Originally Posted by
The Oberon
I believe that Martel was first considered for the ARM strikes but was considered too big once the radar had been moved to a more urban location. Shrike was asked for, given and used in order to localise damage.
I have no direct knowledge of Shrike or Martel but a comparison suggests that there were good reasons for the selection of the Shrike.
It is true we had Martel and that would have solved the procurement problem however:
The Shrike weighed around 390lbs compared with 1200lbs for Martel. In comparison with a bomb load that may not have been significant.
The speed of the Shrike according to one source M2.0 compared with the Martel at around 0.9. The higher speed offers a significant advantage which coupled with its smaller size would reduce its vulnerability to AAA.
The range of Martel is given as up to 60km compared with 40km of the Shrike. While the increased range is attractive if used it would give a flight time in the order of 3 times that of Shrike. A shorter flash to bang time is better.
I would conclude that the Shrike offered a significant tactical advantage in this scenario.