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Author Topic: Okay, AH vets, I need information  (Read 406 times)

Offline leonid

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Okay, AH vets, I need information
« on: October 21, 2001, 12:16:00 AM »
I'm working on a WWII wargame(old school version, ala counters and map and die), and am trying to figure out the minimum amount of aircraft that could CAP a 25 sq.mi. area.  Right now, I'm thinking about 40-50 fighters to do it.  If you have any input on this please post.
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Offline Rendar

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Okay, AH vets, I need information
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2001, 12:18:00 AM »
25 square miles?  That's a 5x5 mile square...maybe warrants 6 planes.
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Offline Toad

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Okay, AH vets, I need information
« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2001, 12:30:00 AM »
20 miles to fly all the way around the edges of the square, never more than five miles to the other side.

At 300 mph thats just 4 minutes to go around the square.
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Offline Pongo

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Okay, AH vets, I need information
« Reply #3 on: October 21, 2001, 12:37:00 AM »
Isnt it safer just to apply an A2A factor to each airframe and then just contest it based on the opposing forces? How can you know the number to cap effectivly without knowing vs what?
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Offline funkedup

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Okay, AH vets, I need information
« Reply #4 on: October 21, 2001, 01:09:00 AM »
Well if the pilot is in the middle of the 5x5 mi square then the enemy planes wouldn't be more than 3.54 miles away.  I think under good conditions your average fighter pilot can spot the enemy at 3.5 miles with no problem.  So the answer is one plane.  Fighters in WWII usually flew in pairs at least.  So call it 2 planes.

If the question is how many planes would be needed to defend a target in the 5 x 5 mi area or how many planes would be needed to stop the enemy from flying through the 5 x 5 mi area then the answer is dependent on how many planes the enemy brings.

[ 10-21-2001: Message edited by: funkedup ]
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Offline leonid

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Okay, AH vets, I need information
« Reply #5 on: October 21, 2001, 02:02:00 AM »
Oops!  Got my measurements wrong.  I meant to say 125 square miles (25 x 25).  I know it's dependent on the overall situation, but given all things equal how many aircraft would you assess to be the minimum to adequately CAP an area for/against tactical air operations along a frontline?

[ 10-21-2001: Message edited by: leonid ]
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Offline Rendar

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Okay, AH vets, I need information
« Reply #6 on: October 21, 2001, 02:15:00 AM »
In that case, 20-24 planes should suffice.
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Offline leonid

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Okay, AH vets, I need information
« Reply #7 on: October 21, 2001, 02:40:00 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by funkedup:
Well if the pilot is in the middle of the 5x5 mi square then the enemy planes wouldn't be more than 3.54 miles away.  I think under good conditions your average fighter pilot can spot the enemy at 3.5 miles with no problem.  So the answer is one plane.  Fighters in WWII usually flew in pairs at least.  So call it 2 planes.

If the question is how many planes would be needed to defend a target in the 5 x 5 mi area or how many planes would be needed to stop the enemy from flying through the 5 x 5 mi area then the answer is dependent on how many planes the enemy brings.

[ 10-21-2001: Message edited by: funkedup ]

Okay, this is a good starting place.  A pair of fighters would be enough to visually spot any ib aircraft within a 25 sq.mi. area.  For 125 sq.mi. that would mean 50 fighters.  Now, given that a frontline usually does not require 360 degree coverage, the actual number of aircraft involved in patrol would be say 20-30.  And given the fact that aircraft are moving at a hefty speed, this number could even be halved to 10-16.  As some of you stated, it doesn't address the particulars of a specific situation, but that's not important, so much as knowing what number of aircraft are physically needed to cover said amount of airspace for patrol purposes.  My apologies for mistakenly referring to it as CAP.

And, thank you  :)

[ 10-21-2001: Message edited by: leonid ]
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Offline funkedup

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Okay, AH vets, I need information
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2001, 03:13:00 AM »
25 x 25 is 625.
God I hate bein' a nerd.    :)
Yer welcome too.  It's an interesting problem, and one I've been thinking about for planning TOD missions.

[ 10-21-2001: Message edited by: funkedup ]
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Offline leonid

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Okay, AH vets, I need information
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2001, 03:28:00 AM »
Dammit, funked, you're right!  :)  For some reason(I've eaten a lot of rice cooked in aluminum pots in my time) I was thinking 25x5.  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  It's getting to the point that when I come up with an idea, I gotta find a match   :p
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