Why do 40k torpedoes pass through shields?

[Whitelion]

 

 

I've always wondered, in the quotes I've read in the novels, it is mentioned that they are built specifically to do it.

 

Others argue that they do so because they travel at low speeds, and vacuum shields cannot stop objects traveling at low speeds.

 

This seems strange to me, as in BFG the torpedoes move to:

 

Normal Torpedo: Speed 10 VUs, 100'000km for 30m (55.6 km / s)

Fast-Burn Torpedo: Speed 15 VUs, 150'000km for 30m (83.3 kps)

 

they are not exactly slow, I can understand that a tank or a space marine, moving at a few km / h can penetrate an empty shield of a titan, but the torpedoes travel at thousands of km per second

[Skywrath]

Basic physics would dictate that an energy shield has a charge to it, and the torpedoes have a system that could alter said charge towards the energy shield. So in accordance to what charge the shield was, the torpedo would change it's charge accordingly and pass through it with no problem, as if the shield wasn't there. So it's not a speed thing, it's a polarity thing.

[armarnis]

In the second siege of terra book we see aircraft passing through void shields of the imperial palace which is protected by dark age of technology voids so i can easily see torpedos pass a starship void

[MegaVolt87]

In the second siege of terra book we see aircraft passing through void shields of the imperial palace which is protected by dark age of technology voids so i can easily see torpedos pass a starship void

 

Yeah this, also I think it depends who is writing, sometimes they can't get through other times they can as the plot seems to dictate. 

[Lord_Caerolion]

Basic physics would dictate that an energy shield has a charge to it, and the torpedoes have a system that could alter said charge towards the energy shield. So in accordance to what charge the shield was, the torpedo would change it's charge accordingly and pass through it with no problem, as if the shield wasn't there. So it's not a speed thing, it's a polarity thing.

 

The problem is that if this were the case, then any macrocannon shells could be given similar abilities to pass straight through, but from what we've been shown this isn't the case.

[tychobi]

Space magic

[Haywire]

The slow blade penetrates the shield.

[Beren]

Consider the fact that while torpedoes and voidcraft may move at 30cm over the course of a round, lances and macro-cannons can pass  over longer distances 'instantly' in game terms. Speed is a relative thing. Space vessel void shields may even be calibrated differently to Titan ones.

[Rik Lightstar]

In BFG torpedoes are still WAY slower than any of the other weapon systems, with them taking multiple turns to reach out to the target, the speeds are pretty much equivalent to those of fighters and bombers so this matches up with the concept of slow stuff passing through shields.

 

Rik

[GrinNfool]

I'd imagine it like water, hit it at a slow speed and you slip right in, hit it at a high speed and its like hitting concrete.  Speed is relative, obviously so while we look at a torp and say wow thats fast, its not as fast as say a macro cannon.  Surface area and mass too would play a role too would guess.  I mean... in the end we are talking about a non existent technology in a non existent universe so... space magic works too.

[Noserenda]

Void shields are warp tech folks, i think talk of polarities and hell, even physics is going to be off piste :D 

[Blindhamster]

Fairly sure it's a speed thing. I'm sure the pilots that go through have to go at a very specific speed. And I swear they dont all pull it off either

[Cactus]

Game balance for BFG. With their limited firing arc and time to reach the target would anybody use them if they bounced off shields?

[Karhedron]

In Titandeath, there is a fairly detailed description of void shields functioning during a battle in space. Both energy and physical weapons are intercepted by the shields and so are vessels like boarding craft. During once sequence, fire is concentrated on one particular part of the ship to knock down void shields and allow boarding craft to get through and clamp onto the hull. The Tech Priests managed to repair shields before all the assault craft get through and the stragglers get splattered across the recharged void shields.

 

I suspect that different authors write things differently though as this is one of the areas where the fluff seems to be inconsistent.

[MARK0SIAN]

As some have already mentioned it’s also down to the author. I’ve read 40k books which specifically describe the objective for ship gunnery officers to time the weapons fire so that everything arrives at the same time. So the torpedoes are launched first because they’re slower, then medium speed weapons then just before those two strike the lances are fired as they travel fastest. The idea being to collapse the shields so the torpedoes can get through.

[MegaVolt87]

As some have already mentioned it’s also down to the author. I’ve read 40k books which specifically describe the objective for ship gunnery officers to time the weapons fire so that everything arrives at the same time. So the torpedoes are launched first because they’re slower, then medium speed weapons then just before those two strike the lances are fired as they travel fastest. The idea being to collapse the shields so the torpedoes can get through.

Just to add, boarding craft are also have been known to fire first, followed by torps, then all the other stuff to enable boarding actions.

[Whitelion]

but in no novel is there any talk of technology that enables torpedoes to cross void shields?

[Lord_Caerolion]

Nothing has been specifically mentioned, no.

[Felix Antipodes]

The first Dawn of Fire book makes it to be a speed thing. In it torpedos actually fire reto rockets to slow down enough to pass through a ships void shields. I seem to recall something similar in one of the SoT books as well.