Designation: Matra Diamondback (A,B,C,D,E,F,G)

The successor to the Stiletto and the Scorpion, the Diamondback was designed in 2017 to be more compact than the previous missiles, so as to better fit in the internal launchers on the advanced mecha then in development. For the past 28 years the Diamondback has been the most important medium range mecha launched missile in the Terran inventory, and there are no plans to replace the missile, though several upgrades are being considered.

The first Diamondback versions were the conventionally armed A and the plasma armed B version, for general purpose use and ground attack respectively. Both versions were heavily used on Earth by the Southern Cross and in space by the REF, which also produced these missiles in large numbers in the Local Group. An anti-radar version, the C, was less used. Though a large number of these missiles was shipped with the REF for use against Zentraedi, most remained in storage on Tirol as the actual enemy, the Invid, provided few targets for these defense suppression missiles. The most use made of these missiles was during the REF Civil War, when suitable targets were available in numbers. The last of the pre-REF versions is the nuclear tipped Diamondback D. This missile uses a small tactical nuclear fission device as its warhead, and was typically employed against large airborne enemy formations, small hives and Mollusk Carriers. Improved versions were developed by the REF, the first entering service in the late twenties. The E and F versions were basically A and B versions with a new, improved seeker head with additional UV and visual sensors for better homing on Invid mecha, and a slightly improved rocket engine with ballistic path option which, with mid-course guidance, increased maximum range. The as yet final version of the Diamondback, the G, was designed by the REF after the Marcus Antonius returned from Earth with examples of the Southern Cross's Lightning cluster missile. Recognizing the potential of this missile against a numerically superior enemy like the Invid, the REF designers decreased the engine section, as the Invid did not have sufficiently ranged weapons to fire on mecha at more than a few kilometers, and used the space and weight freed for an outsized cluster warhead. This missile entered service in 2044, just in time for the final attack on Reflex Point, and in that battle proved its lethality by taking out an average of 1.6 Invid mecha per missile fired.

Go to RDF Multipurpose Missile Index.

Go to the Robotech Reference Guide Home Page.

Robotech (R) is the property of Harmony Gold. This document is in no way intended to infringe upon their rights.

Copyright © 1997 Robert Morgenstern, Peter Walker, Pieter Thomassen
Last Updated: Sunday, September 20, 1998 7:03 PM