Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Timber Rattler
The electronics [of gun-launched projectiles] can't stand the extremely high G-forces

Are you sure that's correct? How do you think the Excalibur round works...?

34 posted on 03/06/2012 8:43:39 PM PST by gaijin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies ]


To: gaijin
Are you sure that's correct? How do you think the Excalibur round works...?

100% sure, as far as Bull's Navy projects went. In the early 1970s, he bombarded (no pun intended) the Navy with unsolicited proposals for his gun-launched satellites, and because he had a few congressional connections, the admirals humored him. During the tests at Dahlgren, the electronics in the projectiles failed most of the time due to spikes of up to 70 G's during firing. The Navy, which was developing Harpoon and Tomahawk missiles at the time, politely declined to pursue Bull's concept. He got mad and actually sued the Navy, but ended up losing. So he was pissed off at Uncle Sam well before Carter and the State Department screwed him.

It all discussed in this book:

The Sound of Freedom: Naval Weapons Technology at Dahlgren, Virginia, 1918-2006

I can't speak about the electronics of today, but the electronics of a guided-projectile are probably far more robust than those of an actual satellite, which the author of this piece is arguing for.

45 posted on 03/07/2012 3:16:53 AM PST by Timber Rattler (Just say NO! to RINOS and the GOP-E)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson