Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!cbnews!military
From: boulder!snoopy!scottmi@ncar.UCAR.EDU (SCOTT MICHAEL C)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Iraq's Military Strength
Summary: Spruance-class destroyers
Message-ID: <1990Aug30.030339.29893@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 30 Aug 90 03:03:39 GMT
References: <1990Aug8.030457.25888@cbnews.att.com> <1990Aug9.015928.8556@cbnews.att.com> <1990Aug17.023708.1350@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: University of Colorado, boulder
Lines: 28
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: boulder!snoopy!scottmi@ncar.UCAR.EDU (SCOTT MICHAEL C)



  Some of the Spruance-class destroyers have two 4-shot box ABL's for
Tomahawk.  Several more have had the foreward ASROC launcher removed, and
a 61-cell vertical launch system added in its place.  The 61-cell VLS is
supposed to get a VLS version of ASROC, but (apparently) none of these have
been delivered yet (the reason is that Sea Lance was supposed to replace
ASROC as well as SUBROC, but Sea Lance has been killed by Graham-Ruddman 
recently, so VLS ASROC has been only just recently reinstated.)
  These 61 VLS tubes in the Spruances that have VLS are (to my understanding)
filled only with Tomahawk.
 One of these ships would make a significant contribution to US stand-off
firepower in the Arabian area.  The Wisconsin carries only 32 Tomahawks, and
any other missile cruisers (with the exception of the VLS-equipped Aegis
ships) carry at most eight rounds apiece, as do the ABL-converted DDs.
  One can't help but wonder what percentage of the Tomahawks in the area are
of the conventional land-attack flavor.  These would be most useful for
employment against Iraqi air bases, chemical weapons plants, munitions
depots, etc.

 

  
  --don't like snow, miss Deirdre, and wish I was still in Santa Cruz.