Re: Dirtside II Weapons: GMS/Air

At 09:24 AM 6/4/97 -0400, Jay wrote:
>In a message dated 97-06-04 04:07:56 EDT, Phil Pournelle writes:

>Why only a vehicle mounted system?  Why not a light AD system like
Stinger or
>SA-16 Strela?	The Stinger is mounted on helicopters (OH-58D Kiowa
Warrior
>and AH-64D Apache Longbow), wheeled vehicles (HUMVEE Avenger) and
carried by
>Air Defense Infantry.	As mentioned, the Avenger carries a stinger
launcher
>with 8 shots and a .50 cal machine gun.

	These smaller anti-aircraft weapons are covered in the LAD
rules.

>The tricks to those exact systems are the HUGE radar arrays they have.
> Granted, a single radar array can slave up to 4 Patriot launchers, but
you
>would still need an increased radar capability for tracking multiple
targets
>at increased ranges.  If I'm not mistaken, Patriot can track upwards of
20
>targets and engage at something like 15-20 km slant range.  Aegis can
track
>over 50 targets, engage all of them, then track its own missiles and
uses a
>surface launch equivalent of the Sparrow Air-to-Air missile.  Slant
range
>something like 20-30 km.  F-14 Tomcat uses the AIM-65 Phoenix and has a
range
>of something disgusting like 80-90 km!  Other Air-to-Air missiles like
>Sparrow and Sidewinder have direct ranges like 20-45 km.
	The ranges in the game are condensed and so therefore are the
ranges
for these weapons.  We can assume that even those vehicles that do not
have
a Basic package of ECM have a minimal package that effectively levels
the
playing field and compresses the ranges.  My attempt was to have an
offensive air system that targets specific incoming aircraft.  Meanwhile
the
Zone Air Defense systems have the ability to engage just about anything
that
comes into their effective ranges.
	
>[snip]
>I'll have to agree that a pilot hearing a missile threat tone would
bolt.
> But maybe work it that you may fire during any portion of the inbound
>aircraft's movement.  Also a VTOL doing a pop-up attack may get a bonus
to
>its defense due to its short exposure.  As for fixed-wing aircraft
firing
>say, a GMS in an anti-tank role, I had thought that the missiles in
DSII were
>"fire and forget", self guiding.

	True.  This is one of the reasons that the GMS/Air has a range
of 48
inches.  The idea being that you can engage the enemy aircraft outside
his
weapons envelope if he is carrying GMS/Ls and meet him if he is carrying
GMS/Hs. My training as a Tactical Action Officer showed me that it is
better
to have to shoot at archers before you have to shoot at arrows and
archers...
	I guess my question goes to Jon.  Since we are told in the book
that
GMSs hit the target at the end of the activation cycle, the enemy can
shoot
a direct fire weapon before the missile arrives.  So I am assuming that
this
holds for the GMS/Air.	However, now I can hit the enemy aircraft only
after
he has fired his GMS/Whatever or Direct fire weapon.  So I'm now
shooting in
revenge only.  Better to get those HELs and Zone Air Defense systems.
	The GMS/Air would then be effective as a Offensive Counter Air
role,
where my Tomcat comes in on its activation and hits your air before it
activates...
	Phil P.