ARMS-D-Request@MIT-MC.ARPA (Moderator) (12/03/85)
Arms-Discussion Digest Tuesday, December 3, 1985 9:39AM Volume 5, Issue 34 Today's Topics: C-5s full of drugs A High Tech Maginot Line A High Tech Maginot Line ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 2 Dec 85 17:47:56 pst From: amdcad!phil@decwrl.DEC.COM (Phil Ngai) Subject: C-5s full of drugs >From: delftcc!sam at nyu.arpa > > since C-5 cargo planes full of drugs come in regularly over the >southern border.) I find this hard to believe since C-5s are military planes still in active service. I doubt the drug smugglers have gotten hold of any. What is your source for this assertion? ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 2 Dec 85 23:16:21 EST From: Herb Lin <LIN@MIT-MC.ARPA> Subject: A High Tech Maginot Line Another example would be a supersonic cruise missile with a nuclear-reactor powered jet engine (since it would only fly once, and has no crew, nuclear propulsion seems feasible). Nuclear propulsion might permit the cruise missile to fly fast enough to avoid most defenses yet still be able to fly intercontinental distances. Why would you need nuclear power? Ram jets wold probably suffice, at least according to DARPA. ------------------------------ Date: Tue 3 Dec 1985 07:59:06 EST From: Paul Dietz <dietz%slb-doll.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA> Subject: A High Tech Maginot Line You'd want nuclear power for several reasons: (1) Range. Currently, cruise missiles must be launched fairly near to the target, because of fuel limitations. A nuclear powered cruise missile could be launched from anywhere. (2) Speed. Current cruise missiles are subsonic; at high speed the fuel consumption is unacceptably high. A nuclear powered cruise missile could go much faster, making it harder to shoot down. (3) Size. Ignoring shielding, one might hope to make a reactor smaller than a chemical engine & tanks of similar performance. A smaller target is harder to shoot down, and has lower drag. (4) Power. With a more powerful engine one can add armor to the missile, reducing the effectiveness of antimissile weapons. Also, current cruise missiles must attack their targets on flat terminal trajectories, because they have insufficient power to climb & dive at steep angles. A nuclear powered missile would avoid this problem (although adding a short burning chemical rocket to normal cruise missiles might also solve the problem). Obvious objections include: (1) maybe high power nuclear engines are hard to build, (2) the electronics will have to be shielded to some extent, (3) testing the missile will be more difficult, (4) the radiation emitted by the engine may make detection easier. ------------------------------ End of Arms-Discussion Digest *****************************