about virus bombs being used in conjunction with cyclonic torpedoes. Once the gas is done, the torpedoes are fired and the planet is destroyed.


Sorry to Necro the thread again, but what would be the point in doing that? Just fire the Cyclonic Torpedo (I think the name is a give away to it's purpose, Cyclone = Storm, I've yet to see a Storm that destroys a planets core. Well, I've yet to see a Storm that ignites the air, but that's beside the point, cyclone is nearer along to Fire Storm creating a wave of fire that incinerates all life), and the planets done for any way.


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