What are the stats for the Arrow Mk1 ASM(S)?
If you have active sensors is there any point in having the TH and EM ones too? I am still a bit unsure as to which sensor 'hands-off' to the missile and how much sensor range the missile needs.
i.e.
Step 1. Buoy has 1million km ASS
Step 2. Missile has 250k km ASS
Step 3. Buoy detects Target, downloads targeting data to Missile and launches missile
Step 4. [Buoy self destructs on release of missile??]
Step 5. Missile locks onto Target using on-board ASS? (this is the part I'm not sure on, if the Buoy self destructs and the Target is 900k km away then the Missile won't loose it)
Step 6. Missile tracks and attempts to hit Target
Step 7. [Buoy self destructs after Missile has hit the Target/lost Target/ran out of fuel??]
The buoys don't self-destruct. This is to make mine-clearing harder as you won't know which buoys are still potential captor mines.
When it releases sub-munitions, the captor mine passes on the target location to the sub-munitions. They head for that location and try to pick up the target on their own sensors. So the missile sensors need to have enough range to account for any potential target movement between initial detection by the captor mines and their arrival at that location. For example, assume you were using active sensors, the captor mine had a one million km range and the sub-munitions had a speed of 20,000 km/s. The missiles would take a maximum of fifty seconds to reach the target. If you assumed a target speed of 4000 km/s, then you might give the missiles a 200,000 km sensor range. Faster sub-munitions are likely to need a smaller sensor range.
Giving the sub-munitions multiple sensors is a valid design choice as they would use any available sensors to find a target, although you may be better with one sensor and more speed or a larger warhead.
Steve
