pierson@cimnet.dec.com (10/18/89)
From: pierson@cimnet.dec.com Re the recent discussion of the XB70, those with access to cable TV may want to keep an eye on the Discovery channel, 9PM, 18 Oct. The program WINGS, a "magazine" of A/C history may be running the segment on the B70. (The ran it Saturday, 14 Oct, and I hope Wednesday is the rerun....). Basically matched what has been said here. Another for a/c history buffs is A&E channel (cable again...) Wings over the World. (confusing choice of naming....). Runs Sundays at 7pm, haven't spotted this years rerun patterns. WINGS/DSC tends to run segments oriented around a particular plane (with extensive history), Wings over the World/A&E tends to concentrate on particular designers/companies thru their careers. In general, an interesting portion of military/technological/political history shows up on cable, sometimes in unobvious places such as the Living Dangerously segment on anti-tank weapons & tactics. (FWIW, on that segment: First came a proposed millimeter radar homing, a/c launched missile weapon, name not given, effective, but too expensive. Then came the proposed passive IR seeker with self forging rounds, from a four pack, artillery launched, called on the show "SKEET". Less effective (not as smart...) but lots cheaper. This was followed (time having passed, and the electronics having gotten cheaper), by an unnamed proposal to use the four-pack with self forging rounds combined with the millimeter radar seeker technology. [ mod.note: The airlaunched millimeter seeker you mention sounds familiar to me. I recall hearing several years ago for a proposal (I've forgotten the name) for such a missile. It could be carried by A-10's or F-16's, and had a few interesting capabilities. First, it could be launched from well out of visual range, maybe 20 miles, and would travel to a preset map coordinate and look for targets. It could then be given a logical sequence in which to attack them. As a ferinstance, the A-10 driver could launch 5 missiles toward a known intersection where tanks were reported, instructing the first missile to hit the first tank in the column, the second to hit the second, and the last three to search for ZSU AA tanks or mobile SAM's. They had footage of a test rig for the radar, and stated that the radar could easily distinguish even between different versions of tanks. Sounded too good to be true, and perhaps it was... - Bill ] Which makes me wonder about a 60mm mortar class round WITH SEEKER TECHNOLOGY. We talked mortar-vs-AFV last spring. It seemed a little unlikely to me that a mortar could hit a moving AFV. Seekers could change that. Mortars are light, cheap, well distributed, and have (relatively) low launch stress. hmmmm..... thanks dave pierson |The facts as accurately as I can remember, Digital Equipment Corporation |The opinions my own. 600 Nickerson Rd Marlboro, Mass 01752 pierson@cimnet.enet.dec.com