Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!ukma!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!att!cbnews!military
From: gahooten@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Greg A. Hooten)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Sgt. York (was  Re: USS Iowa explosion)
Keywords: Iowa
Message-ID: <6460@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 11 May 89 01:25:39 GMT
References: <6272@cbnews.ATT.COM> <6322@cbnews.ATT.COM> <6380@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Organization: NASA - Ames Research Center
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Approved: military@att.att.com



From: gahooten@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Greg A. Hooten)

In article <6380@cbnews.ATT.COM> eos!eugene@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Eugene Miya) writes:
>
>>On a different note, why have the 40mm guns been removed from the BBs?
>
>For the same reasons the Sgt. York was canceled: too short of a range,
>too old, optically sighted, etc. etc.  
>
>--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@aurora.arc.nasa.gov

 I was under the impression that the Sgt York was cancelled
for far more dramatic reasons than a lack of range and optical
sights.  As I recall, the Sgt York was to track and shoot down
any approaching enemy aircraft in the Forward Edge of Battle
giving a first line cover to a column.  

The project was cancelled because it was over budget, and
under developed.  They spent a tremendous amount of money to
get it to track and shoot, and it still was unable to hit a
stationary helicopter reliably.  I saw test film of a
helicopter fly by (remote) that had shells exploding all
around it.  No direct hits, and the shrapnel was unable to
bring the helicopter down.  They stopped the helicopter and
the Sgt. York shot all around the target.  It seemed that if
the target would have moved, then it would have died, but no
shell hit it.  A rather funny demonstration.  Shortly after,
the project was canned.  

GAH!

Greg Hooten