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 ...
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
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!
Cool, I’m ordering one!
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
oops, to late. Just ordered a copy for 10.99. Some copies going for 75.00!
I think the optimum statement here is, “emerging threat from China.”
“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.
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
Reach out and touch someone
154 long-range cruise missiles
Someone you know ?
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.
I knew a R Pearce but he died years ago. I guess it could be a relative....
If this doesn’t have Taiwan written all over it ........:o)
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)
The GPS sats are more than 12,000 miles out into space, and I believe they are very well hardened against laser attack.
I really like the idea.
Dumb keyboard. Anyway, I'm glad the Grammar Police are on the alert and just as akkurate.
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