Photon torpedo

The photon torpedo, an imaginary weapon of science fiction, is a space torpedo armed with an antimatter bomb. The concept is frequently mentioned within the fictional Star Trek, where these weapons are often part of a military starships armaments.

Photon torpedoes are launched from specific launchers. The Galaxy class Enterprise-D has two launchers, one forward and one rear. These launchers can fire more than one torpedo at once. A photon torpedo is a rounded rectangle about two meters long. These launchers are also used to launch similarly shaped science probes and burials in space.

In Star Trek photon torpedoes are most useful for combat while ships are engaged in warp speed travel, as phasers, which are confined to the speed of light, are not useable.

The Photon torpedo was first introduced during Star Trek: The Original Series. During the run of Deep Space Nine they began to be replaced by more powerful Quantum torpedoes, and these have also been used in the more recent Star Trek films. The Romulans have never used photon torpedoes, instead relying on plasma torpedoes. Federation vessels also carry Tri-Cobalt Devices which are a sub-space weapon more powerful than photon torpedoes, but one only useful against stationary targets.

Star Trek Voyager had an ongoing story of a limited supply of photon torpedoes, as the necessary anti-matter was impossible to replicate.

There are a number of different versions of the photon torpedo with guided, un-guided, and high-speed versions. The Mark IV and Mark V torpedoes are micro torpedoes that are used aboard small ships like Runabouts

A standard photon torpedo is said to hold about 1.5 kilograms of small pellets of anti-matter and about 1.5 kilograms of similar matter suspended in a magnetic field. Yield is reduced by including fewer pellets. The torpedoes do not have their own warp drive, but they do have a warp sustainer that can keep them going at faster than light speeds, if launched by a ship at those velocities.