Low Orbit Atmosphere Deprivation Weapon
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A Low Orbit Atmosphere Deprivation Weapon (short: ADW, or less common: LOADW) was a weapon of mass destruction, originally developed by the Taiidan Empire. The weapon itself was forbidden to be used by anyone – because of the sheer cruelty implied by production and deployment of such devastating weapons, few sought to defy this ban.
It saw its first use during the Taiidan attack on Hiigaran worlds when the Hiigaran navy struck their homeworld of Taiidan, destroying the Taiidan Imperial Palace and all of the military facilities on the surface.
The ADW was not used again (Pre-Exile history remains unclear concerning any deployments by the Taiidan military other than those against Hiigaran worlds) until 9510 GSY, when the Kushan, the descendants of the Hiigaran exiles, rediscovered and tested the Second Hyperspace Core. Emperor Riesstiu IV the Second, descendant of the self-proclaimed Emperor Riesstiu I, saw such reemergence as grounds to deploy the Atmosphere Deprivation Weapon on Kharak. It is assumed that the hyperspace test violated a non-aggression contract between the Exiles and the Taiidan Empire, as the use of hyperspace technology had enabled the Hiigaran people to strike at the Taiidan Empire's heart thousands of years before. It is unknown how many ADWs were deployed against Kharak, but at least 50% of the planet's surface was burning, and the Mothership's crew could not detect any survivors on the surface. The deployment of the ADW salvo against Kharak was ordered less than a few hours after the Mothership entered Hyperspace.
After the return of the Exiles to Hiigara, the ADW technology disappeared for a time – this logically could be contributed to the fall of the Empire. It reappeared a century later, however, in the possession of the Vaygr warlord Makaan who presumably acquired the devices when he allied with Taiidan Imperialist Faction. When Makaan died and Hiigaran forces returned to break the Siege of Hiigara, Vaygr forces deployed ADWs aboard Planet Killers to destroy all life on Hiigara. With the Hiigaran Navy's destruction of the re using Sajuuk, it is unknown if any Atmosphere Deprivation warheads or schematics existed after 115 AHL.
Behind the Scenes
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- Despite of information on Homeworld Shipyards there were no LOADWs during mission at Thaddis Sabbah, what was proven on Relic Forums. However it's still uncertain.
- The alleged workings of the weapon are remarkably similar to real-life thermobaric munitions, also known as fuel-air bombs. These weapons use atmospheric oxygen instead of a pre-packed oxydizer like regular missile payloads to achieve 100% combustion, resulting in a powerful shockwave followed by intense heat. They are the strongest non-nuclear weapons in existence (in comparison, the most powerful thermobaric bomb ever detonated produced a 0.011 kT blast from 7.8 tons of classified explosive material) but they are far less controllable than conventional explosives.
