If an anti-ship missile hits a target in a military base it will cause a useful explosion just as when it were to hit a ship. That would give an advantage to the Yemeni's unlike when they were targeting a USN ship even if the ship were hit.it's too early in the morning (I misunderstood your postat first I wrote something about 'littorals')
but ... what do you mean, they would shoot AShMs at land targets??
Yemen Crisis/Conflict & the "Decisive Storm" Coalition
- Thread starter Jeff Head
- Start date
plawolf
Lieutenant General
I'm not sure AShM sea skimmers have the terrain avoidance features to fly safely and reliability over land.
Their seekers would also have a hard time locking-on to targets on land amid all the ground clutter and low metal content of most land structures.
That is why ground attack PGMs typically don't use active seeking radar for terminal guidance, except where they are designed to hit high metal content targets like tanks.
Firing unmodified AShMs at land targets will most likely see them crash into a mountain side or end up engaging useless targets like maybe an aluminium shed or power pylon.
It must be possible, is of course quite easy, to give then a higher cruising altitude. Think of a small combatant targeting a ship at the other side of an island or peninsula, a coastal battery behind some terrain features. It would be silly to exclude such tactics when designing an anti-ship missile.
Jura The idiot
General
delft you're disregarding Propaganda effect, as if you didn't know several billion people (it's person to the power of nine) would cheer if guerillas hit a US (to them it means Big Satan) Navy ship on patrol!
And what would the Yemeni's buy for that cheering? It would make those people happy for an hour and that's it. The Yemini's defend their country. It is unlike Al Qaeda attacking a USN ship in the port of Aden.
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Jura The idiot
General
they would be heroes for most of the world, for 'teaching Americans a lesson' LOL
(you might be surprised how many anti-American comments I had heard in Central Europe)
OT
I should be. Propaganda says here that they are still extremely popular in Central Europe. My Dutch newspaper, , writes today that the Dutch prime minister is still looking at getting most of the Ukrainian association treaty with EU accepted that was rejected by the famous referendum last April by having a declaration accepted that parts of the treaty will not be valid. The paper wrote however that especially the defence chapters of the trade treaty are an essential part of it for the Central European countries.
Jura The idiot
General
OTyou're free to choose: a pub debater from here, or
I have always disliked this Dutch prime minister.
Not to mention it might draw the US deeper into the conflict against the Houthis as if the Houthis weren't already fighting an uphill battle. The most plausible explanation is that the Houthis would rather hit a Saudi ship but their crude ad hoc capabilities meant they were just taking pot shots at whatever looked like a warship to their spotter's naked eye. Which also explains why Iran then sent hopelessly outclassed corvettes to the area, as a presence to force the Houthis to stop taking pot shots in case of friendly fire.