adrian@cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk (Adrian Hurt) (07/03/90)
From: Adrian Hurt <adrian@cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk> In article <1990Jun29.025336.6452@cbnews.att.com> gwh%earthquake.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (George William Herbert) writes: > >In article <1990Jun28.025720.18921@cbnews.att.com> bxr307@csc.anu.oz writes: >> >> Surely a better determinant of rate of fire of a missile launcher using >>a semi-active guidance system that the Standard missile does is the number of >>missiles that can be guided at the same time towards a target? Another factor is how the launcher is reloaded. A couple of weeks ago, our local naval base had an open day, and one of the ships on show was a Type 22 frigate, the Brazen. Among other things, such ships mount six-barreled Sea Wolf missile launchers. When the six missiles have been fired, the launcher is reloaded. What goes on below decks, I didn't find out, but the missiles come through a hatch onto the forward deck, and have to be loaded into the launcher using some sailors and a trolley! As I commented to one sailor there, "The idea was supposed to be that machines do the boring jobs, and humans do the interesting ones. Here it seems to be reversed - humans get the boring stuff, like loading, while computers get the interesting bit, firing the missiles!" "Keyboard? How quaint!" - M. Scott Adrian Hurt | JANET: adrian@uk.ac.hw.cs UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian | ARPA: adrian@cs.hw.ac.uk