Forum: Technology

What is the best SAM in youre opinion that is out there today in any country?
What,Why,etc?

Please share youre thoughts.

Shev

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RIM -67 Standard Missile-2 Block IVA

As of January 24, 1997 this would deffinately have my vote for the most effective missile currently active and in the field anywhere in the world. Its capable of taking out anything out to 65-100 nautical miles. Its currently the only effective anti-ICBM weapon.

When combined with the awesome AEGIS command and control system already aboard the Arliegh-Burke and Ticonderoga class ships your looking at the deadliest Air Defence system ever created.

What about those new Russian SAM systems?

The S-300 and S-400 system have alot going for them Ill give them that. The range of the system to attack over the horizon threats is great. However American systems always have an advantage over the Russian and Chinese Counterparts, that being the Netcentric warfare that we've been pushing towards for the last 20 years. How far a missile can fly doesnt mean anything if there are holes in the radar coverage. We have AWACS, JSTAR, ect just all sorts of data gathering platforms and the computers to take all that information and present it to the operators of the system so that they can control their battlespace. In comparison many of the countries manning up with these new russian systems either dont have the equipment for netcentric warfare or lack the neccesary elements to maintain it at full readiness.

I agree Lawman. Another weakness of any SAM site, which we exploit time and again is the fact that a SAM site requires a radar uplink to the rest of the site. This puts out radar emissions which, as you said, AWACS, JSTARS, and some other things we cannot discuss here can pick up.

Ultimately, the one aircraft which can pick up these emissions (which the enemy wishes wouldn't) is the Wild Weasel aircraft, which after the retirement of the F-4Gs, became the responsibility of the Viper.

The most sophisticated SAM system in the world is still vulnerable to the Weasel. It can defeat the site before it senses any aircraft in the area, and therefore is dead before any missile launches may occur. We've been finding creative ways to defeat SAM sites since Vietnam. Don't expect us to stop anytime soon.

The SM-2 Blk. IVA is a great missile, but the PATRIOT is still great. Now, I know what some of you are thinking...The PATRIOT a SAM? Yes! Just despite the media portraying PATRIOT as being an "Anti-ICBM missile" it was actually designed to shoot down fighters and bombers. It does this job quite well actually.

The infamous "PATRIOT failures" pointed out by Billy Bob's Administration were actually no fault of the missile. They were, in fact, due to the fact that the Army was attempting to use the missile for a purpose it was not designed for. The present-day PATRIOT is supposed to have a greater anti-missile capability, but it has not lost any of its original anti-aircraft capabilities. PATRIOT is a real bad@$$...You don't want to be on the business end of one.

Beers and MiGs were made to be pounded!

Last edited by ACSheva on Feb 13, 2005 - 01:08 AM; edited 1 time in total

Quote:

PATRIOT is a real bad@$$...You don't want to be on the business end of one.

Yeah that is very true.

in fact its so "real" bad a$$ that it shot down our own planes during the Iraq conflict,and some British Tornadoes. Thats is actually horrible.

Shev

Forum Veteran Joined: Nov 07, 2003 - 09:12 PM Posts: 901

TC wrote:

The infamous "PATRIOT failures" pointed out by Billy Bob's Administration were actually no fault of the missile. They were, in fact, due to the fact that the Army was attempting to use the missile for a purpose it was not designed for.

TC, care to share with us, how exactly has the Army attempted to use the missile then?

Thanks,

ACSheva wrote:

Quote:

PATRIOT is a real bad@$$...You don't want to be on the business end of one.

Yeah that is very true.

in fact its so "real" bad a$$ that it shot down our own planes during the Iraq conflict,and some British Tornadoes. Thats is actually horrible.

Shev

Shev, the Patriot is a great missile. Please don't confuse the hardware with mistakes in using it Wink

. Fratricide is horrible and occurs with all types of weapons.

Isn't the hardware one of the most important things on a radar guided missile, and if it the hardware malfunctions (allot) at a critical war time than so does the whole missile. Which makes it useless, thus not destroying its meant its target. Bottom line if hardware is bad on a missile, than the missile is useless.

Shev

I've heard that the incidents of friendly fire concerning the Patriot were due to either pilot error (flying where they weren't supposed to) or operator error. I could be wrong on this, so please correct me if that's the case Very Happy

!

Yes blame all of the pilots,it was their fault every time that Patriot misfired. Come on... It was because the missile could not detect a friend from a foe, thats why it shot our guys down. I believe acouple of them actually died.

Shev, please don't put words in my mouth Evil or Very Mad

. I was in no way blaming the pilots for every incident! That was the explanation that I heard for at least one of the incidents. I also sited operator error as another cause I had heard of for fratricide in these cases. By operator error, I was referring to the operators of the missile system! Yes, several pilots lost their lives in these unfortuanate incidents and that is truly tragic.

You want the actual missile to tell friend from foe??? What other missile does that? My understanding of the way the Patriot system works goes something like this - The radar detects something in the airspace and the OPERATOR fires the weapon. SAM sites aren't like jets where you can maneuver to get a positive visual ID. It's the operator's job to determine the identity of the aircraft, not the missile system.

I thought the ground radar that tracks the incoming bogeys is supposed to identify the aircraft, then passes the info to the missle before firing. And (correct me if im wrong) werent the planes that got shot down durrin OIF hit because they werent broadcasting a friendly IFF to the sites?

Sniper, you could be right and I could be wrong. I hope someone who knows from experience can clear this up once and for all. I'd also like to know the cause for the OIF accidents.

Sorry my post went up right after parrothead's....yes that clarifies my question about the missile sites...

Forum: Technology

Best SAM today?