Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military From: jb7m+@andrew.cmu.edu (Jon C. R. Bennett) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Aegis vs. Dozen Missiles (was USS IOWA) Message-ID: <1990Jun29.025323.6378@cbnews.att.com> Date: 29 Jun 90 02:53:23 GMT References: <1990Jun20.043246.17762@cbnews.att.com> <1990Jun20.232933.1779@cbnews.att.com> <1990Jun22.043119.27816@cbnews.att.com> <1990jun26.025008.15408@cbnews.att.com>, Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 28 Approved: military@att.att.com From: "Jon C. R. Bennett" bxr307@csc.anu.oz writes: > From: bxr307@csc.anu.oz > Organization: Computer Services, Australian National University > News-Moderator: Approval required for posting to sci.military > Lines: 34 . . > I don't know how good the radars on the Aegis system are (and after > the Iranian A300 episode I wonder even more) but I would doubt > if more than two or four missiles could have handled in one engagement at any > one time. > The Aegis system can handle far more then 4 missiles in the air at once, since the missles are launched having been told where their target will be and guide them selves until they reach the vicinity of the target (mid course corrections can be sent to the missle in the event that it's target alters course), and the target is illuminated at the last second by an Aegis crusier (note thats "AN Aegis crusier", since the system is capable of guiding missles launched by other ships). In the event that there are too many targets of the system to handle the system can go into a "panic fire mode" in which it salvos all its missles and the illumination radar is turned on in about a 60 degree beam and the missles take any target. jon