MAPMAKERS TECHNOLOGY REFERENCE

Surface to Surface Small Missile System (S2S-SMS)

Fictional late-stage U.S. Navy precision-fire system built from existing naval and 70 mm rocket technologies.

The Surface to Surface Small Missile System, abbreviated S2S-SMS, was developed for late-stage U.S. destroyers as a way to place a temporary precision-fire platform above a combat area. Rather than designing an entirely new terminal weapon, the system combines a Mk 41-compatible launch booster with a legacy M261 nineteen-tube Hydra rocket pod and APKWS-guided 70 mm rockets.

Airborne launcher

A ship-launched booster carries the M261 pod to altitude. After separation, the pod deploys a long metal tether from its rear structure. A large parachute opens at the far end of the tether, slowing the pod’s descent and suspending it with the launch tubes pointed downward. The arrangement does not attempt to hover. The pod may drift or swing within a defined firing envelope while shipboard fire-control systems determine when its attitude and target geometry permit a shot.

The long tether keeps the parachute and its suspension hardware well clear of the rocket exhaust path while allowing the launcher to remain mechanically simple. The pod is an expendable airborne firing position rather than an aircraft.

Precision kinetic ammunition

S2S-SMS uses the American APKWS II guidance architecture fitted to standard Hydra-family rockets. In the inert kinetic configuration, the explosive warhead is replaced by a tungsten rod matched to the removed warhead’s weight and center of gravity. The substitution preserves the rocket’s intended mass balance while changing its terminal effect from explosive blast to concentrated kinetic impact.

The concept is deliberately closer to a guided cannonball than a conventional missile warhead. Accuracy and momentum provide the effect while eliminating the normal explosive blast radius.

Design purpose

The system was designed to give a surface combatant the equivalent of a precision rifle positioned above a battlefield. By lofting the launcher instead of trying to fire horizontally from the ship, S2S-SMS creates steep downward engagement geometry for individually designated targets in areas where conventional naval gunfire or larger missiles would create unnecessary collateral effects.

The nineteen-tube M261 provides a temporary overhead magazine rather than a single-shot weapon. Individual rounds can remain unused when no valid target exists.

Safety and termination

The suspended launcher includes a small self-demolition charge. The pod can be destroyed on command when its firing window ends, and it automatically self-destructs if it descends below a minimum safe altitude while still active. The feature prevents an intact armed pod, remaining rockets, and associated electronics from reaching the ground or being recovered after the mission.

Technical lineage

S2S-SMS is a fictional integration of real technologies rather than a wholly invented weapon family. Its foundations are the Mk 41 Vertical Launching System, the M261 Hydra 70 rocket launcher, Hydra-family 70 mm rockets, and the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System laser-guidance kit.

Series appearances

Mapmakers: Lives

Further learning

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