[fa.arms-d] Arms-Discussion Digest V3 #37

arms-d@ucbvax.ARPA (05/22/85)

From: The Arms-D Moderator (Harold Ancell) <ARMS-D@MIT-MC.ARPA>

Arms-Discussion Digest Volume 3 : Issue 37
Today's Topics:

                 Nuclear Winter and the Neutron Bomb
                       Helicopter vs Helicopter
           Danger from South Africa (response to J. Miller)
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Date: Sun, 19 May 85 23:41:01 edt
From: <decvax!watmath!looking!brad@Berkeley>
Subject: Nuclear Winter and the neutron bomb

As I understand it, proponents of the nuclear winter concept say that
a nuclear winter would be caused by the various firestorms rising over
nuked cities, and in particular that high airbursts and groundbursts
over open fields would not contribute a great deal to the dustcloud.
It is then suggested that this chance makes nuclear war totally
silly (which it may be anyway) because the whole word dies.

It seems to me that even if the superpowers became convinced of this,
all that would result is a strategy change involving the use of neutron
bombs on cities instead of regular H-bombs.  Neutron bombs disable the
city and destroy the industrial base without causing a major firestorm,
from what I have heard.  (When I say destroy the industrial base, I mean
make it unusable)

The big weapons would be reserved for silo attacks where there isn't a
city to burn.

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Date: Tuesday, 21 May 1985 14:07-EDT
From: rrd@Mitre-Bedford
Subject: Helicopter vs Helicopter

The following was sent to Jeff Miller in response to his query in the
ARMSD Digesst number 30.  About 1978, I was chairman of the Tactical
Air Working Group of the MORS that was held at Ft McNair.  My subject
was helo vs fixed wing, because I had the impression that the analytic
community believed that helos were raw meatfor fixed wing.  It turns
out that in a one-on-one situation (at least), and if the helo is
aware that he is about to get bounced, the helo can make a fool of the
FW - or worse - even if he is unarmed.

My discussants included Doc Bahnsen, Igor Sikorsky, a young Air Force
Jolly Green driver from Kirtland, and a couple of Marine Snake (Cobra)
pilots from MAWTS-1 at Yuma.  

It came out in our working group sessions that the MAWTS-1 people had
been doing work in helo vs helo, even in those prehistoric times.

>From what I read, MAWTS-1 has helo vs helo in their attack helo training
syllabus.


Bob Darron at MITRE-BEDFORD

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Date: Tue, 21 May 85 12:06:17 pdt
From: knutsen@sri-unix (Andrew Knutsen)
Subject: Danger from South Africa (response to J. Miller)

	If you're going to bring up "real people" as opposed to "players"
in criticism of the "objectivity" of US policy and its participants, dont
forget that there is too much suffering going on to deal with on a personal
level, all at once. I think its pretty clear that the Soviet Union causes
orders of magnitude more suffering than South Africa.

	I agree we should do something about South Africa, since we can
without causing a war;  but pardon my saying so, it shows as much
insensitivity as you're accusing others of to slight them for not thinking
of human rights.

	Please note that I dont know you and Im not saying this personally;
its just that when I see people reacting to one level of pain without
seeing further levels and understanding what their effects are, it
seems unjust.

Andrew Knutsen

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[End of ARMS-D Digest]