The SLN commerce raiding strategy WILL work.

Theemile wrote:
Since so many people won't let the "I have a great use for the captured SDs" topic die, I decided I won't let the authorial response die

Who was talking about them? I was under the impression that the captured SDs topic was similar to that of grav lances, and agree. I don't see how that relates to the topic of SDs the SLN still controls. Am I missing something?

kzt wrote:

Eagleeye wrote:To kill someone/something, you have to know (at least approximately), where he/she/it is ... Yeah, old-style Solly-SDs are built for energy-range-fighting. But even if you built a SD with so much Grasers/Lasers that he looks like a hedgehog - if you don't know where your target is, your energy weapons are useless.

At energy range you can optically see the target. All the jammers and such are pretty much completely useless when you can visually aim at the target. It's having an attack helicopter battalion land and everyone charge the Zulu hordes on foot with their survival knives drawn.

However, being in optical range doesn't necessarily mean you can hit it. Think about the 16" main battery guns on an Iowa class battleship. They were designed to fire against another ship of the same type. How well would the do against a torpedo boat? Sure they could see it, but would you be able to actually target it? Any hits against such a small, fast target would be complete luck.

Now, I don't recall if main weapon targeting accuracy has been mentioned previously other than mentioning they could be tied into the missile defense net, but that might only imply they are shooting in the general direction of the incoming missiles in the off chance it might hit.

Something to think about.

Borealis wrote:However, being in optical range doesn't necessarily mean you can hit it. Think about the 16" main battery guns on an Iowa class battleship. They were designed to fire against another ship of the same type. How well would the do against a torpedo boat? Sure they could see it, but would you be able to actually target it? Any hits against such a small, fast target would be complete luck.

Now, I don't recall if main weapon targeting accuracy has been mentioned previously other than mentioning they could be tied into the missile defense net, but that might only imply they are shooting in the general direction of the incoming missiles in the off chance it might hit.

Something to think about.

That's why they have fast firing 5" guns. The Haven grasers are used for missile defense, it's kind of unclear how useful this is, but it didn't appear to be something that Haven stopped doing. So I'd guess they can in fact target really small, really fast moving targets.

kzt wrote:That's why they have fast firing 5" guns. The Haven grasers are used for missile defense, it's kind of unclear how useful this is, but it didn't appear to be something that Haven stopped doing. So I'd guess they can in fact target really small, really fast moving targets.

You have a very good point about the smaller batteries on an Iowa-class. But wouldn't those smaller guns be the equivalent of the PDC's with the faster firing time and accuracy capability?

pldew wrote:

Theemile wrote:
Since so many people won't let the "I have a great use for the captured SDs" topic die, I decided I won't let the authorial response die

Who was talking about them? I was under the impression that the captured SDs topic was similar to that of grav lances, and agree. I don't see how that relates to the topic of SDs the SLN still controls. Am I missing something?

Nobody has been talking about them for a while. Theemile has simply been using that under his automatic signature for months, since the last time it was discussed.

Theemile wrote:I'd start the attack with an MDM launch and time my strike to hit maybe 60 seconds after the MDM strike. all the survivors will be focused forward, and any wounded birds will be easier pickings - and damaged sensors will help mask the attack.

Which begs the question--if you're deploying a few hundred missile pods to a system, where are the fire control stations? You don't have a Squadron of Sag-C's hanging around, just some LAC's that do have limited fire control for their misisles, but do they have enough to control a major launch of pods?

So who is going to control all that firepower?

SWM wrote:

pldew wrote:Who was talking about them? I was under the impression that the captured SDs topic was similar to that of grav lances, and agree. I don't see how that relates to the topic of SDs the SLN still controls. Am I missing something?

Nobody has been talking about them for a while. Theemile has simply been using that under his automatic signature for months, since the last time it was discussed.

Not that it matters much, since the point is the same either way.

With the missile pods.
Duh!

HTM

Hutch wrote:
Which begs the question--if you're deploying a few hundred missile pods to a system, where are the fire control stations?

Hutch wrote:

Theemile wrote:I'd start the attack with an MDM launch and time my strike to hit maybe 60 seconds after the MDM strike. all the survivors will be focused forward, and any wounded birds will be easier pickings - and damaged sensors will help mask the attack.

Which begs the question--if you're deploying a few hundred missile pods to a system, where are the fire control stations? You don't have a Squadron of Sag-C's hanging around, just some LAC's that do have limited fire control for their misisles, but do they have enough to control a major launch of pods?

So who is going to control all that firepower?

That's what Moriarty and Mycroft is for.

Hutch wrote:

Theemile wrote:I'd start the attack with an MDM launch and time my strike to hit maybe 60 seconds after the MDM strike. all the survivors will be focused forward, and any wounded birds will be easier pickings - and damaged sensors will help mask the attack.

Which begs the question--if you're deploying a few hundred missile pods to a system, where are the fire control stations? You don't have a Squadron of Sag-C's hanging around, just some LAC's that do have limited fire control for their misisles, but do they have enough to control a major launch of pods?

So who is going to control all that firepower?

Manticore has some type of off-camera firecontrol for their secondary defensive systems. We've seen a launch at Zanzibar iirc, but no real details on it. I don't think it's as accurate as shipborne control but does allow massive #s of mdms to be launched.

Ther has been specualtion that the sensors and firecontrol are built into Sysdef missile pods, but iirc there is no text-ev on that, and it is doubtful seeing that standard Manty pods have a Sysdef mode.