Missiles for mid course retarget (split from update 3)

Baloogan · Post by **Baloogan** » May 31 2005

Missiles that reaquire: pretty much all radar locating missiles, which is pretty much every ASM.

Based on my limited knowlage of missiles there are the following tracking systems:
Visual: TOWs and such. Should be able to reaquire.
Radar: ASM radar missiles should reaquire.
IR: no IR missiles are modeled as missiles in this game. AFAIK
GPS land tracking thing: Tomahawk TLAMs. No reaquireing.

Post by **Balthagor** » May 31 2005

You sure on that? I thought TOW where wireguided?

I'm dividing this into a new thread...

Post by **Balthagor** » May 31 2005

Thinking on this more, TOW does not matter since they are so short range we don't deal with them as missile units.

I don't like the idea of something like an AMG-130 retargeting unless it's in the same hex. These missiles have a very limited flight path. It's fine to say that if you fire at Tank A and it get's destroyed before the missile gets there, but that already happens. If the missile is fired at a tank battalion of 54 tanks and by the time it gets to the battalion it is strength 49, the missile is not wasted. However, if by the time it gets there, the entire battalion is gone, there isn't really anything new to retarget on. I'd like to see figures on how far away a "new target" can be (in practice, not some DoD stat) to still be an effective attack. Really, the only type of missiles that I could see being retargetted is guided cruise missiles such as certain tomahawks. But even that was never in the design.

I think that I'd rather see the suggestion someone else made of more precise/conservative use of missiles get added.

hey, wasn't that one of your suggestions?

tkobo · Post by **tkobo** » May 31 2005

Tomahawk missile ,called Tactical Tomahawks eitehr can now or will soon be able to retarget in flight.

The project was in testing in 2003 and passed some tests in 2004.
Apparently a computer as simple as the basic laptop can be used to order it to do so.

Found a good link.Club Ray comes thru again its seems.These missiles are already in production as of august 2004,Club Ray got a 5 year 1.6 billlion dollar contract to produce them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomahawk_missile

Baloogan · Post by **Baloogan** » May 31 2005

Balthagor wrote:You sure on that? I thought TOW where wireguided?

I'm dividing this into a new thread...

They are guided by wire but the sensory system that detects, aquires, and tracks the target is the human eye.

Baloogan · Post by **Baloogan** » May 31 2005

Primarily I want this so my goddamn harpoons will aquire other targets after the patrol boat they were fired upon was destroyed.

tkobo · Post by **tkobo** » May 31 2005

How about simply letting the player set the amount of volleys fired.

So you would have launch authorization, than a volley slider bar.

Baloogan · Post by **Baloogan** » May 31 2005

How about simulating missiles reaquiring targets?

Decimatus · Post by **Decimatus** » May 31 2005

I think the missiles would be able to reacquire targets in the same hex, but not much farther than that.

Except for tomahawks, SRBMs-ICBMs, etc. Perhaps for missiles like tomahawks, we could give them target of opportunity rules, so once their old target is destroyed they could go to the next closest target that is within their fuel range.

tkobo · Post by **tkobo** » May 31 2005

Now thats a good idea.Target of opportunity would work very nicely.

Arac · Post by **Arac** » May 31 2005

Really only an issue for the naval targets, but yeah, task forces do tend to fire off half of their missile compliment at the first poor PC to venture into range. I suppose reacquisition would be an easier fix than coding in some kind of threat assessment (which would probably have to take into account other nearby and approaching threats, too).

Americanus · Post by **Americanus** » Jun 01 2005

As I understand it radar guided missles work in a relay from a radar source, which must maintain a consistent radar "bounce" off the specific target, to the missle warhead. This radar information link is often attempted to be severed by ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) or Chaff which cause radar signals to bounce causing a radar signal overload so to speak. If a missle has a good radar contact (i.e. a lock) and losses it, if the targeting computer can handle multiple targets (i.e. the F-14D can maintain six radar locks in an active - not passive - radar mode) then those missles locks could reaqcuire targets if they had enough fuel left. So to be wholly realistic, missles can retarget, but must be radar guided (not heat sig, cruise land indent, etc.) and that the necessary technology exists for multiple radar targeting systems. Thats my input though.

daikyu · Post by **daikyu** » Jun 01 2005

More precise control of missle use would solve this problem.

You don't fire 15 missles to kill the mobile radar unit. And this units seems to be at the top of the priority list for the AI. I would much rather spend my missles on Tanks or Artillery.

A check box for auto launch on the appropriate unit would be nice. The ability to set the number of missles fired when you choose the "Fire Missle" command would also be nice.

Xetal · Post by **Xetal** » Jun 02 2005

The AI could easily take care of this. When it wants to fire a missile at a target it should locate all other missiles you control that are in the air after the target.

If the AI determines that the target will probebly be destroyed without the launch of more missiles than it doesn't launch anymore.

For example: You have 3 cruisers that each launch a missile at an enemy patrol boat. The patrol boat is screwed, and it's highly unlikely that it will survive what is already launched at it. The AI controlling your missile launches knows this and because of that does not launch another 20 missiles at the patrol boat.

You could add a slider in that lets you control if you would clear up the 'gray area' determining if a target will be destroyed or not.

For example of this: On the low end of the slider the AI might only fire one missile at the patrol boat because it MIGHT be destroyed. In the middle of the slider it might fire two missiles because it will probebly be destroyed (but you risk having it destroyed on the first one and the second splashing down). On the high-end of the slider you might fire 3 or 4 missiles because it will almost certainly destroy the patrol boat (although it is quite likely that you will waste a a missle or two).

The slider could look something like this:

Risk Unit Survival <---------------------------------> Risk Unnessisary Missile Use