RE: Re[2]: Americas Cup

Most fighters are equipped with a 20-mm gun. They need something to use once they have fired all their AAM's. The Mach 2.? rating is for a completely clean bird devoid of anything which would cause drag. You mentioned 900 mph; I would guess the plan lands at a speed of somewhere between 125 and 150 knots and that "dirtied" would have no problem flying at 200 knots. No problem to get a few shots off. One also doesn't need an antiship weapon to take out a yacht. A radar guided AIM would do considerable damage.

A plane traveling at 900 knots just off the water is mesmerizing. It appears to have an aurora surrounding it. The concussion of the sonic boom would certainly get the yachtsmen's attention as well.

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 7:15 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robert Eskridge [mailto:bryny_at_dfweahs.net]
> Sent: Monday, January 20, 2003 6:39 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L
> Subject: Re[2]: Americas Cup
>
>
> Mladen, have you ever seen video of what a Coast Guard .50cal can do
> to a fishing boat? I don't know what armament Ellison's interceptor
> could carry, but I suspect the mounts would support something that
> could easily turn a racing yacht into toothpicks.
>

No, I haven't seen that video, but I imagine that the problem would be to slow the plane sufficiently to have at least a second to aim. There is a plane moving with a speed of 900MP/H and it has to hit a boat with a speed of 20 MP/H. How much time will the pilot have for aiming? MiG-25 is not a dive bomber.
Coast guard, on the other hand, is using boats to catch boats and then .50cal becomes a killer.

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