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Ranken darts, whole (right) and mounted in cross-section (left).
The Ranken dart was an explosive munition developed by the British and used during World War I to attack German airships. Gravity-driven, the user had to climb above the target in order to drop them on targets. They were made obsolete by development of incendiary ammunition for machine guns.[1]
Battlefield 1[]
Explosive Darts are a secondary weapon available to fighter planes utilizing the Trench Fighter Package in Battlefield 1.
They are dropped as a single load (four sets of twelve darts) at much higher velocity than other air-to-ground weapons. Each dart inflicts 12.5 damage on impact with vehicles, and up to 16.7 blast damage within 1.5 meters. With potential for over 1400 damage, explosive darts are the single largest source of damage available for vehicles.
The payload can be effective on large targets such as bombers and Behemoths, or on massed infantry. The height at which they are dropped determines the spread of the grouping, much like how shotgun pellets spread at range.[2]
The Bomb Sight is used to aim the darts, and activates immediately upon selecting the weapon. Unlike the heavier bombs, darts are more sensitive to the bank of the plane.
Trivia[]
- During the Battlefield 1 Open Beta, the icon for Explosive Darts was of two downward-pointing Hotchkiss machine guns.
- The Spring Update reduced the effectiveness of Explosive Darts by removing direct damage against infantry, and decreasing blast damage and radius.