HOWL or "Heavy Ordnance Warhead Launcher" is a launch system utilized by the Caspian Navy. Often erroneously thought of as just a big concussion missile launcher, the HOWL is actually a large-bore mass-driver equipped with on-board targeting sensors. HOWLs are capable of launching a wide-variety of missiles and shells.
HOWLs are employed by the Caspian Navy as an armament for heavy cruisers and battleships, and by other branches of the Union Forces as surface emplacements. In this last capacity, they are known as GROWLs, or "Ground-based Ordnance Warhead Launchers".
The HOWL is an outgrowth of the Variable Ordnance Warhead Launcher. The HOWL is roughly twice as massive as the smaller VOWL, with a longer barrel and an ability to fire much heavier payloads. For the sake of commonality, and to permit the HOWL to use the same rounds as its smaller cousin, the bore is the same on both weapons, but the HOWL's firing chamber is twice as long. This permits HOWL to fire the massive SLAM anti-shipping missile, or to fire two 'Proxie' submunition shells simultaneously.
Projectiles used in the HOWL include:
- TyrenCraft/CDMC SLAM SSW - heavy anti-shipping missile
- NROSA Mk. 22 Saint SSW
- RSA Mk. 44 Hatchet SSW
- StarShield Barracuda PsigSeekW
- StarShield Bearrat AFW
- CAM Proxie PDDW
- NovaCom Cascade-II AEW