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To: thatstan
"Rokke, this is inconsistent with the sailors story. The purpose of the IR head is to give lowly 'forward-shooters who can't illuminate, like destroyers and frigates, the capability to use Standards."

Interesting post, but the Standard is already used on lowly frigates, and can't be used on the only destroyers that don't already carry it, because they don't have the appropriate launchers. In addition, the key to your story is this phrase: "autonomous terminal homing". To be effective against the weapons described in your story (high-speed seaskimming missiles, stealth bombers etc.) you have to be able to engage them at distances greater than those possible with only an IR seeker. Otherwise, you end up with an expensive, and very slow rate of fire CWDS. The IR missiles listed in your story all have relatively short acquistion ranges, and (with the exception of ASRAAM)use vectored thrust to compensate for their small window of opportunity to engage and intercept their targets. By comparison, the Standard is large and clunky. It was designed to hit relatively large contacts at long range. The IR seeker in the Block IIIB Standard was put there to increase its endgame lethality against small targets at long range. Not to provide initial autonomous guidance.

217 posted on 12/10/2001 8:04:37 PM PST by Rokke
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To: Rokke
Our new destroyers are a wonder to behold with VLS on both the bow and between the helicopter hangers on the stern. It would be a lucky officer to command one of these. They have your clunky SM-2's for some odd reason. The Gatling guns, torpedoes and 5 inch cannon make it a floating fortress.
219 posted on 12/10/2001 9:18:49 PM PST by barf
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To: Rokke
Sounds like bullsh*t to me.
245 posted on 12/12/2001 9:06:14 PM PST by thatstan
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