Hello,
Here's my idea for an Anti-Air GMS. Each battery may fire 1 GMS
versus air targets at a range of 48 inches with 1d6 for Basic, 1d8 for
Enhanced and 1d10 for Superior missile systems. Damage is calculated the
same as for a GMS/L. The cost is 1.5 times a GMS/H Therefore 45 for
Basic, 60 for Enhanced and 90 for Superior. This weapon system takes up 4
Capacity
spaces. The GMS/A may be used against ground targets at a range of 30
inches but again draws chits as a GMS/L.
I would imagine that Patriot, Hawk and AEGIS Weapon systems would carry a
system like this. You might even want to put it in an interceptor aircraft ala
Tomcat... Now the question becomes, when does the missile hit, if I fire it as
reaction fire...? Before of after the targets ordnance drops...? Please let me
know what you think. Phil P.
> From: "Phillip E. Pournelle" <pepourne@nps.navy.mil>
[...]
> Now the question becomes, when does the missile hit, if I fire
Why not have an opposed quality roll, ties or better mean the attack run was
completed before impact. (Any sensible pilot would have aborted and sent in
the wild weasels.)
> Phillip E. Pournelle wrote:
> Now the question becomes, when does the missile hit, if I fire
Reaction fire is pretty simple: he fires/drops bombs and you react to
it. Too bad for your friends on the recieving end, but then that's war!
Otherwise you get things like an M-1 shooting down a Hind (with its main
gun!) negating the AT-4 attack of the Hind it was reacting to. Can't
remember the game right now, but this happened in one of the few times I
played it. You can imagine I turned my back on that system.
> In a message dated 97-06-04 04:07:56 EDT, Phil Pournelle writes:
<<
Hello,
Here's my idea for an Anti-Air GMS. Each battery may fire 1
GMS versus air targets at a range of 48 inches with 1d6 for Basic, 1d8 for
Enhanced and 1d10 for Superior missile systems. Damage is calculated the
same as for a GMS/L. The cost is 1.5 times a GMS/H Therefore 45 for
Basic, 60 for Enhanced and 90 for Superior. This weapon system takes up 4
Capacity
spaces. The GMS/A may be used against ground targets at a range of 30
inches but again draws chits as a GMS/L.
[snip]
Why only a vehicle mounted system? Why not a light AD system like Stinger or
SA-16 Strela? The Stinger is mounted on helicopters (OH-58D Kiowa
Warrior
and AH-64D Apache Longbow), wheeled vehicles (HUMVEE Avenger) and
carried by Air Defense Infantry. As mentioned, the Avenger carries a stinger
launcher with 8 shots and a.50 cal machine gun. With a capacity of 2 or
possibly 3, such a cofiguration could easily fit on a size 2 vehicle. The same
system could be carried by an infantry at the same points increase for
upgrading an
infantry team to a GMS/L team. Stinger and other small systems use
primarily
infra-red heat seeking guidance, but smallish radars or laser guidance
could be a possibility. The slant range (direct line of sight range from
surface
to aerial target) of such systems is usually around 3-4 km.
[unsnip]
I would imagine that Patriot, Hawk and AEGIS Weapon systems would carry a
system like this. You might even want to put it in an interceptor aircraft ala
Tomcat...
[snip]
The tricks to those exact systems are the HUGE radar arrays they have.
Granted, a single radar array can slave up to 4 Patriot launchers, but you
would still need an increased radar capability for tracking multiple targets
at increased ranges. If I'm not mistaken, Patriot can track upwards of 20
targets and engage at something like 15-20 km slant range. Aegis can
track over 50 targets, engage all of them, then track its own missiles and
uses a
surface launch equivalent of the Sparrow Air-to-Air missile. Slant
range
something like 20-30 km. F-14 Tomcat uses the AIM-65 Phoenix and has a
range
of something disgusting like 80-90 km! Other Air-to-Air missiles like
Sparrow and Sidewinder have direct ranges like 20-45 km.
[unsnip]
Now the question becomes, when does the missile hit, if I fire it as reaction
fire...? Before of after the targets ordnance drops...? Please let me know
what you think. Phil P. >>
[snip]
I'll have to agree that a pilot hearing a missile threat tone would bolt. But
maybe work it that you may fire during any portion of the inbound
aircraft's movement. Also a VTOL doing a pop-up attack may get a bonus
to
its defense due to its short exposure. As for fixed-wing aircraft
firing
say, a GMS in an anti-tank role, I had thought that the missiles in DSII
were "fire and forget", self guiding. The Phoenix is self guiding, as is the
new Javelin ATGM. Once locked on by the launcher, the missile begins to track
its target by itself, notifies the launcher it's ready and tracking, a puff of
smoke, its motor engages and it hails death and destruction upon the enemy.
Menawhile, the launcher and his mates nip off to the pub and quaff a few
Guiness. Well, maybe not Guiness, but something. Just a few thoughts from a
joe.
> From Sniper's Alley,
> At 09:24 AM 6/4/97 -0400, Jay wrote:
> Why only a vehicle mounted system? Why not a light AD system like
These smaller anti-aircraft weapons are covered in the LAD
rules.
> The tricks to those exact systems are the HUGE radar arrays they have.
The ranges in the game are condensed and so therefore are the ranges for these
weapons. We can assume that even those vehicles that do not have a Basic
package of ECM have a minimal package that effectively levels the playing
field and compresses the ranges. My attempt was to have an offensive air
system that targets specific incoming aircraft. Meanwhile the Zone Air Defense
systems have the ability to engage just about anything that comes into their
effective ranges.
> [snip]
True. This is one of the reasons that the GMS/Air has a range
of 48 inches. The idea being that you can engage the enemy aircraft outside
his
weapons envelope if he is carrying GMS/Ls and meet him if he is carrying
GMS/Hs. My training as a Tactical Action Officer showed me that it is
better to have to shoot at archers before you have to shoot at arrows and
archers... I guess my question goes to Jon. Since we are told in the book that
GMSs hit the target at the end of the activation cycle, the enemy can shoot a
direct fire weapon before the missile arrives. So I am assuming that this
holds for the GMS/Air. However, now I can hit the enemy aircraft only
after
he has fired his GMS/Whatever or Direct fire weapon. So I'm now
shooting in revenge only. Better to get those HELs and Zone Air Defense
systems.
The GMS/Air would then be effective as a Offensive Counter Air
role, where my Tomcat comes in on its activation and hits your air before it
activates... Phil P.