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Cruise missile sub
The Washington Times ^ | December 21, 2007 | Bill Gertz

Posted on 12/23/2007 1:06:09 PM PST by george76

The Navy this month completed its fourth conversion of a U.S. nuclear ballistic missile submarine into an extremely powerful, conventionally armed cruise missile launcher and covert transporter of U.S. special operations force.

The last converted missile sub the USS Georgia is now being readied for deployment around the world at its home port of Kings Bay, Ga., said skipper, Cmdr. Rodney E. Hutton.

The conversion of the nuclear missile submarines into Tomahawk-firing submarines is one element of a new Pentagon strategy of building up forces to be ready to counter any emerging threat from China.

Cmdr. Hutton said the Georgia will operate in the Pacific, as well as other oceans and can swap out its entire crew at Guam, a major strategic U.S. military hub in the Pacific.

In a telephone interview from the submarine, Cmdr. Hutton said the new Tomahawk submarines are "extraordinary force multipliers." Two of the submarines, each equipped with 154 long-range cruise missiles, can provide the same firepower as all the Tomahawk-firing ships in the 2003 Operation Enduring Freedom, as the Iraq invasion is called.

"I see the SSGN becoming one of premier platforms for any conflict today or in the future," said Cmdr. Hutton, using the Navy's term for nuclear-powered guided-missile submarines.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: china; cruisemissiles; nukes; pentagon; seal; sealoperations; ssbn; ssgn; submarine; submarines; usnavy; ussgeorgia
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To: george76
Beat my own drum a tad here: When Prof. Doug Dalgleish and I wrote our book "Trident," back in 1984 (a history and analysis of the Trident sub system) we suggested at THAT time that the current power of the force was so great that SOME of the Ohio-class subs should be converted to multiple cruise-missile launching subs.

Although it's out of print, Amazon still has a few:

http://www.amazon.com/Trident-Science-International-Affairs-Dalgleish/dp/0809311267/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198449643&sr=1-11

21 posted on 12/23/2007 2:40:46 PM PST by LS (CNN is the Amtrak of News)
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To: Oatka
If the Chi-Coms knock out our GPS system, The Tomahawk has other guidance systems.

TERCOM - Terrain Contour Matching. An in-flight altimeter measures the height from the TLAM to the ground and the missile will check to see if it is in the right spot from the height. It will make corrections if it does match the prestored height

DSMAC - Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation. A small image is taken of the flight path and downloaded into the TLAM before it is launched. During the flight the missile will verify that the images that it has stored correlates with the image it sees below itself. If the pictures do not match it will correct itself and then finish its mission.

Of course if GPS is knocked out, I think less accurate ICBM's would already be on the way!

22 posted on 12/23/2007 2:41:57 PM PST by OCC
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To: LS

Cool, I’m ordering one!


23 posted on 12/23/2007 2:46:01 PM PST by OCC
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To: OCC

Get it used. They charged way too much for the new version. But if you want, have amazon send it to me and I’ll autograph it and send it on to you.
LS


24 posted on 12/23/2007 2:47:29 PM PST by LS (CNN is the Amtrak of News)
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To: LS

oops, to late. Just ordered a copy for 10.99. Some copies going for 75.00!


25 posted on 12/23/2007 2:50:43 PM PST by OCC
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To: george76

I think the optimum statement here is, “emerging threat from China.”


26 posted on 12/23/2007 2:53:52 PM PST by Joe Boucher (An enemy of Islam)
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To: Oatka

“So what happens when the Chinese knock out the GPS satellies. What is the backup navigation for these missles?”

Back in the Day (70’s/early 80’s), tomahawks had maps programmed into each missle. Maybe that’s the back up plan.


27 posted on 12/23/2007 3:26:12 PM PST by DesScorp
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To: george76

154 long-range cruise missiles


MAN!!!!...My little ole boat carried squat hahaha...dang ...that weapons load would take 3 days at the rate we loaded ;D


28 posted on 12/23/2007 3:34:09 PM PST by chasio649
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To: george76
CAUTION...THREAD HIJACK IN PROGRESS
29 posted on 12/23/2007 3:39:32 PM PST by tubebender (Lost another one to the Tag Line bandit...)
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To: chasio649

Reach out and touch someone

154 long-range cruise missiles


30 posted on 12/23/2007 3:40:18 PM PST by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: tubebender

Someone you know ?


31 posted on 12/23/2007 3:53:43 PM PST by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: george76

Converting SSBNs into SSGNs is sheer stupidity. The USN will ultimately regret this foolhardy idea after the ChiComs take out our satellites in the next world war.


32 posted on 12/23/2007 4:28:02 PM PST by Virginia Ridgerunner (“We must not forget that there is a war on and our troops are in the thick of it!” --Duncan Hunter)
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To: george76

I knew a R Pearce but he died years ago. I guess it could be a relative....


33 posted on 12/23/2007 4:29:59 PM PST by tubebender (Lost another one to the Tag Line bandit...)
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To: Travis McGee; Jeff Head

If this doesn’t have Taiwan written all over it ........:o)


34 posted on 12/23/2007 4:50:11 PM PST by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet. ©)
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To: Oatka

Launch backup GPS, Communication and Intelligence payloads from Boomers and land-based missile silos in the CONUS already in place would be my SWAG ......:o)


35 posted on 12/23/2007 4:54:07 PM PST by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet. ©)
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To: Oatka
"What is the backup navigation for these missles?"


36 posted on 12/23/2007 4:58:19 PM PST by KoRn
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To: Oatka

The GPS sats are more than 12,000 miles out into space, and I believe they are very well hardened against laser attack.


37 posted on 12/23/2007 5:15:09 PM PST by Travis McGee (---www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com---)
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To: Squantos

I really like the idea.


38 posted on 12/23/2007 5:17:04 PM PST by Travis McGee (---www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com---)
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To: RightWhale
What is the backup navigation for these missles?
One who misspells missile has no need to know.

Dumb keyboard. Anyway, I'm glad the Grammar Police are on the alert and just as akkurate.

39 posted on 12/23/2007 5:47:36 PM PST by Oatka (A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves." –Bertrand de Jouvenel)
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To: Virginia Ridgerunner
Converting SSBNs into SSGNs is sheer stupidity. The USN will ultimately regret this foolhardy idea after the ChiComs take out our satellites in the next world war.

Terrain mapping was good enough for the Tomahawks used in Operation Desert Storm. If GPS goes down it may not be optimal, but it should be good enough.

One thing that doesn't seem to be getting a lot of play here is the element of the Ohio SSGN conversions dealing with support of SEAL operations.
40 posted on 12/23/2007 5:55:16 PM PST by tanknetter
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