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In reply to the discussion: is there a difference between a campus shooting and a hospital bombing? [View all]MADem
(135,425 posts)27. The idea that the coordinates are programmed into the bomb is not always operative.
Often, the target is painted, by someone on the ground, and the bomb goes to it. Other times, it's directed to the target--either by the pilot, or someone else, and glitches can happen in that process.
Your snark, though, is noted. And unless you work at the Pentagon--and I'm pretty sure you don't--I'll just have to consider the source.
Lessons learned during the first Gulf War showed the value of precision munitions, yet they also highlighted the difficulties in employing themspecifically when visibility of the ground or target from the air was degraded.[10] The problem of poor visibility does not affect satellite-guided weapons such as Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW), which make use of the United States' GPS system for guidance. This weapon can be employed in all weather conditions, without any need for ground support. Because it is possible to jam GPS, the guidance package reverts to inertial navigation in the event of GPS signal loss. Inertial navigation is significantly less accurate; the JDAM achieves a published Circular Error Probable (CEP) of 13 m under GPS guidance, but typically only 30 m under inertial guidance (with free fall times of 100 seconds or less).[11][12]
The precision of these weapons is dependent both on the precision of the measurement system used for location determination and the precision in setting the coordinates of the target. The latter critically depends on intelligence information, not all of which is accurate. According to a CIA report, the accidental United States bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during Operation Allied Force by NATO aircraft was attributed to faulty target information.[13] However, if the targeting information is accurate, satellite-guided weapons are significantly more likely to achieve a successful strike in any given weather conditions than any other type of precision-guided munition.
The precision of these weapons is dependent both on the precision of the measurement system used for location determination and the precision in setting the coordinates of the target. The latter critically depends on intelligence information, not all of which is accurate. According to a CIA report, the accidental United States bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during Operation Allied Force by NATO aircraft was attributed to faulty target information.[13] However, if the targeting information is accurate, satellite-guided weapons are significantly more likely to achieve a successful strike in any given weather conditions than any other type of precision-guided munition.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precision-guided_munition#Satellite-guided_weapons
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is there a difference between a campus shooting and a hospital bombing? [View all]
reddread
Oct 2015
OP
Really? You are having a "tough time" telling the difference between a targeted assault by
MADem
Oct 2015
#1
I don't even know what you mean. I don't think death is something to snark about, but that's me. nt
MADem
Oct 2015
#5
It sounds to me as though his condition was chronic. Not a one-off, not a problem of brief duration
MADem
Oct 2015
#46
If the latter happened here, we'd lose multiple Constitutional rights to prevent recurrence . . .
Journeyman
Oct 2015
#2
i read a post that Obama himself knew it was going on and told them to keep bombing....
spanone
Oct 2015
#53
And does that sound even remotely logical anywhere other than a wingnut forum? nt
procon
Oct 2015
#56
The idea that the coordinates are programmed into the bomb is not always operative.
MADem
Oct 2015
#27
Depending on the culprit, motive, location, method & number hurt, the accountability is different.
ancianita
Oct 2015
#26
Who is calling the doctors, nurses and patients terrorists? Its MSF, for goodness sake.
MADem
Oct 2015
#40
Well, I don't think ANYONE is happy about this--that pilot is probably suicidal. nt
MADem
Oct 2015
#51
Investigations are par for the course. If you have any sort of "incident" in flight, there's an
MADem
Oct 2015
#55
Yeah. If the campus shooter had lived and been captured he'd have been prosecuted.
Tierra_y_Libertad
Oct 2015
#54