true, but... over the years, it seems missile has become the default term for guided rocketry with the term rocket being used for the unguided variety. what criteria differentiates a rocket from a missile?
Posted on 07/17/2006 10:05:41 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
JERUSALEM - An Israeli airstrike in Lebanon on Monday destroyed at least one long-range Iranian missile capable of hitting Tel Aviv, military officials said.
Israeli aircraft targeted a truck carrying the weapons before they could be launched, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of military regulations. The force of the blast sent at least one missile flying into the air, but it fell nearby.
During nearly a week of fighting, Hezbollah militants have fired missiles up to 25 miles into Israel. But officials have raised concerns the guerrilla group could strike Tel Aviv, about 80 miles south of the border with Lebanon.
>>JERUSALEM - An Israeli airstrike in Lebanon on Monday destroyed at least one long-range Iranian missile capable of hitting Tel Aviv, military officials said.<<
Oh...it was on the ground - I was hoping they shot it down.
true, but... over the years, it seems missile has become the default term for guided rocketry with the term rocket being used for the unguided variety. what criteria differentiates a rocket from a missile?
A rocket missile is propelled all the way to the target (and may travel more or less horizontally) while a ballistic missile is propelled to top speed on an upward trajectory, and then after the 'burn' is over continues ballistically under gravity (i.e. like a lob in tennis). Ironically, the term 'ballistic missile' has come to mean 'guided', as you point out, although for a purist, 'ballistic' means unguided. However, for most ballistic missiles, the guidance/path-correction forces are small compared with the gravitational forces, so that's reasonable.
Old VC trick. Prop up rocket between two sticks, light 3 minute fuse, unass the area.
When rocket flies and counterbattery fire comes in, perps are long gone.
Who cares?
;^)
They can, and do. But the launch site isn't where the bad guys are. The protocol is to load a few missiles in a truck bed, take them somewhere, affix a timer to them, then scamper. By the time they launch, the shooters are already hotfooting it back for the next load.
Which is what makes the rocket the perfect coward's weapon. You can inflict damage without having to worry about being held responsible for your behavior.
Rocket artillery is unguided, meaning that once it leaves the rails it is not corrected in flight. You will occasionally see the term "Katyusha" used in news stories although the ordnance under discussion isn't the old Soviet Katyushas of WWII fame at all. Sort of a generic term these days and I wish they wouldn't use it.
Basically the term "rocket" refers to an unguided projectile and "missile" to a guided one but there are various forms of guidance, both internal and external, that act at different times. To confuse the terminology further "ballistic missiles" are so called because although they are initially guided part of the flight path (usually the extra-atmospheric part) is "ballistic", meaning unpowered and uncorrected, although the payloads of such weapons can be corrected in their terminal phase.
The weapons we're talking about here have neither internal nor external guidance systems - they're fire in a direction and forget. Crude weapons, employed in regular warfare only in multi-missile barrages to saturate the target area (hence "artillery"). In individual firings they are useful only as terror weapons, part of the terror resulting from the fact that they can hit pretty much anywhere downrange. If the trajectory is high enough they'll fly until they run out of fuel and coast to the ground. If not they'll still be under propulsion at impact.
If it doesn't make sense...well, that's the military... ;-)
Middle Eastern warfare definitions:
MSM Dictionary:
Civilian-n.
1. Any Freedom Fighter, Insurgent, Resistance Group member, or other Unconventional Fighter who is currently out of ammunition.
2. Any family member of a member of such groups whom such member is currently using as a willing shield.
3. Members of the media supplying propaganda services or intelligence to insurgent or other groups. (See Journalist;
4. (archaic) Any member of the general, non-governmental or non-military populace. (See tax payer).
Truce-n.
A period in which civilians (see above) can rearm and reequip, without getting shot at; but, may shoot at the enemy if opportunity permits.
You have some kind of problem with Second Amendment rights? < /sarc>
Dead terrorists are converted to civilian currency. Worth more.
The terrorist is the one hiding under the civilian.
A rocket is still under power. A missile is an object that no longer has thrust (e.g. ballistic missiles fall from space, rocks/missiles are hurled from slings, etc.).
That rocket image makes it look as if the missile is mounted to a regular flat bed truck bed. If that is the case, they could disguise the entire missile inside the back of a full size cargo trailer. Fake sides and tops that fall off or fold up. Impossible to tell from a normal mack truck with full cargo trailer.
Once they die, they magically transform into civilians.
At least on CNN.
"That rocket image makes it look as if the missile is mounted to a regular flat bed truck bed. If that is the case, they could disguise the entire missile inside the back of a full size cargo trailer. Fake sides and tops that fall off or fold up. Impossible to tell from a normal mack truck with full cargo trailer."
Katyushas are especially easy to hide. You can put one or two in the back of a pick-up truck in home-made launchers. You stop with the truck pointing in the desired direction, tilt the rocket/s upward on a brace, lower the back gate to give the exhaust someplace to go, and set a timer or use a remote. Whoosh! Then you can kick the empty launchers out the back and take off.
"That looks a lot more like a rocket being fired than an artillery projectile."
I was thinking the same thing. NR, you sure you have that caption right? That is the flame-throwingest 'artillery projectile' I've ever seen.
Thanks...that makes a lot of sense..
I didn't recognize the proverb, though it sounds familiar now. The thing is, it seems so right for our times.
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