Another loony idea from Uncle Sam

[WE Branch Fanatic]

From Janes: US Navy looks for global strike (http://www.janes.com/defence/naval_forces/news/jni/jni060123_1_n.shtml)

So lots of missiles popping out of the sea, and being detected by Russian or Chinese radar........ Can anyone else see the risks?

[Tarnished]

Saw a presentation at an SFTE conference by LM's visionaries of a submarine launched UCAV. Really clever stuff, seemed to have covered all the bases to be able to launch and recover the vehicle from the deep and salty seas. It was based on converting some of the missile launch tubes.

Tarnished

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/6583/project331.html

[PPRuNeUser0211]

Yeah, perhaps in the past... hopefully we're past the days of "oh bugger they're launching at us" but who knows... North Korea anyone?

[Conan the Librarian]

Now this looks a REALLY smart idea... Russia, China Pakistan, India, Israel (and now maybe France :} ) when seeing a lot of pointy thngs with the flight characteristics of an ICBM pop out of the water within 90 degrees of them, are going to get a bit twitchy, aren't they?

Does anyone remember the "FRODS" (Functionally Related Observable Differences) that were proposed for the B-52s in the Nuclear Cruise Missile mission?

Even if there is some means of making Trident observable in the same way, who is going to take the risk that it isn't a rather big bucket(s) of Sunshine? Well done Uncle Sam - another great success in reducing World Stress levels... Utter bloody madness.

Conan

[adr]

Could increase workloads in Fylingdales and elsewhere.

And if Ivan's having a bad day when Uncle Sam plays instant demolition:
"Hey, you were around in the Cold War, when you had light-up buzzy signs and things. What's the caption SURVIVAL 25 mean? Oh. Where's he gone?"

adr

If you didn't :D you'd :{

[southside]

Russian or Chinese radar...? eh? why? what for?


This project sounds like a fab idea to me....more of the same please.

[WE Branch Fanatic]

This project sounds like a fab idea to me....more of the same please.

What are you on?

[Postman Plod]

its his/her/its quest to say the exact opposite of what everyone normal, sane, and rational is thinking, in the hope that someone will bite. If it wasn't, he/she/it would give a reasoned argument putting forward their case for review (like normal people do). Ignore him/her/it, its not worth the stress.

[southside]

This project sounds like a fab idea to me....more of the same please.

What are you on?Are you saying that you dont want any more weapons? Why not? How are you going to stop the marauding invaders without weapons? How are you going to act as the worlds policemen without a big stick?

[PPRuNeUser0211]

southside... I think you've missed the arguement against launching ballistic missiles (non-nuclear, or are they????) unannounced from submarines.....

[Noah Zark.]

Pehaps they would have different coloured smoke puthering out of them as they wazzed on their way, signifying their destination.
Then, anyone seeing them hurtling along could refer to a universally obtainable colour code book, realise that it wasn't "their" colour being emitted, sit back, watch it go past, and relax! :ok:

[Compressorstall]

These weapons should suit the new US OODA Loop doctrine quite well:

Observe
Overreact
Destroy
Apologise

[adr]

Pehaps they would have different coloured smoke puthering out of them as they wazzed on their way, signifying their destination.
Then, anyone seeing them hurtling along could refer to a universally obtainable colour code book, realise that it wasn't "their" colour being emitted, sit back, watch it go past, and relax! :ok:
"Is that smoke beige or biscuit?"
"Dunno."
"And the missile body. That's lilac, right?"
"Looks more like purple to me."
"So, let's see. Right. It's headed either to Gaza or Grozny, and it's either HE or kiloton-range nuclear. Hmmm."

adr

[4Foxtrot]

If jointery in the US works as well as in the UK (;)), USAF DSP satellites would detect the launch and then the Marines would take out the USN subs (sorry, 'boats'). I refer of course to Compressorstall's revised OODA loop.

Open source BTW.

[Tuba Mirum]

Excuse my intrusion as a non-military person, but:
(a) What sort of CEP would be required for an HE warhead (of a size deliverable by ICBM) to be effective against any target protected by more than a canvas tent?
and
(b) What sort of CEP is achievable nowadays? (I appreciate there may not be an unclassified answer to this question, but I'd be surprised if it was < 50 metres or so.)
A not unrelated question would have to do with the monetary cost of delivering an ICBM at all. The image in my mind is that of that cartoon character - what's his name? - loosing off round after round in an attempt to hit that "wascally wabbit".

[ORAC]

A not unrelated question would have to do with the monetary cost of delivering an ICBM at all
They´ve already got the missiles, might be cheaper firing them than destroying them environmentally. Best option might be to use them to launch satellites, same as the Russians, and use the cash for something more useful, like converting the remaining boats into SLCM carriers...

January 9, 2006 - BREMERTON, Wash:
The first of four conversions to allow older Trident submarines to carry 154 conventionally armed cruise missiles instead of 24 nuclear missiles has been completed, the contractor announced Monday. The USS Ohio is ready to be transferred to a training center at St. Marys, Ga., where sailors will learn how to launch Tomahawk missiles from the converted subs......

[SpikeyM]

Ok hows about this one.......

The only territories worth launching an ICBM at would surely know that the only country stupid enough to launch said missile would be the big bad USA, so if you are the USA and you can "hit any global target within 30 minutes" why bother floating them half way across the world? Just launch them from home turf, save the cost while being grown up about it and owning up to your actions. Brilliant plan.

[WE Branch Fanatic]

When I was younger and even thicker:confused:

When Polaris was being retired in the early 90s, I wondered what would happen to the missiles - perhaps they could be converted to space launchers? Of course, Polaris had a much smaller throw weight than Trident...