Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military
From: dg-rtp!gross@dg-rtp.dg.com (Gene Gross)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Reliability of Ballistic Missiles
Message-ID: <6997@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 31 May 89 03:42:49 GMT
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From: dg-rtp!gross@dg-rtp.dg.com (Gene Gross)

In article <6799@cbnews.ATT.COM> ken%prism@gatech.edu (Ken Seefried iii) writes:
>Now I have a question about accuracy.  In the 'real' world of nuclear
>conflict, how useful is a nuclear weapon that has 50-yard accuracy
>outside of a few, specific missions (taking out a silo or underground
>bunker)?  I guess the deeper question is:  Given a confligration
>where multi-megaton devices are being lobbed about, does precise
>accuracy buy you anything?  After all, what good is a deep
>communication bunker when all your means of production and a
>substantial portion of your population is gone.  Put another way, does
>buying a few expensive, accurate weapons beat more in-expensive, lesss
>accurate weapons.
>
>N.B.:  I AM NOT trying to start a 'why is nuclear war bad' discussion,
>etc.  I am interested in what the tactical advantage of highly
>accurate ballistic missles.
>
>	...ken seefried iii

I can't give an answer on exact accuracy of current ICBMs--my
information is several years out of date.  But your point, Ken, is well
taken (IMHO).  When you put two 100-megaton warheads on a city like San
Antonio, TX, who cares if your CER is 1.0 or .6 nautical yards.  With
warheads of this size, nothing in San Antonio remains (and probably a
good chunk of the corridor between San Antonio and Austin).  Highly
accurate missiles really do matter when taking out a silo or underground
military facility--but otherwise.....

With a few exceptions, I don't think anyone believes an all out nuclear
war benefits anyone.  Despite what people think about US and USSR
missiles, I don't think problems, like fratricide, have been resolved.
But I could be wrong--I've been out of the defense industry since 1980.

Gene