Re: Air Power was: REALITY CHECK TIME!

> >Which ultimately means that air control is probably going to go to
whoever
> >has space control.  Space control means that the high altitude
satellites

Why do you need space control?	Space denail is a great way to level the
playing field, unless you opponent doesn't practice non-space base
communications.  Then space denail is a great way to get an advanatage.
Space denail is much cheaper and easier then space control.

> >for communicating and detecting things will all be on that side.  Air
> >defense sensors, anywhere on the planet, will be detectable by these
things
> >and will, much as they do today, attract either orbital bombarbment
or
> >surface-skimming cruise missile attack very quickly.  And that's
assuming
>
> These surface skimming cruise missiles will get to the surface how?
> And you launch at the first emitters that you see? Ok, so then your
> launching ships are whacked when they go after a few real and
> multiple fake EMF emitters. Drones to make the Search radar's go off
> work both ways. While you're dropping bombardment vessels into low
> orbit, the planet defenses are putting ball bearings into your orbit
> or seeding those likely points so you have to spend time evading
> those to miss your target windows for bombardment.

Why use active sensors?  Put up several dozen football sized IR
satelites
and use passive sensors...  Of course an Earth like planet has a lot of
ground to defend about 5,511,185,932.5 sq. km's.  Were getting into the
classic arguement of fortification versus mobile fleet/army debate. 
Sure,
you can build a huge, massive fortification that will take several times
your fortress's cost to destroy, but that fortress can't move...

> Then at some point the land based lasers open up on you. They can
> generate far more power than you can since they can place a massive
> reactor underground (free shielding where you aren't worried about
> weight) where they can dump huge amounts of waste heat into bodies of
> water. You have to dump waste heat into an airless vacum. Not an
> efficient method of heat regulation. Land based laser emitters can be
> set up with long reflection tunnels that emerge on the surface and
> focus the beams at remote points away from the actual emitter.
> Destroy a reflector and you've dealt with one bolt hole.
> Additionally, those points can be armored like noone's business.
>
> Additionally, land based systems can be build mobile so they can move
> around while you aren't in orbit around those points. Bun Bun will
> make your day miserable when she pops her head up and launches a
> massive Anti-matter round at your heavy landers. So you have to send
> the light stuff in first. The land based air power will likely cause
> additional problems for you as they will be maneuvering and following
> your small stuff in and dealing with your CAP.
>
> You had better have 3-1 odds and work everything like clockwork with
> none of Mr Murphy's laws cropping up. If not, then it won't be a good
> fight and you might not win.
>
>
> >that they haven't bombarded from orbit with enough firepower to
reduce
the
> >surface population to mush in the first place.
>
> If you're bombing then you don't likely want the land anyhow.

That's the problem.  You can bombard any place to defeat, but then
there's
nothing but worthless wasteland to conquer...