Lord Jim wrote: ↑11 Apr 2022, 20:54
Starstreak/LMM would not be a good replacement for Phalanx without significant upgrades to its targeting and guidance systems. The former are currently laser guided, and illuminating an incoming Mach 3+ missile with a laser designator that isn't linked in with the ships radar and CMS is basically impossible. Phalanx has both an in built radar and effective EO sensors, whilst RAM used a very effective IR seeker after being given the heads up by the Ships radar and CMS.
Starstreak/LLM are not laser guided that needs to illuminate a target, they’re beam riders.
If you did want to use a laser guided missile like Hellfire against an incoming missile against a fairly featureless background you wouldn’t need to put an accurate spot on the incoming missile, you just scan the laser over a wide arc and the missile, being closer than anything else by a wide margin, will essentially be highlighted. Kind of like how a radar works, just a somewhat higher frequency.
But Starstreak/Martlet don’t work that way, they fly down a laser projected from the fire control, be that on- or off-mount.
Probably wouldn’t be precise or heavy enough to down an incoming missile though.