Fast Boat Threat Faces Hail of Hellfires

"Faced with the threat from swarms of small
boats. the US Navy is looking to equip the
sensor turrets of its shipborne helicopters
with the ability to designate multiple targets
for simultaneous attack by laser-guided
missiles like Hellfire."

See:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs...tId=b logDest

ha scritto:
"Faced with the threat from swarms of small
boats. the US Navy is looking to equip the
sensor turrets of its shipborne helicopters
with the ability to designate multiple targets
for simultaneous attack by laser-guided
missiles like Hellfire."

Hmmm.....

Seems to me an excellent idea against all boats smaller than FAC (that
is, with self-defense system with 5000 mt range), providing is an AGM
mod M and later (~8000 mt. range, non-HEAT warhead)

the HE warheads, and more so the thermobaric warhead of the N and the
shrapnel of the R should be really effective against warship or
improvised attack craft (read: pirate boats) smaller than ~300-400 tons.
but the ~8km range of the hellfire and the inherent low stealthiness of
helos on the open sea preclude stand-off attacks against ships above
~400 tons, that is, capable of carrying guns from 57mm up and/or
missiles around the seasparrow size.

OTOH, this concept can also be an excellent anti-landing system, esp. in
defence of narrow and/or steep coastlines (here in Italy the idea will
be readily adopted and more so on the other side of the Adriatic )

Best regards from Italy,
Dott. Piergiorgio.

On Dec 25, 5:25*am, "dott.Piergiorgio"
wrote:

{SNIP}

the ~8km range of the hellfire and the inherent low stealthiness of
helos on the open sea preclude stand-off attacks against ships above
~400 tons, that is, capable of carrying guns from 57mm up and/or
missiles around the seasparrow size.

{SNIP}

Dott. Piergiorgio.

Isn't that what Penguin is for?:

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/agm-119.htm

ha scritto:

the ~8km range of the hellfire and the inherent low stealthiness of
helos on the open sea preclude stand-off attacks against ships above
~400 tons, that is, capable of carrying guns from 57mm up and/or
missiles around the seasparrow size.


{SNIP}

Isn't that what Penguin is for?:

Indeed. If we want to draw a parallel with weapons system of a century
or so ago, the penguin is like the "secondary battery" available to
helos, the main being the harpoon and the tertiary these navalised
hellfire.... I guess everyone can agree that a penguin is an overkill
against pirate skiffs and iranian large RHIB and similiar types of
pousserie Navale.

Best regards from Italy,
Dott. Piergiorgio.

On Dec 26, 2:02*am, "dott.Piergiorgio"
wrote:


[SNIP]


Indeed. If we want to draw a parallel with weapons system of a century
or so ago, the penguin is like the "secondary battery" available to
helos, the main being the harpoon and the tertiary these navalisedhellfire.... I guess everyone can agree that a penguin is an overkill
against pirate skiffs and iranian large RHIB and similiar types of
pousserie Navale.

Best regards from Italy,
Dott. Piergiorgio.


Can any helicopters actually launch Harpoon?

wrote in
:

On Dec 26, 2:02*am, "dott.Piergiorgio"
wrote:

[SNIP]

Indeed. If we want to draw a parallel with weapons system of a
century or so ago, the penguin is like the "secondary battery"
available to helos, the main being the harpoon and the tertiary these
navalisedhellfire.... I guess everyone can agree that a penguin is an
overkill
against pirate skiffs and iranian large RHIB and similiar types of
pousserie Navale.

Can any helicopters actually launch Harpoon?

Global Security's page on the AGM-84 suggests not:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...ons/agm-84.htm.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)

On Dec 26, 3:09*am, wrote:
On Dec 25, 5:25*am, "dott.Piergiorgio"

wrote:

{SNIP}

the ~8km range of the hellfire and the inherent low stealthiness of
helos on the open sea preclude stand-off attacks against ships above
~400 tons, that is, capable of carrying guns from 57mm up and/or
missiles around the seasparrow size.

{SNIP}

Dott. Piergiorgio.

Isn't that what Penguin is for?:

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/agm-119.htm

True but more Hellfires can be carried than Penguins, depending on the
range and number of the threats, both have their own power alleys...

On 26 Dec, 08:09, wrote:
On Dec 25, 5:25*am, "dott.Piergiorgio"

wrote:

{SNIP}

the ~8km range of the hellfire and the inherent low stealthiness of
helos on the open sea preclude stand-off attacks against ships above
~400 tons, that is, capable of carrying guns from 57mm up and/or
missiles around the seasparrow size.

{SNIP}

Dott. Piergiorgio.

Isn't that what Penguin is for?:

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/agm-119.htm

I would go with Sea Skua :-)

Guy

On Dec 28 2009, 2:50*pm, guy wrote:
On 26 Dec, 08:09, wrote:



On Dec 25, 5:25*am, "dott.Piergiorgio"

wrote:

{SNIP}

the ~8km range of thehellfireand the inherent low stealthiness of
helos on the open sea preclude stand-off attacks against ships above
~400 tons, that is, capable of carrying guns from 57mm up and/or
missiles around the seasparrow size.

{SNIP}

Dott. Piergiorgio.

Isn't that what Penguin is for?:

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/agm-119.htm

I would go with Sea Skua :-)

Guy

Doesn't Sea Skua require the launching helo to maintain line-of-sight
to the
target, since Sea Skua uses semi-active radar homing (like the
Sparrow
AAM)?

With Penguin, you can launch & leave, or just duck back down below
the
radar horizon after firing. With 3rd party targeting info from a UAV
or other
source, the launching platform can fire Penguin without ever even
seeing
(or being seen by) the target directly.

In message
,
writes
Doesn't Sea Skua require the launching helo to maintain line-of-sight
to the
target, since Sea Skua uses semi-active radar homing (like the
Sparrow
AAM)?

Correct: chosen because it gives more discrimination & control if there
are multiple contacts in the water. (Skua & its Sea Spray radar were
designed to keep the Lynx handily out of SA-N-4 range: a primary target
was the Nanuchka-class FFL)

With Penguin, you can launch & leave, or just duck back down below
the
radar horizon after firing. With 3rd party targeting info from a UAV
or other
source, the launching platform can fire Penguin without ever even
seeing
(or being seen by) the target directly.

However, you only get one or two Penguin, while a Lynx can carry four
Skua. A lot depends on who, where and how you expect to be fighting.

--
He thinks too much, such men are dangerous.

Paul J. Adam