Not Just Looking North…

July 21, 2009 · Posted in ASuW, Order of Battle · Comment 

South Korea is starting to develop force structures and strategies that extend beyond the North Korean problem. While recent focus seems to be on small island disputes with their favorite ghost(s) of wars past you can surmise its all about an arms race and/or at least putting South Korea in position to defend its sea lanes/Cheju Island.

hat tip: Kobus, Korean Times

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Patrol boat mounted anti tank guided missiles

May 10, 2009 · Posted in ASuW, Littoral Warfare, Missile, Uncategorized · 7 Comments 

Nothing more exciting to think about than antitank guided missiles mounted on small agile patrol boats for that littoral fight. Particularly on a sportless Sunday morning! Remember to call Ma though, it’s Mother’s Day!

I’ve found three somewhat current examples of ATGM’s mounted on Patrol boats of which one seems truly operational. Check out these vids

Norwegian test of CB-90 mounted Hellfire.

 

Russian Mirage with Shturm/Ataka (4 minute mark shows the firing)

 

 

Finally, the operational Israeli Super Dvora III with Typhoon mounted Spike ER Missiles.

 

After watching these videos you get the sense that the key ingredient for these weapons to be effective at sea is they need to have good opticsdesignation and a stabilized mount.

In terms of modeling these weapon systems in simulation or game there a probably some things to think about.

  • What impact does smoke and other battlefield have on the chance of a hit? Land armies use chemical smoke extensively to mask their movements from ATGM sites. Could this translate to the littoral fight?
  • Within the context of a real brown water environment what are the likely obstructions based on the flight characteristics of guidance of the missile? Will SS Minnow find itself between missile and target. How different is SS Minnow’s profile compared to your average pirate mothership etc.
  • If the weapons are as precise as the videos make them out to be, isn’t the chance of a critical hit significantly higher if not almost a certainty particularly in the realm of little ship vs. big slow ship? How does this impact damage and critical hit models. Think about hits designated at the water line or critical areas like engine or bridge.
  • Do current ships defensive weapon systems have any reasonable chance to engage these weapons at all? If not an active defense such as phalanx or a navalized Arena is their an electronic defense?
  • In terms of a small patrol boat vs. small patrol boat fight is there a point where a target is too close and too fast to be a valid target, particular as gun warfare comes into play with boats trying to unmask various systems by aggressive maneuver?

Anyways just some thoughts….what do you think?

Bundy/Bostonmyk/MM

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