Re: Re: [GZG] Small thought re: Orbital Assault

On 11/24/05, Oerjan Ariander <oerjan.ariander@telia.com> wrote:

> But my point here is that the US intelligence and recon systems, in
spite
> of all their awesome high-tech gadgets, managed to completely miss an
> entire concentrated *armoured brigade* that was sitting right in the
path
> of the advancing column of US troops (and even seems to have
manoeuvred a
> bit against the US troops). That's a pretty big "penny packet". If the
> Iraqis could hide an entire armoured brigade right under the nose of
the
> advancing invading troops without it being discovered until it choose
to
> attack, more competent defenders would most likely be able to do it
too.
> Sure, sensor technology will advance a lot further from where it is
now -
> but so will the tricks used to fool said sensors.

Shit happens.  If you wait for perfection you won't ever do anything. 
A single brigade managing it out of 22 divisions is an acceptable
margin of error.

> (You also ignore the most likely mechanism used to hit ships in deep
space,
> namely using a shotgun technique: if you fire a large enough number of
> shots through the volume of space the target could be in when the
shots
> arrive, you're fairly likely to hit with at least one or two of those
> shots. Unfortunately, if you try that approach on a planetary target
you're
> likely to wipe out not just the defending troops but also the civilian
> population, any infrastructure in the area, and any of your own troops
that
> happen to be near the intended target...)

Planetary targets, especially if mounting considerably heavier
weaponry than typical on starships, are likely to be immobile.	Making
them much easier targets.

> And in this stage too the "One Big Ship" ortillery platform will be
more
> survivable - and thus more effective - than the "multiple small
gunboats"
> you advocated above :-/

Perhaps a mixed force might be better--a couple big platforms for
dropping crowbars on planetary defense installations, maybe call them
Orbital Monitors or something, and smaller gunboats to provide
round-the-clock coverage to tactical units.

John
--
"Thousands of Sarmatians, Thousands of Franks, we've slain them again
and again.  We're looking for thousands of Persians."
--Vita Aureliani

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