Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military
From: jeff@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu (JEFF NANIS )
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Aegis vs. Dozen Missiles (was USS IOWA)
Summary: Aaargghh! Radars DON'T provide ID!
Message-ID: <1990Jun29.025310.6317@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 29 Jun 90 02:53:10 GMT
References: <1990Jun20.043246.17762@cbnews.att.com> <1990Jun20.232933.1779@cbnew
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From: jeff@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu (JEFF NANIS )
s.att.com> <1990Jun22.043119.27816@cbnews.att.com> <1990jun26.025008.15408@cbnew
s.att.com> <1990Jun28.025720.18921@cbnews.att.com>
Distribution: usa
Organization: JHU/APL, Laurel, MD

In article <1990Jun28.025720.18921@cbnews.att.com> bxr307@csc.anu.oz writes:

>	Surely a better determinant of rate of fire of a missile launcher using
>a semi-active guidance system that the Standard missile does is the number of
>missiles that can be guided at the same time towards a target?  It might be
>fine for you launcher to be able to fire missiles off wily-nily, however how
>much good is that when only the first two or three are actually able to be
>guided to their targets?   Added to that must be the problem of at what ranges
>the engagements begin, because the longer the missile is in flight, the longer
>it has to be guided and that cuts down the number of missiles that can be
>launched in a single engagement. 
	
	You are correct. The illuminator scheduling time is generally the 
limiting factor in guiding semi-active missiles, especvially with a VLS 
system. On the other hand, your follow-up comment:

>	I don't know how good the radars on the Aegis system are 
>(and after the Iranian A300 episode I wonder even more) 
  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
calls for a vehement keyboard-lashing. Everybody, repeat after me:
"RADARS DETECT, THEY DON'T IDENTIFY!" (Actually, not completely true,
but the SPY-1 is not a synthetic aperture radar or an inverse SAR.)
The radar performed perfectly on the Vincennes. It is unscientific
rumours like this that journalists and lawyers believe, not the well-
educated readership of sci.military. It is the mistaken belief that
the radars in some way failed on CG-49 that have made GE
(formerly RCA - the builders of the Aegis system) and the place
where I work (designers of Aegis) defendants in several misguided
(no pun intended) lawsuits placed by fee-hungry, scientifically-
ignorant lawsharks for bereaved Iranian families.
-- 
--
Jeff Nanis			"If I told you,	I'd have to kill you."	

	Not an official opinion which might get me put in jail.