![]() ![]() Maximum flying ranges are used here for consistency. The distance a missile can be effectively targeted can be less than how far the missile can travel. ![]() Another elastic factor is the maximum effective range of a weapon, which is not the same as the maximum flying range. For the sake of consistency in the graphics used here, it is assumed that all missiles of the same type are using the same flight profile in linear attacks. ![]() This variability of flight profiles adds another dimension of complexity to combining fires. These factors make range rings more elastic than they appear. 3 It is often unclear in publicly available information what kind of flight profile is associated with the published range of the missile. Different flight profiles can be programmed into missiles depending on the tactical circumstances, and many anti-ship missiles can be programmed with non-linear flight paths and waypoints. Low altitude sea-skimming flight maximizes the element of surprise at a significant cost to range and fuel economy. 2 But this comes at the expense of being more detectable and potentially less survivable. Missiles and aircraft that fly higher earn longer range, partly through the thinner air at higher altitudes. The specific ranges of missiles are strongly affected by their flight profiles and are not always a linear, set amount in practice. These reverse range rings show how longer-range weapons allow for the broader distribution of launch platforms, and how shorter-range weapons, especially versions of the common Harpoon missile, force much tighter concentration around a target (Figure 2). Launch platforms using different weapons with different ranges must have the rings overlap with one another, at least by the time their fires are combining over the target. ![]() Range rings centered on a target illustrate the scope of distribution that is possible with various weapons while still being able to combine fires. By comparison, platforms using SM-6 or Harpoon have to distribute within much tighter spaces to combine fires (Figure 1). 1 Other platforms using the same weapon must also be within this ringed area, highlighting the extent of distribution that is possible while still combining fires. In other words, to strike a target within the range of the Tomahawk missile, a launch platform must be within a 1,000-mile ring of the target. In this different method of using “reverse” range rings (for lack of a better term), the ring is centered on the target, and shows the area from where the target can be hit by a given weapon. Range rings are typically used to show the range of a weapon and are centered on the weapon’s launch platform. This dynamic can be illustrated using range rings that show the area forces must reside within if they are to combine their fires against a shared target. Longer-ranged weapons allow for the broader distribution of launch platforms, while shorter-ranged weapons will force greater concentration. This core tension between distribution and aggregation has a strong influence over the tactics and dispositions of a distributed force. The range of weaponry is a critical factor that limits the extent to which forces can distribute from another while still being able to combine their fires. There is a fundamental tension in looking to spread forces out yet still combine their firepower. How Mass Fires Define Limits of Distribution But new game-changing weapons are on the way, and DMO is the concept that is poised to harness a major transformation in the U.S. The consequence is a force with few good options for sinking ships with missiles, and how this could remain the case through the next decade. military’s current anti-ship missiles are lacking crucial traits that are essential for massing fires. In the following breakdowns of tactical dynamics and weapon capabilities, it should become clear that virtually all of the U.S. These traits offer a valuable framework for defining the aggregation potential of individual weapons and the broader force’s ability to mass fires. The ability to combine fires against warships heavily depends upon the traits of the weapons themselves. Read Part 1 on defining distributed maritime operations.Īs navies look to evolve during the missile age, much of their ability to threaten other fleets will come down to how well they can mass missile firepower. ![]()
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