From: mikkelhaaheim@gmail.com   
      
   Le lundi 26 septembre 2016 01:19:13 UTC+2, Rick Pikul/Chakat Firepaw a   
   écrit :   
      
      
      
   >    
   > Guided projectiles will telegraph their approach.  The harder to spot    
   > attack methods are the ones that either require massive amounts of    
   > material or that will almost certainly miss.   
      
   Not if it is small, properly configured, and propelled by ion engines.    
      
   >    
   > > "Massive" is quite relative when it comes to effort.   
   >    
   > I pointed out above just how massive we are talking:  Launching trillions    
   > or even quadrillions of tonnes of material _per target_.   
   >    
   > Mind you, the facility for launching this will be rather large and will    
   > generate quite a bit of heat while in operation.  It's also going to be    
   > kind of hard to hide what sort of vector it's sending things on.   
      
   It will likely be large and hot, yes... or the salvo will be fired from an   
   array of launchers. Hiding the target vectors will be no difficulty whatoever.   
      
   >    
   > > Platforms are really easy targets because they tend to be cyclic. Random   
   > > motions tend to get in the way of cooperative processing.   
   >    
   > No, it's unpredictable motions that are a problem.  The platforms know    
   > about the manoeuvres as soon as they need to, the thing is that they    
   > don't need to know months in advance the way an attacker does.   
      
   Unpredictable motions tend to average out, over time. Careful observation will   
   determine the degree of deviation from an average trajectory. This will   
   determine how large a "carpet" is necessary, or hos much manoeuverability.   
      
   >    
   > > The required   
   > > platforms will also be large, as a function of physical law. Tech   
   > > limitations will tend to make them larger. This makes them easy to see   
   > > and to hit. There are numerous options for hitting: buckshot, sniper,   
   > > small drone attack, automated (homing) missile attack, etc. Nothing   
   > > prevents several methods from being used at once. Nothing prevents one   
   > > method from being used to trap the target in a position optimal for   
   > > another.   
   >    
   > And we're back to you giving months of warning before any of your attacks    
   > connect.   
      
   Perhaps. Not necessarily. Probably not, considering the effort that military   
   organisations go through to hide "muzzle flash".   
      
   >    
   > >> Um, you don't go out and fix these kinds of platforms unless you are   
   > >> past what would be plausible midfuture technologies, (IOW, you have   
   > >> reached the point where the entire discussion is as moot as would be   
   > >> one Pliny the Elder might have about WWII naval tactics).  You assume   
   > >> they will last about 50% of their MTBF and use that for their   
   > >> replacement schedule.   
   > >    
   > > Perhaps. Perhaps not. You might decide that it is easier to send up a   
   > > new platform instead of fixing a malfunctioning platform. In which case,   
   > > replacement platform construction and deployment would be part of the   
   > > infrastructure I am talking about.   
   >    
   > The effort to rendezvous with something in a highly inclined solar orbit    
   > is going to be greater than simply sending something into a similar    
   > orbit.  This is even more true if you want whatever you sent out back.   
   >    
   > Unless you can do your maintenance using disposable ships that are much    
   > smaller than the platforms, sending a new platform is going to be cheaper    
   > and easier.   
   >    
      
   Perhaps. in which case replacement will be part of the required infrastructure   
   I was refering to. Another reason why initial deployment is going to be rather   
   unlikely. It is difficult to get authorisation for a project that will require   
   an abundance of    
   resources, especially if the components have to be replaced every few years.   
   Something to keep in mind: IR detectors, and other detecors as well, need to   
   be cryogenicly cooled in order to maintain sensitivity to low signal levels.   
   On line, this is performed with active cooling systems. To a lesser degree,   
   you can do this by    
   having the platform go off line, and have it look into the darkest space it   
   can find for several months or so. Even passive sensors require very active   
   systems. Systems tend to break down.   
      
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