What Stands Behind the New Palestinian War Against Israel? | Opinion

[seer]

And yet the military has both missiles and rockets. Go figure.

Do you remember those pods that hung from the sides of military helicopters? Those held and fired rockets. Like in the attack scene in Apocalypses Now where they played "Flight of the Valkyries." Those are rockets.

[rogue06]

Dang. These clips make me so want to whip something up for Independence Day like I used to do before 9/11. smiley rub hands.gif



I haven't made anything that can break a window from a half mile away in a looooooong time

[Cow Poke]

Technically a missile, but better thought of as a projectile.

yup

[Sparko]

yup

It was a rock(et)

[Cow Poke]

The boat/ship analogy is probably a good one but don't ever tell anyone who was in the Navy or even Merchant Marines that a boat and ship are essentially the same thing. You will be disabused of that notion.

And, again, in the old days, a ship was anything with 3 or more masts.

And a submarine, well.... you've got the COB -- the Chief of the BOAT, so....

[CivilDiscourse]

I thought the primary distinction was guidance. Rockets were dumb projectiles which went where they were pointed, and missiles could be steered after launch.

[Cow Poke]

I thought the primary distinction was guidance. Rockets were dumb projectiles which went where they were pointed, and missiles could be steered after launch.

Today, I believe that's true --- the rockets were aimed (from a helicopter, for example) then fired by positioning the nose of the helicopter toward the target, where missiles developed into the "fire and forget".

[rogue06]

It was a rock(et)

can'tdisagree.gif

[rogue06]

I thought the primary distinction was guidance. Rockets were dumb projectiles which went where they were pointed, and missiles could be steered after launch.

That's what I meant when I wrote

Rockets tend to be Play n' Spray (or Spray n' Pray), whereas missiles tend to have some sort of guidance.

[rogue06]

Today, I believe that's true --- the rockets were aimed (from a helicopter, for example) then fired by positioning the nose of the helicopter toward the target, where missiles developed into the "fire and forget".

Or maybe earlier?

war_rocket.gif
Those aim and fire in the direction of the enemy rockets have been around for awhile. The "rocket's red glare" in the National Anthem refers to Congreve rockets invented in 1804 by Sir William Congreve. While most Congreve rockets used in battle weighed in at around 30 lbs., some were ten times that size.

And going back much earlier, you have the Chinese and their "Fire Arrows" which kind of looked like a large weaponized bottle rocket.

fire_arrow.gif

They used these for centuries, likely as far back as the time when William invaded England and became known as the Conqueror, although their first recorded use was during the battle of Kai-Keng, in which the Chinese repelled the Mongols with a barrage of "arrows of flying fire" in 1232.

In fact that had a variety of multiple rocket launcher ranging from basket-like hand-held ones in the 11th cent.

220px-11th_century_basketry_fire_arrow_rocket_launcher.jpg

As well as larger cart-drawn ones called Hwacha in the 12th cent.

9odm82C.jpghwacha_firing_photo.jpg

[Cow Poke]

Or maybe earlier?

war_rocket.gif
Those aim and fire in the direction of the enemy rockets have been around for awhile. The "rocket's red glare" in the National Anthem refers to Congreve rockets invented in 1804 by Sir William Congreve. While most Congreve rockets used in battle weighed in at around 30 lbs., some were ten times that size.

And going back much earlier, you have the Chinese and their "Fire Arrows" which kind of looked like a large weaponized bottle rocket.

fire_arrow.gif

They used these for centuries, likely as far back as the time when William invaded England and became known as the Conqueror, although their first recorded use was during the battle of Kai-Keng, in which the Chinese repelled the Mongols with a barrage of "arrows of flying fire" in 1232.

In fact that had a variety of multiple rocket launcher ranging from basket-like hand-held ones in the 11th cent.

220px-11th_century_basketry_fire_arrow_rocket_launcher.jpg

As well as larger cart-drawn ones called Hwacha in the 12th cent.

9odm82C.jpghwacha_firing_photo.jpg

Yeah, maybe I should have mentioned that "fire and forget" was because of the guidance system that would track the target and take the missile to it without operator intervention.

I remember when they were debuting the F15-E and it's ability to simultaneously track and "fire and forget" 16 targets (or as many missiles as it was carrying).

[Cow Poke]

On the rockets --- you know those metal folding chairs we use in Church - with the "heel bar" between the front legs?

Sometimes those 'tubes' would fall off, and they made PERFECT mobile launching platforms for bottle rockets!!!

Insert bottle rocket into one end leaving the fuse hanging out, light fuse, aim and ..... right on target!

[rogue06]

On the rockets --- you know those metal folding chairs we use in Church - with the "heel bar" between the front legs?

Sometimes those 'tubes' would fall off, and they made PERFECT mobile launching platforms for bottle rockets!!!

Insert bottle rocket into one end leaving the fuse hanging out, light fuse, aim and ..... right on target!

The narrow tubes or even the old thick bottled Coke bottles worked the best unless you were intending to set off a fusillade...

[rogue06]

Yeah, maybe I should have mentioned that "fire and forget" was because of the guidance system that would track the target and take the missile to it without operator intervention.

I remember when they were debuting the F15-E and it's ability to simultaneously track and "fire and forget" 16 targets (or as many missiles as it was carrying).

So you do agree that there is a difference between rockets and missiles.

[Cow Poke]

So you do agree that there is a difference between rockets and missiles.

I've been pretty ambivalent about it all along --- generally, missiles are "smart rockets".