[sci.military] Phoenix Missile

pershing@athena.mit.edu (Michael A. Scheele) (02/15/91)

From: pershing@athena.mit.edu (Michael A. Scheele)
In article <1991Feb13.220140.4139@cbnews.att.com>, neil@progress.COM
(Neil Galarneau) writes:

>I find it difficult to believe that the armed forces would send up all these
>planes as sitting ducks.  It seems to me that hitting a non-maneuvering
>Early Warning Radar is much easier than hitting a Mach 1 or 2 fighter or a
>Mach 3? Phoenix (not that the Phoenix is much smaller than a fighter :-).
>Also, where is the Soviet version?

The Phoenix flys at Mach 5+ which makes it a very fast air-to-air missile.

>What is this French missile that will hit the ship which protects the carrier
>from missile hits (Aegis)?

An Exocet?  Personally I doubt the Iraqis could get a hit with the number of
planes they have used in their attack sorties.  After all, it is not as if
the Aegis cruisers would be overwhelmed by numbers.  Yes, I know the Exocet
is hard to hit, but it would have to be fired a long distance away from the
ship (to avoid be shot down) and would have to get by the SM-2's and
CIWS on the Aegis cruisers (not to mention support from non-Aegis ships).

Well, if all else fails, they could hide behind a battleship and pay for
the repainting...  ;-)


Michael

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