Re: Tin Cans versus Dreadnoughts

Richard and Emily Bell wrote:
> Jon Davis wrote:
> > Richard and Emily Bell wrote:
> > > If the Kirov is allowed to defend itself, a single carrier airwing
will have a
> > > lot of trouble as the SA-N-6 missile has a long enough range to
launch before
> > > the harpoons, the Kirov class has at least one missile per harpoon
on the
> > > carrier, and it has plenty of other missiles and multibarreled
cannon, too.
> >
> > My FA-18s would hit the deck before entering SA-N-6 missile range
and close
> > to within 50-60 km before unloading their harpoons.  The harpoons
would come
> > over the horizon in range of the SA missiles, but not the attack
craft.
> >
> > We've played this out using the Harpoon rules and the Kirov ends up
a bloody mess.
> 
> I think you meant 50-60 nm as 50-60 km means that some F-18's (even on
the deck) have
> already been shot down after crossing the radar horizon
> 
> Your opponent forgot about blip enhance, and you forgot that you have
to find the
> target with your radar before you can start to launch harpoons; unless
you do a
> bearing-only-launch, and you still need to know where the target is. 
The F-18's
> searching for me will give me enough time to get my helicopters in the
air (I think
> the Kirov carries four).  If you do a bearing-only-launch, four out of
seven of the
> harpoons will uselessy try to shoot down helicopters and ignore the
Kirov entirely.

You are correct.  I meant nm.  It has been at least six years since we
played.  
The harpoons were launched via bearing-only-launch and were then
allocated against 
the targets the seeker heads saw when they went active.  The Kirov task
force consisted
of the Kirov and a number of escorts, both anti-air and anti-submarine.

The Kirov group had been detected via other search assets, so the strike
group knew
where to go generally.	The attack included both anti-ship missiles as
well as HARM
missiles against the Kirov's search and firecontrol radars.  It was the
air group
carying the HARMs that had to endure the SA-N-6 missile fire. 

Jon