From: Los <los@c...>
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 10:59:04 -0700
Subject: Re:[AD] Dirtside Rules Question
> Andrew Martin wrote: > Adrian pointed out: I suspect there are some pretty logical operational and financial reasons why they're not going with the ADATs. I think that if both Tanks and A/C have more or less the same thick skin and are as difficult to hit, then it makes sense. But if tanks still go slower and are thicker requiring special greater penetrating warheads than aerospace vehicles, then I'd have to look at the costing analysis before OKing such a thing (speaking as if I'm a procurement director at DOD.) Right now a TOW round costs between $6-8K. Stinger rounds are3 or 4 times as much. (Not to mention the launcher) If I can kill tanks cheaper with specialty rounds, then I'd stick with those. But then again the decision should be purely an economic one since technically it is has already possible for some time to build a missile round that will kill both vehicles. Heck the SWEDEs have employed the RB70 optical guided missile system for some time. (But one requires much less penetration and much more guidance). In fact TOW rounds can be fired at slow moving targets and have on occasionally been used to kill helicopters. So anyway I guess my point is, it's not really a matter of can it be done, but more can it be done in a cost effective manner and if not why bother? Of course those question are pretty much beyond the scope of your average dirtside game so there's nothing wrong in going for it. HOWEVER! Now that I'm thinking about Area defense. If I was playing it, I would degrade the use of a dual purpose weapon unless it was a dedicated asset as part of a seamless area defense system. (It's about early warning and tragetting more than can this individual weapon feasible hit an airborne target.) That means I have eight vehicles all Avengers (making up a name) with this dual ground/air capable system. I'll dedicate one of the vehicles to Area defense while using the others for whatever fire task I'm performing on the ground. Vehicle eight is tied into the area defense network. Sure if a ground threat pops up that isn't handled by somebody else, the TC can override the network and engage, (at a lower efficiency?) but at that point he's out of the net and can't help with air defense. Likewise vehicles with this dual system can engage air targets that pop up but at less efficiency also. Now when you are talking missile armed vehicles which generally have more severe ammo portage porblems than slug throwers, you have to maximize the quality of your shots. Based on where current AD doctrine is and is continuing to go, your area defense network (The GZG term for AD) relies on complete and seamless integration to maintain it's top efficiency. SO over your WAN (datalinked either by satcom, FM, whatever), all parts of the area defense network are automatically linked and share the same data at once. This includes data from EW radars in the sky or orbital surveillance. When the threat is detected the network always decides what is the best asset to use in order to eliminate the threat. It's almost like an automated phalanx system (using missiles or guns) on a large level. The system requires a very robust, redundant, and rock solid network to work right. Of course individual assets can always override the net to engage targets that have somehow slipped through or popped up unexpectedly. Now in a dual system this is doubly important since the ground commander wants to concentrate his resources on the ground battle (Obviously it's integrated with the air battle too) and as a TC I'd hate to be in the middle of a ground engagement and all the sudden lose control of my dual launcher to engage and airborne threat. Keep in mind that even if a dual capacble system is more expensive (and doesn't do each subtask as well as a dedicated system) it still might be teh way to go on smaller ops where portage is a porbelm. Again going back to the dual purpose gunship/slick "aliens" scenario we talked about last week. I.e UN marines, they don't work in larger units such as other power's troops so they're weapons are mre expensive but dual purpose? Anyway I'm just sort of thinking out loud.