Littoral Operations

[Oldgateboatdriver]

One more point about the PrSM.

It flies at over Mach 3, or 3700 km/h.

It covers 500 km in less than 8 minutes, 1000 in about 15 minutes, The Spy 7 will likely track the missile from point of launch but how many VLS cells does an RCD have? 24? And how many of those are likely to be loaded with SM6s or SM3s?

A 4 truck troop can launch 8 missiles simultaneously and reload. It can sustain a continuing barrage providing the politicians bought enough missiles.

As Underway has pointed out before, they slow down in terminal, so they can acquire and correct. I would likely not waste a SM3 or SM6 on those. That's what we have all those lovely ESSM's in quad packs for. All that is after electronic effects has been expanded, and you still have oft kill after that.

You also have to have politicians with the Kahuna to kill a surface ship way out on the high seas. You'd better be at war first, and know which country's warship that is.

 

[Kirkhill]

As Underway has pointed out before, they slow down in terminal, so they can acquire and correct. I would likely not waste a SM3 or SM6 on those. That's what we have all those lovely ESSM's in quad packs for. All that is after electronic effects has been expanded, and you still have oft kill after that.

You also have to have politicians with the Kahuna to kill a surface ship way out on the high seas. You'd better be at war first, and know which country's warship that is.

Perhaps there are alternate opinions on the utility of the ESSM in the ABM mode?

would essm be an effective counter to an incoming ballistic missile +4

The Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) is generally not considered an effective or primary counter against incoming ballistic missiles, particularly high-speed or long-range threats, as it is designed for point-defense against sea-skimming cruise missiles and aircraft.

While the ESSM Block 2 possesses high maneuverability and speed (over Mach 4), it has significant limitations regarding ballistic missile defense (BMD):

Designed Role: ESSM is a medium-range, ship-launched missile tailored for fast, low-altitude maneuvering targets, such as anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM).Limitation vs. Ballistic Targets: It is not designed to defeat hypersonic or ballistic missiles, which have different, often much higher, trajectories and kinetic energies.

Specialized Interceptors Required: Ballistic missile defense, specifically in the terminal phase, typically requires specialized, higher-velocity interceptors such as the SM-3 or SM-6

Exceptions and Nuance:

Terminal Defense: In a scenario where a lower-tier ballistic missile is already in its final, terminal descent, some observers debate the theoretical possibility of a lucky intercept, but it is not its intended mission.

Block 2 Upgrades: The ESSM Block 2 features active radar homing, increasing its agility and capability against complex, high-speed targets compared to Block 1, but it is still limited by its small warhead and range compared to SM-series missiles.

In the US Navy and allied fleets, ESSM operates as a, layered defense backup, complementing the long-range capabilities of the SM-2 and SM-6.

 

[AmmoTech90]

I know the Americans have/had HEMTTs with a modified bed to hold pods, and a trailer as well. Each could carry 8 pods so I was mistaken there.

The only reason I know this is a National Guard/Reserve unit showed up in Gagetown and they had just converted to 155 from MLRS and still had the MLRS HEMTT. Pain in the ass to load 155 material when you had tie down points sticking up in odd places on the truck bed

 

[Kirkhill]

Further to the notion of the PrSM or any ballistic missile slowing down prior to impact:

"Ballistic missiles, in general, reach high-supersonic, if not hypersonic speeds (above Mach 5) in the terminal phase of flight. That speed increases the capacity of these weapons to burrow down into hardened targets and also reduces their overall flight time, making them particularly well-suited to striking hardened and/or time-sensitive threats. Fast-flying ballistic missiles are also very challenging to intercept and otherwise give opponents limited time to react in any way."

Army's New PrSM Ballistic Missile Should Be Adapted Into An Air Launched Weapon

Precision Strike Missiles offer a path to a US air-launched ballistic missile, a weapon increasingly fielded abroad and missing from America's arsenal.

www.twz.com

does the prsm, either the land target or the maritime target version, slow down prior to impact

Based on available information about the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) development through 2026, the missile does not intentionally slow down to hit targets; instead, it maintains very high, high-supersonic to hypersonic speeds during the terminal phase.

Terminal Speed: PrSM is designed for high-speed, precision impacts (high-supersonic/hypersonic) to penetrate hardened targets and reduce reaction time for defenders.

Maneuvering vs. Speed: Even when maneuvering sharply during the terminal phase to align with a target, the missile retains its speed.

Maritime vs. Land Version: Both versions (Increment 1 for land, Increment 2/4 for maritime/moving targets) are built to strike with high velocity, with the maritime variant designed to engage rapidly to avoid target movement.

Short-Range Test: In tests designed to challenge the seeker (where a slower speed might be expected), PrSM demonstrated high-speed, high-maneuverability to make impact, rather than slowing down.

In essence, PrSM's design philosophy—unlike traditional cruise missiles—is to use velocity as a primary means of penetrating defenses.