Disposable ordinance has a long history in warfare dating back to even before the industrial revolution. Since that time it has been a staple in warfare, sometimes more important than other weapons, other times less. During the cold war disposable ordinance in the form of cruise missiles and inter-continental ballistic missiles gave cause for the world's population to shudder in fear on both sides. During the 1950s and 1960s governments actually shied away from producing new combat aircraft, believing that guided missiles had rendered them obsolete. In the field of battle, by the beginning of the 21st century disposable ordinance was prevalent in all theatres, not the least of which was on the tactical infantry level. Thus when power armor was first deployed for the mission of offering heavy support on the infantry level to urban conflicts, it is only natural that the new armored suits were considered for carrying and deploying infantry level disposable ordinance.

      While involved in the urban conflicts of the mid 21st century banks of rocket propelled grenades and bazooka style rocket tubes were carried to engage hostile armored vehicles and fortified heavy weapons. When power armor began to evolve to encompass other theatres of conflict, such as supporting fast moving armored collumns and the like, the same problem that caused the evolution of the heavy weapons of power armor effected the disposable ordinance similarly. This was the dawn of the mini-missile, a small charge barely heavier than a grenade, with an articulated rocket motor and a rudimentary guidance system. This new type of disposable ordinance was longer ranged and allowed incredible versatility. It could be used to engage low flying combat helicopters (and later aerodynes), armored vehicles, entrenched positions, and indeed hostile power armor. By the start of the cataclysm a huge array of different mini-missile types were developed, dwarfing the variety now available after the cataclysm.

      Mini-Missiles were not the only type of missile that evolved and were used by power armor during the 21st century. Modular types, especially those used by the United States and Great Britain, occasionally were capable of being fitted with special tube launchers or racks of short or medium range missiles specifically intended for anti-aircraft support for infantry or armored deployments. It was more difficult for an enemy to pick out a power armor unit for every platoon of infantry soldiers that carried anti-aircraft weaponry, than to pick off one patriot missile battery protecting an entire battalion. Varieties of short range and medium range missiles were also developed for indirect fire artillery style operations as well.

      After the cataclysm much was lost, including much of the variety of arms, and variety of mission specific capabilities once known. For years the Coalition States operated without any form of artillery support a staple known the world over for hundreds of years of war, before the calamity called the cataclysm, was lost. Yet, a shadow of the once great infantry missiles remained. The Coalition States SAMAS retained their vestigial mini-missile launcher on their left arm. These small numbers of mini-missiles offered limited versatility - but nothing like ages past. When the CS began developing new power armor in the 2nd century post apocalypse, it seemed that they had finally discovered the old custom, as a result new suits were fitted with three to ten times as many missiles as the old SAMAS.

      With the advent of S-Mart, and the use of the records found within Project Archive, many new applications of old techology came to light - and as a result are reflected here in the disposable ordinance section of power armor weapons.