RE: [GZG] Re: Mines

["Richard CJ" <rcj@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

John Tailbey wrote -

> A modern torpedo has a range of a few kilometres and without the wire
> guidance from a submarines it has to rely on its own active sonar
> to acquire its target.

A few kilometres is understating it a bit. Even 20 yrs ago ranges in the
30-50km bracket were not unusual. Torpedoes can also use passive systems for
final targeting to reduce the chances of detection.

//snip//


> In game terms it also comes down to detection range. If mines
> have the same sensor capabilities as starships then they can engage at
starship type
> ranges.

There seems to be a general fuzziness about passive sensors. A passive
sensor system should always detect a target at longer ranges than a system
using an active system of the same technology level. To describe in terms of
radar, the reason is this - for an active sensor to detect a target there
has to be sufficient power reflected from the target to be detected by the
scanning array of the active sensor. The passive system is catching the
original pulse, without the power loss of the pulses return journey to its
transmitter. Therefore, it should be able to see the target first.

Therefore, assuming they have the same weapons, and that weapon ranges
exceed the range at which active sweeps will see them, mines will be able to
engage at longer ranges than the ship. Depending on what they're armed with
the mine may even be able to avoid detection when firing. If they were armed
with a number of torpedoes they could be built to give them a manual shove
off at a random vector, with the torpedo only activating its drive after a
certain period.

CJ


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