The multi-tube launcher swivels to point the missile in the desired direction before launch. Once out of the tube, the missile is no longer under control of the submarine’s weapons software.
As I understand it, this lack of control, especially in a highly trafficked area like the south shore of Long Island, necessitated a second sub with missile capacity to be used as a backstop.
So two questions I would ask, if I had any clue at all concerning the military and ASW, is how the submarine determines what direction to point the missile in and what use is a missile that cannot be controlled to the target? But since I obviously don't know what I'm talking about then there is no point in asking that.
The missile would have had a new sensor that locked on the largest overhead object. In this case instead of the target drone it found the airliner.
So two questions I would ask
how the submarine determines what direction to point the missile in ?
Feed of information from other ships in the 'fleet'.
what use is a missile that cannot be controlled to the target?
It didn't say it wasn't controlled, it said the sub no longer controlled it. Control may have passed to same 'ships' that fed it the info on which way to 'point' the missile.
But since I obviously don't know what I'm talking about then there is no point in asking that.
Quit saying things like that. I Thank you for your time in the service, and respect your knowledge and experience.
As I said, the sub missile theory is just one of those that COULD be true.
You say it could not. OK.
That leaves the other possibilities. Other than a sub fired missile, do you believe it could have been a missile launched from somewhere else ? A drone ?