Laser-guided torpedo occlusion

[dusty]

Just a quick thought for laser-guided torpedoes, since I'm concerned they might be too powerful and easy to use. Why not have the torpedo draw a line between its sensor and the end-point of the laser, to determine if the laser 'dot' is visible to the torpedo - and thus, if the torpedo can actually track towards it? This would encourage interesting armor designs and practices to defeat torpedo tracking by disrupting the laser, like so:

The torpedo sensor would 'see' what we see in the image: the green laser being viable to track (since the dot is visible to the sensor), while the red laser would be occluded and could not be tracked by the torpedo. This wouldn't be a guaranteed defeat since the dot moves as the laser and the target ship do, and it would become visible for brief moments of time.

 

[CalenLoki]

Good idea.
I hope the torp sensor has quite limited cone as well, so if you dodge the torp it requires some smart yolol to attempt turning around and re-targeting.

Also torps may not distinguish between laser designators, so you could use your own to fool it.
Smart yolol helps again in choosing the right laser, but isn't fully reliable.

 

[Burnside]

Interesting idea but it's only a viable defense tactic if the lasing ship isn't also the torpedo boat or the torpedoes use some sort of VLS arrangement and the armor's texturing can swallow the beam with a severe pocket or angle.

 

[HotPotato]

Just a quick thought for laser-guided torpedoes, since I'm concerned they might be too powerful and easy to use.

A possible counter to this new threat would be to create some kind of Chaff launcher that will create a small cloud of debris between your ship, and the torpedo, and hoping the torpedo is too close that it cannot maneuver out of this debris field before detonating. Another alternative would be to create deliberately exploding panels that shoot off in the same direction as the torpedo that hopefully causes the torpedo to explode prematurely.

 

[PopeUrban]

Or just, y'know, shoot the torpedo.

Or do your things. I mean sure.