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From: mayse@cs.uiuc.edu (Chip Mayse)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Shoulder-fired SAM's
Message-ID: <12098@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 8 Dec 89 04:13:45 GMT
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From: Chip Mayse <mayse@cs.uiuc.edu>
In the "Yom Kippur War" of 1973, the Israeli Air Force experienced a number
of incidents in which infrared-homing SAM-(7's, I think) struck the tailpipes
of IAF McDonnell Douglas A-4's.  Often all that happened was that the SAM 
blew a hole in the tailpipe, which probably decreased total engine thrust
a bit but nothing more.  If the SAM is to be fairly portable and handy, 
it can't have a very heavy warhead, so its lethality is thereby limited.
 
Henry's point (about missile-launch reaction time) is well taken, too.  I've
seen USAF test footage (taken at Eglin AFB) of high-speed (about 550 knots),
low-altitude weapon deliveries against ground targets.  From the time the
planes (F-100's and 105's, mostly) appeared as dots on the horizon until the
entire vicinity of the camera was plastered with napalm and fragmentation
bombs was typically only two or three seconds.  If this becomes a common
ground attack mode--as it can with weapons-delivery systems which use 
accurate target- and aircraft-positioning data--the effectiveness of 
small SAM's should be diminished.  They're probably most effective against
planes loitering about and looking around, rather than making quick, well-
planned runs.   
 
     Chip Mayse
     cmayse@ncsa.uiuc.edu