Time to change their missile doctrine?

[Loren Pechtel]

I got to thinking about things and I think Manticore (and Haven)
should reconsider missile warheads.

In the early days of the series missile used contact warheads. Very
destructive but missiles were doing only a few percent of lightspeed
when they approached, they were easy pickings for point defense
lasers. Thus the standoff warhead evolved.

Now, however, most missile shots are near max range. For a dual-drive
missile that means they're coming in at half of lightspeed or better.
For a triple-drive missile that means better than 80% of lightspeed.

The longest standoff range we have seen on any warhead is less than .2
light-seconds and the usual range is more like .1 light-seconds.

Suppose we use a contact nuke? On a dual-drive missile that means
it's exposed to point defense lasers for at most .4 seconds of
additional time. What are the odds that it will be picked off in that
time vs the increased damage if it gets through??


Thus I would provide an optional program for the missiles. The
missile makes it's approach as normal but when it's coming up on
detonation it looks at the geometry. If it can't hit the warhead is
fired as normal. However, if the geometry allows for a hit it closes
instead, the warhead is fired something like a millisecond from
impact. (At those speeds you can't actually detonate on impact as the
warhead would be destroyed before it had a chance to function.)

If you're attacking something big enough (which includes most any
warship if you're managing to hit it down the throat) you don't fire
the warhead at all. The biggest booms they've got don't hold a candle
to the kinetic energy of the missile body, the only reason to fire it
at all is if the missile will go clear through without shedding all
it's energy.

[pyotr filipivich]

Post by Loren Pechtel
I got to thinking about things and I think Manticore (and Haven)
should reconsider missile warheads.
In the early days of the series missile used contact warheads. Very
destructive but missiles were doing only a few percent of lightspeed
when they approached, they were easy pickings for point defense
lasers. Thus the standoff warhead evolved.
Now, however, most missile shots are near max range. For a dual-drive
missile that means they're coming in at half of lightspeed or better.
For a triple-drive missile that means better than 80% of lightspeed.
The longest standoff range we have seen on any warhead is less than .2
light-seconds and the usual range is more like .1 light-seconds.
Suppose we use a contact nuke? On a dual-drive missile that means
it's exposed to point defense lasers for at most .4 seconds of
additional time. What are the odds that it will be picked off in that
time vs the increased damage if it gets through??
Thus I would provide an optional program for the missiles. The
missile makes it's approach as normal but when it's coming up on
detonation it looks at the geometry. If it can't hit the warhead is
fired as normal. However, if the geometry allows for a hit it closes
instead, the warhead is fired something like a millisecond from
impact. (At those speeds you can't actually detonate on impact as the
warhead would be destroyed before it had a chance to function.)
If you're attacking something big enough (which includes most any
warship if you're managing to hit it down the throat) you don't fire
the warhead at all. The biggest booms they've got don't hold a candle
to the kinetic energy of the missile body, the only reason to fire it
at all is if the missile will go clear through without shedding all
it's energy.

That's a keeper.

Use Apollo (the autonomous 8 warhead and a 'brain' deployed in the
Battle of Manticore) as well, and "that's a game changer."

[Loren Pechtel]

On Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:38:16 -0700, pyotr filipivich

Post by pyotr filipivich

Post by Loren Pechtel
I got to thinking about things and I think Manticore (and Haven)
should reconsider missile warheads.
In the early days of the series missile used contact warheads. Very
destructive but missiles were doing only a few percent of lightspeed
when they approached, they were easy pickings for point defense
lasers. Thus the standoff warhead evolved.
Now, however, most missile shots are near max range. For a dual-drive
missile that means they're coming in at half of lightspeed or better.
For a triple-drive missile that means better than 80% of lightspeed.
The longest standoff range we have seen on any warhead is less than .2
light-seconds and the usual range is more like .1 light-seconds.
Suppose we use a contact nuke? On a dual-drive missile that means
it's exposed to point defense lasers for at most .4 seconds of
additional time. What are the odds that it will be picked off in that
time vs the increased damage if it gets through??
Thus I would provide an optional program for the missiles. The
missile makes it's approach as normal but when it's coming up on
detonation it looks at the geometry. If it can't hit the warhead is
fired as normal. However, if the geometry allows for a hit it closes
instead, the warhead is fired something like a millisecond from
impact. (At those speeds you can't actually detonate on impact as the
warhead would be destroyed before it had a chance to function.)
If you're attacking something big enough (which includes most any
warship if you're managing to hit it down the throat) you don't fire
the warhead at all. The biggest booms they've got don't hold a candle
to the kinetic energy of the missile body, the only reason to fire it
at all is if the missile will go clear through without shedding all
it's energy.

That's a keeper.
Use Apollo (the autonomous 8 warhead and a 'brain' deployed in the
Battle of Manticore) as well, and "that's a game changer."

Note that the comm and ECM missiles have a very effective ramming
attack if they get through--under all conditions the comm and dazzler
rounds should try to ram. The ones generating the false images should
also ram unless they still have a role providing cover for additional
inbound missiles.

Another possibility also comes to mind: Some of the missiles jettison
their warheads as they enter the defense zone. Obviously they are
ballistic at that point but they're going to cross the zone before the
ships can move out of range. Obviously they can roll to impose their
wedge but it's only some missiles in the swarm and the defenders don't
know which ones dropped their warheads vs which ones dropped decoys.
Shooting down the empty missile body does no good (other than stopping
it from ramming) and the warhead drifting in space is going to be very
hard to detect. It's going to get a free ride through the missile
defense zone as the radar pulses that bounced off it aren't too far
ahead of the warhead. The radar guys have a couple of seconds to
identify it and pick it out from the decoys traveling with it, or else
waste PD shots on decoys.

The math gets *MUCH* nastier if you figure a c-frac strike. The
engagement windows are less than half the size.