dnwiebe@cis.ohio-state.edu (Dan N Wiebe) (02/04/91)
From: dnwiebe@cis.ohio-state.edu (Dan N Wiebe) Given that LGBs are dropped from fixed-wing aircraft, how come the A-10, for example, isn't fitted with a laser designator and cleared to launch Hellfire instead of Maverick? Wouldn't it be cheaper? Is there something about Hellfire that optimizes it for use exclusively with rotary-wing aircraft? I can understand why it would be difficult to put TOWs on a fixed-wing plane (plane moves too fast--the TOW would spend too much fuel trying to stay on a straight line between launcher and target and not enough actually getting to the target), but Hellfires don't work that way. Just curious... Shalom, Dan Wiebe dnw@rsch.oclc.org
rudedog@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Parick J Volk) (02/07/91)
From: "Parick J Volk" <rudedog@unix.cis.pitt.edu> The hellfire is a rocket-assisted bomb, meaning the rocket is engaged in only part of the missiles flight. This makes it idea for helicopters, for they can be launched at standoff range. They are also laser designated, and can be used with ground based targeting lasers (third party targeting). The demos I have seen of this weapon always show the helicopter operating still... I don't think this has to be the case. However, on an A-10, I think this would be the improper choice of weapon. A plane-mounted bomb really doesn't need a rocket assist, and also wouldn't need the range boost that the rocket gives this bomb. The A-10 is a close-ground support aircraft, and it would defeat the purpose to fit it with standoff range bombs, especially of this type. It has the speed to get into range to release glide bombs.
dnwiebe@cis.ohio-state.edu (Dan N Wiebe) (02/07/91)
From: dnwiebe@cis.ohio-state.edu (Dan N Wiebe) I wrote: >> Given that LGBs are dropped from fixed-wing aircraft, how come >>the A-10, for example, isn't fitted with a laser designator and cleared >>to launch Hellfire instead of Maverick? Wouldn't it be cheaper? In response, Boyd Roberts wrote: >It may be cheaper, but if I were driving an A-10 I'd go for the Maverick. >It's fire and forget so there's no need to loiter to designate the target. I understand the advantages of a launch-and-leave weapon; however, according to material I've read by Bill Gunston and Mike Spick, it's not an instantaneous process to launch Maverick in self-guiding mode. They say that the TV guidance can take as long as 4-8 seconds of steady flying to lock onto a target before launch. Surely that's at least comparable to the flight time of Hellfire at short range. (Remember, you can designate Hellfire *after* launch, during the terminal stage of its flight.) Or have they come up with a more modern version of Maverick since my book was written? (Dono exactly when that was, but the latest hardware in it is the B-1B.) Another question. (If the answer is classified, just smack me a couple of times; I'll get the message eventually.) Just how does the TV-guidance system of Maverick work? I've read material that claims it uses a pattern-recognition algorithm on picture contrast--in other words, image processing done on a 2D picture. How, then, does it recognize things like tanks that move past landmarks and change aspect? How does it allow for changes in the picture due to the missile's movement that transcend what can be allowed for by simple 2D demagnification (flying past a wall, for example, so that a big constant-contrast area of the picture is suddenly replaced by a more-complex scene)? Finally. I've heard conflicting reports from various sources as to how TOW works. This is the most credible: the operator peers through a viewfinder at the target, centers a pair of crosshairs on it, and launches. The guidance computer also looks through the viewfinder and sees the IR signature of the missiles exhaust, and notices that it doesn't fall precisely at the intersection of the crosshairs, and so sends steering commands down the trailing wire to the missile to bring it back into the crosshairs. It's the operator's responsibility to keep the crosshairs on the target until the missile hits. Is that about right? (Don't respond if you're not sure.) What kind of wire is this? How thick is it? How many conductors? If the missile's range is measured in miles, how much does miles of the wire (for each missile) weigh? After the missile has been launched, I assume the wire is just cut and left on the ground. Does this frequently get caught up in tank treads or jeep wheels or helicopter skids or whatever and cause problems? What does the missile do if the wire breaks during flight? Just curious... Shalom, Dan Wiebe dnw@rsch.oclc.org