#Magnetic Anomaly Detector

48 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

dry pecan
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The Magnetic anomaly detector, or MAD for short. Scan for differences in the planets magnetic field which are caused by the metallic makeup of submarines. In from the depths, this would allow low flying aircraft to detect submarines in a similar way to that of wireless snoopers. The more metal or HA blocks in a sub craft, the stronger the signal. Note that this is most effective against shallow diving subs and deep submarines can easily evade the detection.

The advantage of this is a detection system that can be kept out of the water, sonar buoys can be jammed or intercepted by enemy defenses. Meaning this can be a more reliable source of detection. On the contrary, this system struggles against small or deep submarines that do not have a significant makeup of metallic blocks, meaning the system can still be countered in ways where sonar buoys would be the better option.

Wikipedia Article on the subject
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_anomaly_detector

220px-Lockheed_P-3C_28JMSDF2902.png
Magnetic anomaly detector

A magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) is an instrument used to detect minute variations in the Earth's magnetic field. The term typically refers to magnetometers used by military forces to detect submarines (a mass of ferromagnetic material creates a detectable disturbance in the magnetic field). Military MAD equipment is a descendant of geomagnetic...

olive inlet
sour dirge
mighty crown
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I like this idea.

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It should be noted that IRL MAD gear works less effectively the larger and more ferromagnetic the craft employing it is. This is why you usually see it on aircraft attached to booms or cable tethers to distance them from the hull of the vehicle.

dry pecan
mighty crown
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So as a balance feature it would make sense for this to work better when the target has more metal and HA, and less effectively when the craft using it has more metal and HA. I'm not sure how computationally intensive checking all of that would be in-game though.

dry pecan
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Doesn’t the game already count what blocks are in the craft?

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You could prob just compare those

mighty crown
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Possibly. Just dunno how much additional lag it would generate.

fresh scarab
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A MAD buoy (I hate that word, it never looks spelled right) would be a fun addition too

wintry cairn
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AC7 MAD yooooo

nova sail
empty igloo
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My question is, would this be an accurate method of sub detection? Because the problem in my experience has never been knowing that a sub is around (autodetect/wireless snoopers will notice i think all campaign sub designs) but getting useful tracking-quality detections on the sub

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It's the same problem as with irl stealth - a low frequency radar is actually pretty good at detecting a stealth fighter is somewhere in the vicinity, it's just that you'll never get a weapons grade track unless you're literally right next to the fighter (and sometimes not that, either)

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We don't really need another sub detector, we need a sub tracker block

raw ibex
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Do we even have sonar trackers?

raw ibex
empty igloo
raw ibex
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That's a huge issue. There's trackers for basically everything, why not for sonar?

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If we can have radar trackers, we can have sonar (underwater radar) trackers

empty igloo
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Probably to give subs some advantage, but idk

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I'd be quite happy if they just made the sonar 90 even more accurate, and leave it with its slow detection rate so it isn't as good against fast evasive boats (which is an oxymoron anyways)

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A MAD would be cool to have, but idk if it would have a unique function that isn't already served by just tossing a sonobuoy out the back

raw ibex
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It probably wouldn't

dry pecan
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You don’t have to drop a sonobouy, you can just fly over them

raw ibex
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So it's only advantage is not being in water

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Otherwise it's just a sonar bouy

dry pecan
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Sonabouys can get jammed or shot down

raw ibex
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So it's a sonar bouy, but instead of the bouy being shot down the entire craft gets shot down, all the while it still can't get a good enough lock

dry pecan
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If you want good airdropped weapons then use airdropped asw torpedos

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I’ve already developed a very effective system

raw ibex
dry pecan
raw ibex
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Oh no

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I'm the one shooting down

dry pecan
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And I have submarines capable of downing large aircraft

raw ibex
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Same brotha

dry pecan
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What the aircraft is just isn’t part of the equation here

raw ibex
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Huh

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Ohh

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Now I understood

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I thought you meant "What if the aircraft is just not part of the equation"

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My bad