Re: EW Question

On Tue, 11 Apr 2000 15:53:58 -0400 "Thomas.Barclay" 
>I would think passive systems offer two advantages over active 
>systems:
>1) They don't reveal the firer by producing emissions
>2) They allow one to gain information about a foe at greater distances
>(albeit limited information)
>
>Active systems would offer two advantages:
>1) A better resolution of data (higher level of information)
>2) Data available relativly quickly - necessary for a fire control 
>solution
>against a manoeuvring foe
>
>Further, is Fire Control something only turned on when you know where 
>your
>opposition is and you don't mind if they know they're a target? That 
>is to
>say, you don't use it for searching... its use is to turn that bogey 
>or soft
>lock you have into a hard lock ("Ping them so hard you could map their
>hull...") which will allow pinpoint fire. 
>
<snip>
>
><I'll note that my comments reflect I'm A) one of the 'space is like 
>sub
>warfare' crowd and B) I enjoy electronic warfare options in games ... 
>so I'm
>considering the "whole nine yards" version of things before I worry 
>about
>how it could be simplified - lots of good advice on how that might 
>work so
>far from Dean, Beast, and others...>
>
 Passive systems are the system of choice of modern submarines, although
there was a scenario in one of the Harpoon sets where you are in a SSN
looking for a SS (electric = near silent) lurking at the mouth of the
Med.  Going active (you can outrun their torps but they most likely
cannot out-run yours) was suggested as a weapon of choice.  It worked
for
me about 5/7 times - one time I was randomly deployed on top of one of
the bad guys - at least 3 seconds (real time) into the game, before I
could go active, I was dodging inbound transients - next time I waited
too long to go active and got sandwiched between inbound torp and
electric boat behind me, ran right into the second sub's torp! (sneaky
scenario never said there was only ONE of them.)

Although it is fiction, there is a scene in the book "Choosers of the
Slain" by James H. Cobb where the Argentine sub (SS) hunting the new
American stealth destroyer (?) uses one ping to confirm the firing
solution.  Page 201, if you have the book.

Gracias.
Glenn Wilson, Triple Threat Wargamer - (loses equally well in
SF/Fantasy/Historical Games.)  Prefers Fantasy Dwarves, Starguard
Science
Fiction, 1500-1700 North America Skirmishes, the First Crusade, and most
anything prior to firing pins and Machine Guns

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