On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 14:52:20 +0100, "Keith W"
wrote:

Torpedoes are still used by submarines of course but stand off
techniques like toss bombing along with rockets were first used
during late WW2. Coastal command aircraft used Rocket Projectiles
quite succesfully against German shipping for example.

In the early 60's the use of guided bombs like Walleye and
early guided missiles like Bullpup began in earnest.

Dunno where you were in the early '60s, but Walleye didn't come into
the inventory into quite late in the '60s and even then wasn't used in
any great numbers. Attempts in SEA were minimal and the results from
first generation LGBs were offering much better results.

Bullpup B was deployed in large numbers but the small warhead made it
a poor choice for ships (along with the highly vulnerable delivery
profile). The AGM-12C version had a bigger warhead, but still demanded
a long, straight, post-release flight by the delivery aircraft to
successfully guide the weapon. Still minimal size for a warship.

I was doing TASMO tactical development during the mid '70s with the
F-4 out of Torrejon Spain. (TASMO=Tactical Air Support of Maritime
Operations, i.e. attack by land-based air of naval vessels--a NATO
term). We would have liked third-generation LGB, but only the F-111Fs
out of England had that, so we primarily planned with the available
bombs which were the Mk-8x series of GP low drags.

Concept was strictly roll-back with packages on average of 12
aircraft, usually with chaff support, doing low altitude ingress to
pop-ups on the first combatant encountered. Pk ranged in the
neighborhood of .8 for these with a seaworthiness kill (stop the
vessel manuvering potential).

Defensive packages from the CVBG included Terrior, Talos, Tartan and
close in Phalanx and Sea Sparrow. It wouldn't have been a fun mission
for real.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com