nak@cbnews.ATT.COM (Neil A. Kirby) (04/28/89)
From: nak@cbnews.ATT.COM (Neil A. Kirby)
Right now NATO/W.Germany/USA are trying to figure out what to do
about short range nuclear missiles. The politics aside, my question is
simple:
What is wrong with the Lance?
I know that they are old, but hey, so is the Iowa. Old doesn't
always mean that a system is no longer worth having. Are they slow?
Poorly guided due to old technology? Vulnerable to some threat that
newer missiles are not? Or are they simlply paid for and some defense
contractor needs a new pair of shoes :-)
Neil Kirby
...cbsck!nakmaniac%garnet.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (George W. Herbert) (04/29/89)
From: maniac%garnet.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (George W. Herbert) In article <6032@cbnews.ATT.COM> nak@cbnews.ATT.COM (Neil A. Kirby) writes: > What is wrong with the Lance? > Oops. Well, a few things. One is that old explosives and rockets tend to go bang early when used. Lance is old. Army wants them replaced BEFORE they have to start warning the crews about the probability of it going bang in launch.
military@cbnews.ATT.COM (William B. Thacker) (05/30/89)
From: sun!portal!cup.portal.com!mmm On the TV news, I saw a Lance missile followed by film of a missile being launched. The missile rotated in flight. I'm wondering if this could have been a Lance, or whether they just spliced together some random footage of a missile taking off. (The Lance has fins, so I would not expect it to spin.) On the same subject, does the Lance have guidance, or is it just a point-and-shoot type weapon? (The fins appear to be attached just prior to launching, so I doubt they are controlled by a guidance mechanism.) How big a warhead does it have?
dritchey@ihlpb.att.com {Don Ritchey) (05/31/89)
From: dritchey@ihlpb.att.com {Don Ritchey)
Summary:
military@cbnews.ATT.COM (William B. Thacker):
In article (Message-ID: <6960@cbnews.ATT.COM>), you wrote
> Approved: military@att.att.com
>
>
>
> From: sun!portal!cup.portal.com!mmm
> On the TV news, I saw a Lance missile followed by film of a missile being
> launched. The missile rotated in flight. I'm wondering if this could
Yes, they do.
> have been a Lance, or whether they just spliced together some random
> footage of a missile taking off. (The Lance has fins, so I would not
> expect it to spin.)
>
> On the same subject, does the Lance have guidance, or is it just a
Yes, it does, an inertial guidance system of
some sort
> point-and-shoot type weapon? (The fins appear to be attached just prior
> to launching, so I doubt they are controlled by a guidance mechanism.)
They do connect to the inertial guidance system, exact
method unknown. Lance is a guided missile.
> How big a warhead does it have?
About a ton or so. Various warheads are available, I can't say much
more without open source references available.
BTW, this is for you, to answer your question, not for the news group.
Best wishes,
Don --
Don Ritchey (312) 979-6179, AT&T Bell Laboratories, IH 4E-408
att!ihlpb!dritchey or dritchey@ihlpb.att.com {for smart mailers}adrian%cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk@NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK (Adrian Hurt) (06/01/89)
From: Adrian Hurt <adrian%cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk@NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK> >(The Lance has fins, so I would not expect it to spin.) The Lance is spin-stabilised in flight by the expulsion of propellant gases through canted vents in the missile body. [mod.note: Then why the fins ? - Bill ] >On the same subject, does the Lance have guidance, or is it just a >point-and-shoot type weapon? (The fins appear to be attached just prior >to launching, so I doubt they are controlled by a guidance mechanism.) It does have guidance, but it's inertial guidance. >How big a warhead does it have? Either a 212kg nuclear warhead M234 10- to 100-kiloton optional yield warhead, a 454kg M251 cluster munitions warhead, or a training dummy. (How does an optional yield warhead work, anyway?) "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
military@cbnews.ATT.COM (William B. Thacker) (06/05/89)
From: sun!portal!cup.portal.com!mmm Quoted from the Wall Street Journal 6/2/89: "Stenciled on the metal box that carries the nuclear warhead for the Lance missile: 'Reusable Container. Do Not Destroy.'"