"Ken S. Tucker" wrote in message
...
On May 8, 1:30 am, "Keith Willshaw"
wrote:
"Ken S. Tucker" wrote in
...



On May 7, 1:09 pm, "Keith Willshaw"
wrote:
"Ken S. Tucker" wrote in
...
...
As a back-drop, 27 years ago,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exocet#Falklands_Conflict
(Seems like yesterday).

Delivered by aircraft as a standoff weapon, the target identification
was down on board the aircraft.

Keith, I was rather hoping the "27 years ago" might
be a hint.
...
It's a bit difficult to hide a CVN from a satellite.

Sure but getting real time location from a satellite is difficult and
VERY expensive

This works, it's civilian,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RADARSAT-1

Quote
the satellite is in exactly the same location and can take the same image
(same beam mode and beam position) every 24 days.
/Quote

Not much good for real time target tracking

We'd sit out after sunset in the dark, having a few brew
around a fire, with the stars above. Every 5 minutes or
so a North - South sat would fly over, visible because
they're still in the sunlight, practically a traffic jam up
there.


The number of Soviet Optical satellites in orbit at any one time
was rarely more than one. The active life of a satellite was 30 days

snip


Today, using conventional ordinance, an MRBM
put in the ballpark of a CVN will terminal guide to a
probable direct hit, even choosing where to hit.

And just what combination of sensors and steering do you think
can do that ?

Just simple stuff. What would you use?


Its not simple stuff, a MRBM is doing anything up to 4,000 m/sec
on rentry. The plasma around the reentry vehicle is going to make
most sensors useless while also making radical manoeveurs next
to impossible.

Note that while Pershing II used a synthetic aperture radar system
for terminal guidance this was an ancillary to the INS and compared
radar maps of the terrain with the on board maps. Its inclusion
was simply to reduce the CEP from the 400m of the Pershing I to
30m. This system did not have the capability to search for, locate and
guide the warhead to a moving target that may be 30 miles from the aim
point.

Keith