Bruce_Dunn@mindlink.UUCP (Bruce Dunn) (02/06/91)
From: Bruce_Dunn@mindlink.UUCP (Bruce Dunn)
What might the feasibility be of using aircraft to fly at very low
altitude and supersonic speed over enemy troops in trenches. Would the sonic
boom from a fighter be powerful enough to cause injuries and/or equipment
damage. At the very least, repeated flights at night in the days preceeding a
battle would interrupt the sleep of the entrenched troops.
--
Bruce Dunn Vancouver, Canada a752@mindlink.UUCPdaly@strawber.princeton.edu (John Daly) (02/07/91)
From: daly@strawber.princeton.edu (John Daly) |> From: Bruce_Dunn@mindlink.UUCP (Bruce Dunn) |> |> What might the feasibility be of using aircraft to fly at very low |> altitude and supersonic speed over enemy troops in trenches. Would the sonic |> boom from a fighter be powerful enough to cause injuries and/or equipment |> damage. At the very least, repeated flights at night in the days preceeding a |> battle would interrupt the sleep of the entrenched troops. Yes, you can kill people this way. Project Pluto, a formerly classified DOE program, was basically a nuclear powered cruise missile that flew at tree-top level at speeds ranging from Mach 3 to 5. Reports indicate that if the shock wave didn't kill you, the radiation from it 50(?)MW nuclear reactor would. It was cancelled though because no one could figure out how to test it. (There was a plan to tether it to a post and let it fly circles around Nevada.) I think the problem is that we really don't have craft designed to fly at the altitudes and speeds required for that type of mission. Even if we did, we could probably find something better for them to do, since you would have to fly directly over the target to have full effect. But, talk about at terror weapon!
nak%archie@att.att.com (Neil A Kirby) (02/07/91)
From: nak%archie@att.att.com (Neil A Kirby) In article <1991Feb6.032858.22494@cbnews.att.com> Bruce_Dunn@mindlink.UUCP (Bruce Dunn) writes: > What might the feasibility be of using aircraft to fly at very low >altitude and supersonic speed over enemy troops in trenches. Would the sonic >boom from a fighter be powerful enough to cause injuries and/or equipment >damage. At the very least, repeated flights at night in the days preceeding a >battle would interrupt the sleep of the entrenched troops. It's not cost effective... 1. The sonic boom would cause damage/disruption, but not too much against entrenched troops. In the open perhaps is different. I have heard a naval air annecdote about this. A Soviet travller kept getting in the path of a oncoming US carrier recovering aircraft. Two phantoms, side by side and above mach, fly by on either side of said travller. The result was said to resemble a direct hit as glass and debris went flying everywhere. 2. It only works once, per plane. Troops in trenches tend to carry too much SAM to make this even worth considering. To be above mach that low, most jets are on afterburner, and an easy IR SAM target. 3. For the same price, why not drop a stick of napalm or two while you are there? The jets would take a lot less SAM fire. Neil Kirby
james@castle.ed.ac.uk (J Gillespie) (02/08/91)
From: J Gillespie <james@castle.ed.ac.uk> daly@strawber.princeton.edu (John Daly) writes: >I think the problem is that we really don't have craft designed to fly at the >altitudes and speeds required for that type of mission. Even if we did, we >could probably find something better for them to do, since you would have to >fly directly over the target to have full effect. But, talk about at terror >weapon! The much-mentioned Tornado Gr1 is cleared for 800 knots at sea level; could some of these zoom over the Republican Guard trenches on their way to/from missions elsewhere, or would this take them too far off course/use too much fuel/other good reasons why not to do it? I think they probably don't want to fly them that close to the ground unless absolutely neccessary, as evidenced by the recent change in Tornado tactics. Just another opinion from: -- James Gillespie, /~~~~~~~~\ "Looks fast!" Edinurgh University. / @ @ \ "Yeah. That's the stripes, man." james@ed.ac.uk / < \ -- Fandango ____________________/ \________/ \__________________________________________