Rumsfeld kills "Crusader"

[David Floyd]

Whats wrong with the paladin? Nothing. Am I afraid the Russians or icelanders might get ahead? no...artillery is basic and supposed to be demoralizing. Not pinpoint.

You couldn't be more wrong. The primary use for US artillery is NOT WW1-style saturation attacks, but rather precise counterbattery fire, and striking supply lines and HQs behind the front. This requires a high degree of precision.

Why use arty for saturation attacks on troops, when it can be better employefd elsewhere and you can just use cluster munitions anyway?

[faded glory]

paladins, 155's, can do both. Do you have any idea what the 155's did to iraqi artillery and bunkers?

[David Floyd]

I'm aware of that - my point was that those types of attacks are the primary use for US artillery, in response to your comment that artillery should be basic and not of pinpoint accuracy.

[Sava]

It's been proven that a mobile army is more effective. If you compare aerial precision bombing to limited ground based artillery, of course aerial is better. The US has the resources to utilize aerial bombing on such a scale that ground based artillery would be irrelevant. Plus, you don't need troops on the ground to launch aerial bombing.

IMO, in today's world, ground based artillery is made obsolete by air superiority. The US would need to transport those heavy ground vehicles, probably by air, anyways. Why not just build smart bombs instead of artillery?

Even though Rumsfeld is a Republican (SCUM), he is a very smart military tactition.

[David Floyd]

Sava, you are correct in that artillery is easily destroyed if you do not control the air, but incorrect in that artillery is useless under friendly skies.

Airpower cannot be everywhere, and mobile, accurate artillery is an asset to any ground force, especially because artillery is not grounded by the weather.

[David Floyd]

Although I do agree that anything other than mobile artillery is an anachronism.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Sikander
each gun can fire up to 8 rounds which can be timed to arrive simultaneously on the target

How? Is muzzle velocity alterable? If not, then my elementary mechanics is telling me that no more than two rounds can be fired at different times from the same spot and reach the target simultaneously.

[David Floyd]

How? Is muzzle velocity alterable?

I believe so.

Also, the angle can be altered.

I'm no expert though.

[KrazyHorse]

Angle is fine. I understand that part, but if the projectile always comes out with the same speed then there are at most two angular solutions to firing problem (ignoring changing conditions).

Since most artillery rounds come in cartridges (powder pre-loaded) (AFAIK), then how does gun alter muzzle velocity?

[David Floyd]

I have no clue...I'm no mathematician/physicist, but I *BELIEVE* there are ways to do it with computers. It just stands to reason, with my limited knowledge although I freely admit I could be wrong.

[KrazyHorse]

Grr....

I'm sure the calculation of what's going on is done by computer, since it would probably take me 10 minutes on a pocket calculator to figure out a valid solution for 8 shells impacting simultaneously (even ignoring all air effects), but what I want to know is how the gun makes one round go slower than another, if all the rounds have the same amount of gunpowder packed behind them.

The Chinese are paying me good money for this info, so I'd appreciate some input.

[David Floyd]

I have no idea

[TCO]

krazy, I think the clearance of the round in the chamber varies from round to round (the rounds are not identical). This is used to get the different muzzle velocities.

p.s. I totally made that up!

[David Floyd]

[joseph1944]

The history channel had a story on the Crusader. They raise the barrel real high 75 to 80* and fire the first round and the computer start dropping the barrel until all eight round are fired. Therefore all eight shell land about the same time. BTW it will fired 12 rounds a min. The crew is I remember right was only two. One to drive and one to aim and start the firing. The gun is fully automatic, no loader required.
One civil employee in the Army dept has been fired over this and Sec Def said he may fired Sec Army to. This story is not going away soon. We may see a General or a Col. retired over this.