RE: interceptors

At 9:50 AM -0600 5/13/02, B Lin wrote:
>Taking that a step further using a modern analogy:
>
>Some modern air-superiority fighters (like the F-14) use bigger, 
>longer ranged missiles in the superiority role, but are still 
>roughly the same speed as other fighters (Mach 2), so perhaps 
>instead of increasing the move, you could increase the attack range 
>to 12" vs. other fighters, which would simulate longer ranged 
>beam/missiles that don't have enough to punch ship hull but enough 
>to disable/destroy fighters.  This would allow interceptors to 
>attack non-interceptors with a degree of safety, but they would 
>still have to expend CEF for the extra moves and combat firing.

Depends on your generation. The initial expectation with AIM-54 is 
that it was great. But in reality, it's pretty much traveling on 
inertia alone on the longer side of it's flight path. That given, it 
looses a lot of energy if it tries to hit a maneuvering target. A 
Dumb Cruise missile or big slow Bear (perhaps a Backfire as well 
given it's size) is going to be far easier to engage with an 
AIM-54/F-14 pair than say an FB-111 would or a smaller Super Etendard 
would. Especially given RWRs and their ilk.

Perhaps a walk over to sci.military.aviation would be in order. 
There's a few ex-fighter pilot types over there that could account 
for the engagement envelopes of the longer ranged AAMs.

My point is though that the bigger longer range stuff assumes the 
target doesn't spend as much time maneuvering or doesn't have as much 
of a capability to maneuver. Any system can reach out and touch a 
fighter at extreme range (see Talos engaging Migs circling Hanoi from 
ships 100 Miles away in the Tonkin Gulf) but that all assumes the 
fighter doesn't know something is incoming. The longer the range, the 
longer the fighter has time to react. Something small can generally 
react.

I'm not saying I dislike the idea of Interceptors engaging at 12", 
I'm just observing additional variables to account for.
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