Manticoran Armament

Weird Harold wrote:

n7axw wrote:Then there is the question as to why there would be a cache of capacitor powered missiles handy,

There are probably caches of outdated and obsolete missiles all over the haven sector. They wouldn't be worth shipping back home and not worth the hassle of destroying them. There may even be some backwater where old, obsolete warship are stationed where old missiles are still at the front of the armory.

n7axw wrote:how you would interface between the fusion plant and the capacitors...

kzt wrote:I'd suggest superconducting cables myself.

Like I said earlier, charging a capacitor from a pod's on board fusion reactor would be a trivial tech challenge. Far simpler than kick-starting a
fusion missile from a pod for capacitor-missiles.

n7axw wrote:Not a very likely sounding scenario. I think that if you've fired off all your fusion powered missiles and still need more firepower, it's probably time to get out of Dodge if you still can.

It's not a very likely scenario, but since it would be a trivial tech challenge to tuck a super-conductiong cable or ten into a Mk17 series pod, to permit the remote possibility of using capacitor-missiles, would be pocket change in the Naval Budget.

Hi Harold,

I know I am pretty challenged technically... but why would you think that the challenge would be trivial? Do you even know that there is anything left of the fusion reactor in the pod once it kick starts the missile on the way? And then you would have to deal with matching voltages, ac, dc, etc which would probably be the easiest part...

I know that you've been in the military and I haven't, but the whole notion of having caches of missiles laying around doesn't sound like very good inventory control to me... IIRC, most of those things rode in around in ammumition ships for use by the fleet the ships accompanied.

Don

Jonathan_S wrote:quote="Weird Harold"]

n7axw"Then there is the question as to why there would be a cache of capacitor powered missiles handy,

There are probably caches of outdated and obsolete missiles all over the haven sector. They wouldn't be worth shipping back home and not worth the hassle of destroying them. There may even be some backwater where old, obsolete warship are stationed where old missiles are still at the front of the armory.

[quote="n7axw wrote:how you would interface between the fusion plant and the capacitors...

kzt"I'd suggest superconducting cables myself.[/quote]

Like I said earlier, charging a capacitor from a pod's on board fusion reactor would be a trivial tech challenge. Far simpler than kick-starting a
fusion missile from a pod for capacitor-missiles.

[quote="n7axw wrote:Not a very likely sounding scenario. I think that if you've fired off all your fusion powered missiles and still need more firepower, it's probably time to get out of Dodge if you still can.

It's not a very likely scenario, but since it would be a trivial tech challenge to tuck a super-conductiong cable or ten into a Mk17 series pod, to permit the remote possibility of using capacitor-missiles, would be pocket change in the Naval Budget.[/quote]Making plans and building support to field expedient rearm your podlayers with shorter ranged and cruiser weight missiles? I just don't see that as likely.

That would be like Iowa-class battleships carrying storerooms of sabot sleeves; just in case they ran out of 16" rounds and needed to fire 8" cruiser shells as sub-caliber shells.
Technically possible, but not worth the trouble. You couldn't use the resulting kludge against other first line ships. Sure you could misuse your capital ship to beat up on cruisers, or mission kill obsolete Dreadnaughts (but likely not kill them because the warheads are too lightweight), but designers normally don't design things to encourage that misuse. (The RMN is in the odd situation where their current opponent doesn't have anything but obsolete SD/DNs)[/quote]

Actually the USN was developing laser guided 8in sub-caliber rounds for the 16in guns of the Iowa class. It would have about tripled the range of the guns.

n7axw wrote:IIRC, most of those things rode in around in ammunition ships for use by the fleet the ships accompanied.

Don

The USAF doesn't have any ammunition ships, it has ammo dumps. When a base changes aircraft, the supply warehouses, including the ammo dump, can take years to purge equipment and ammo for the old aircraft type.

Weird Harold wrote:

n7axw wrote:IIRC, most of those things rode in around in ammunition ships for use by the fleet the ships accompanied.

Don

The USAF doesn't have any ammunition ships, it has ammo dumps. When a base changes aircraft, the supply warehouses, including the ammo dump, can take years to purge equipment and ammo for the old aircraft type.

That much is true. Fairchild AFB in Spokane WA is a former B-52 SAC base with plenty of conventional bombs in storage at the base. It was actually cheaper to fly B-52's from Barksdale AFB LA and Minot AFB ND to Fairchild to load up on bombs before heading out on a combat mission. Than it was to ship the bombs to the other bases.

saber964 wrote:Actually the USN was developing laser guided 8in sub-caliber rounds for the 16in guns of the Iowa class. It would have about tripled the range of the guns.

knew of their sub-caliber experiments for extra range and was trying to avoid mentioning it (Since they didn't fit into my analogy )

But those weren't spare sabots "just in case they ran out of 16" rounds and needed to fire 8" cruiser shells as sub-caliber shells."


But that's also why I avoided bringing up range in that post, since the capacitor ERMs in the pods were shorter ranged than the normal MDMs, but sub-caliber rounds fired with full charges are for longer range - again doesn't fit the analogy.

Weird Harold wrote:

n7axw wrote:IIRC, most of those things rode in around in ammunition ships for use by the fleet the ships accompanied.

Don

The USAF doesn't have any ammunition ships, it has ammo dumps. When a base changes aircraft, the supply warehouses, including the ammo dump, can take years to purge equipment and ammo for the old aircraft type.

I can understand it stateside. But I sincerely hope they are not leaving them strewn around the Mideast for just anybody who happens by to use.

Don

n7axw wrote:I can understand it stateside. But I sincerely hope they are not leaving them strewn around the Mideast for just anybody who happens by to use.

They probably are -- at least the conventional munitions; the super-secret JDAM and other smart bomb guidance and control systems are probably destroyed rather than removed, but everything unclassified is likely left behind, intact.

Weird Harold wrote:

n7axw wrote:I can understand it stateside. But I sincerely hope they are not leaving them strewn around the Mideast for just anybody who happens by to use.

They probably are -- at least the conventional munitions; the super-secret JDAM and other smart bomb guidance and control systems are probably destroyed rather than removed, but everything unclassified is likely left behind, intact.

IIRC the J-DAM like the LGB are bolt on equipment. You can turn any dumb bomb into a LGB with the right guidance package