jackson@ttidcc.tti.com (Dick Jackson) (01/19/91)
From: jackson@ttidcc.tti.com (Dick Jackson) How many types of smart bomb are there? Is it possible for bombs dropped from high altitude to change course on the way down based on some kind of internal recognition, e.g. they locate tank silhouettes, etc? If not, I don't understand how the raids on Baghdad, which were said to be flown "above the range of flak", could be classed as precision. Dick Jackson
stevel%u2.calgary.hp.com%hpcal@uunet.UU.NET (Steve LaCourse) (01/23/91)
From: stevel%u2.calgary.hp.com%hpcal@uunet.UU.NET (Steve LaCourse) jackson@ttidcc.tti.com (Dick Jackson) writes: >How many types of smart bomb are there? Is it possible for bombs dropped >from high altitude to change course on the way down based on some kind >of internal recognition, e.g. they locate tank silhouettes, etc? >If not, I don't understand how the raids on Baghdad, which were said to >be flown "above the range of flak", could be classed as precision. >Dick Jackson One example is a laser guided bomb where the aircraft remains high over the target after dropping the bomb and maintains a laser "lock" on the target which the bomb follows during descent. This way, an aircraft (say B-52) can fly high above flak range but with the high help of high-res optics/radar, guide the "smart-bomb" directly on target (I think this was used on the first day of attack on the Iraqi Defense Building - I saw the pictures on TV which showed a close-up of the building from an obviously high altitude and a cross-hair on the target and then......BOOM!) Steve LaCourse stevel@hpcpdcz.calgary.hp.com
tek@CS.UCLA.EDU (Ted Kim (Random Dude)) (01/24/91)
From: tek@CS.UCLA.EDU (Ted Kim (Random Dude)) In article <1991Jan19.042546.5785@cbnews.att.com> jackson@ttidcc.tti.com (Dick Jackson) writes: > How many types of smart bomb are there? There are many types of smart bombs, differing in seeker types and warhead. The US has some purpose-built weapons and also modular kits that can be attached to normal bombs (eg Mk84 2000 lb low drag general purpose bomb). There are also some other weapons which are technically "missiles", but are basically a smart bomb with a small rocket motor attached (eg AGM-130A and AGM-123 Skipper II). The main seeker types are TV guided, laser guided, and imaging infrared. A TV guided weapon requires a two way command/data link to the weapon. The operator provides the guidance based on an TV image transmitted from the weapon. A laser guided weapon requires some platform (not necessarily the launch platform) to illuminate the target after launch. Imaging infrared weapons lock on to infrared target image and self-guide after launch, making them "fire & forget". In theory, you ought to be able to do the same with TV images, but it seems the self-guiding IR weapons are more popular and more successful. The search/targeting systems on board aircraft often have low-light and infrared capability. Sometimes that is related to guiding the weapons and sometimes it is not. For example, PAVE TACK (on F-111) targeting system locks onto the image of the target in order to keep the laser on target. But the bombs themselves used with PAVE TACK are using the reflected laser light not the image that you see on the news. In the case of an imaging infrared version of the Maverick missile, the missile is self-guided. Any video tape of such an attack is for assessing accuracy of the attack and not for guiding the missile itself. The adjective "smart" has been applied rather loosely by the media (eg the recent Nova program). I have seen air-to-air missiles, wire-guided antitank missiles, active radar homing antiship missiles, TERCOM cruise missiles, cruise missiles which use GPS for navigation and loitering anti-radiation missiles also described as "smart". While these guidance methods are certainly sophisticated, I think "smart" in military usage is generally more limited for historical reasons. Another term with wider applicability is "precision-guided munition". > Is it possible for bombs dropped from high altitude to change course > on the way down based on some kind of internal recognition, e.g. > they locate tank silhouettes, etc? These type of weapons are in various stages of development. Some use millimeter wave guidance, fancy algorithms and maybe neural nets to recognize target shapes. However, as far as I know, none have yet been deployed. -ted Ted Kim Internet: tek@penzance.cs.ucla.edu UCLA Computer Science Department UUCP: ...!{uunet|ucbvax}!cs.ucla.edu!tek 3804C Boelter Hall Phone: (213)206-8696 Los Angeles, CA 90024 FAX: (213)825-2273