PDS/ADFC/ADS

1. ADS killing does not seem like cheese. It seems like a viable thing
to do. Look at it this way - you end up spending a rack of resources to
do the job. So they aren't spent on other things. And killing ADS opens
up the enemy force to other engagements.

2. Oerjan's comments about CG and some other rounds not being stoppable
(or HKPs) I do have to ask him to re-examine. IF I remember the report I
heard, the Phalanx system deflected (with 20 or 25mm rounds) a 2000 lb
16 inch projectile from a battleship. So why is a CG warhead so hard to
stop? It'd be harder to track than the (presumably ballistic long range)
shot from the BB, but the round is smaller and easier to deflect or
destroy is it not? I know they haven't stuck Phalanx as PDS (for reasons
of size/cost and various operational concerns - don't want a tank
throwing off 20mm rounds in the vicinity of friendly gropos) on AFVs,
but as it gets smaller and cheaper, we may see a system like a high slew
rate rapid fire railgun throwing slivers at high mach numbers used to
engage and defeat even HKPs.

3. As an alternative to 2, I'd also point out if the lasers they are
working on are anywhere near successful, it is quite likely that (in a
Nval context, and this can't help but eventually make it to the table
for ground units) air units will be nullified as a threat unless they
have OTH attacks. Anything coming over the horizon would be swept from
the sky with a laser. Now if we can get a high energy, rapid targetting
laser, I think GMS and even HKPs (possibly even plasma streams) may be
in danger of disruption and destruction. Of course, the tactic to beat
this is the swarm/DoS style attack. But that requires more sophisticated
GMS (maybe all GMS in 2183 are mutli-round firing with a slight delay
thus letting them beat ADFCs)?

4. Regarding armour on AFVs. In SG2, you're given (I don't use, but the
rules call for) 1 armour rating for the whole vehicle. It is simple, and
justified from the PoV that if everyone is now deploying top attack
munitions, top armour must match. When we go to grav, we need to protect
the bottom (similarly as mines advance we need more bottom armour). So
it is believable that all 6 sides of an AFV need good armour. I've heard
one suggestion about a BMP is that it have bad rear armour to keep the
crew pointed in the right direction - if so, I'd sure develop a
rear-attack GMS to take advantage of this flaw.....

If anyone has played microarmour, (challenger style), you'll recall that
a big part of staying alive was not being spotted. Once spotted, if the
enemy had a decent gun, you died. I think this will be doubly true in
the Tuffleyverse. Stealth, optical and spectral camo will be key. He who
shoots first from a good hidey hole and then scoots to another will be
the spoiler.

Tom
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