How far off the US Coast for a Russian sub to achive totoal surprise?

[miker42]

Greetings all. I'm new to the subsim community. I've been doing reserach for an "analog" game I'm designing and I have a couple of questions:

1. By today's standards, how close the US coast would a Russian Sub driver try to get to launch nukes and achive maximum surprise with as little reaction time as possible from the US. In other words, total surprise.

2. How would the US react and deal with such a threat?

3. What kinds of systems does the US have in place to fight off such an attack?

4. How would it be dealt with if the US had, say 30-60 minutes before any kind of MIRV seperation or impact?

Thanks,
Mike

[Chock]

Well, supposedly, the latest Soviet SS-NX-30 Bulava nuclear SLBM has a 10,000km range, up to ten MIRV'd warheads, is impervious to EMP damage, has decoy systems on board, and can perform evasive flight course changes too (They started building it last month BTW).

So if all that is true, then the answer would be: He could probably be tied up at the dock in Sevastapol, the US would react by firing a load back at Russia and then bend over and kiss its ass goodbye, because stuff like the Patriot system wouldn't be able to intercept it, and depending on whether they had 30, or 60 minutes, they would probably choose between watching an episode of the Simpsons, or maybe Star Trek.

Chock

[antikristuseke]

Nuclear war is going to suck for those who survive the initial fury.

[Kapitan]

Originally Posted by Chock

Well, supposedly, the latest Soviet SS-NX-30 Bulava nuclear SLBM has a 10,000km range, up to ten MIRV'd warheads, is impervious to EMP damage, has decoy systems on board, and can perform evasive flight course changes too (They started building it last month BTW).

So if all that is true, then the answer would be: He could probably be tied up at the dock in Sevastapol, the US would react by firing a load back at Russia and then bend over and kiss its ass goodbye, because stuff like the Patriot system wouldn't be able to intercept it, and depending on whether they had 30, or 60 minutes, they would probably choose between watching an episode of the Simpsons, or maybe Star Trek.

Chock

bulava has been in testing for about 3 years and in production 11 months as there have been so many tests of them lately, due to SALT II they are limited to 10 warheads but reality is like all russian missiles and american they have a far greater capibility, trident D5 can have upto 14 warheads and the SS-N-20 also 14.

[Etienne]

Originally Posted by miker42

1. By today's standards, how close the US coast would a Russian Sub driver try to get to launch nukes and achive maximum surprise with as little reaction time as possible from the US. In other words, total surprise.

That's beyond my area of knowledge, sorry.

Originally Posted by miker42

2. How would the US react and deal with such a threat?

Mutually Assured Destruction. I'm sure you've heard of the term - Nuke goes off from one side, all the nukes from the other sides go off. There have been talk of a measured nuclear response, but that's not likely if the russians are involved.

That's why in every worldwide conflict story that happens in the modern time, there's a reason why nobody shoots off a single nuke. See Red Storm Rising.

Originally Posted by miker42

3. What kinds of systems does the US have in place to fight off such an attack?

At present time, a bunch of missiles to be shot back at whoever started it. There isn't, at this time, a functionning ABM system. That we know off, anyway.

Originally Posted by miker42

4. How would it be dealt with if the US had, say 30-60 minutes before any kind of MIRV seperation or impact?

Once they'd know for sure who shot the missile, they'd shoot back. And everybody'd hide.

Duck and cover, like the turtle said.

[miker42]

What about Conventional Warheads then? Same Scenario, less damage?

[Etienne]

Why put a conventionnal warhead in an ICBM?

When someone sees an ICBM launch, they'll assume nuclear until proven otherwise.

[Camaero]

This thread makes me want to watch "A Boy and His Dog".

[miker42]

Now that I think about it, I guess the point really is to use that kind of threat as a deterrent more than anything else. It's what we do with our boomers on patrol. Peace through superior firepower, I suppose.

[Kapitan]

Originally Posted by miker42

Greetings all. I'm new to the subsim community. I've been doing reserach for an "analog" game I'm designing and I have a couple of questions:

1. By today's standards, how close the US coast would a Russian Sub driver try to get to launch nukes and achive maximum surprise with as little reaction time as possible from the US. In other words, total surprise.

2. How would the US react and deal with such a threat?

3. What kinds of systems does the US have in place to fight off such an attack?

4. How would it be dealt with if the US had, say 30-60 minutes before any kind of MIRV seperation or impact?

Thanks,
Mike

1) SS-N-20 SS-N-23 SS-N-X (buluva) can be fired from russian ports and still hit mainland america so the russian subs dont need to even leave port.

2) not alot they can do once they have hit apart from posibly retaliate which is known as MAD mutually assured distruction.

3) they have a few systems in testing such as the star wars programes, i do believe that standard SAM missiles may be able to destroy a warhead thats in bound but the likely hood is slim as most russian warheads will detonate in mid air.

4) seperation takes only a minuet or two and from space to ground less than 10 minuets so to engauge those missiles before they come well into range you would have to attack the launcher before they can get off the first missile.