Mlrs

[KingBeast 0]

Nice job espectro, I didnt notice that before. Anyway as others have said, what would the point be in faking a picture of something there are plenty of pictures of? Too many bedroom generals and amateur espionage officers in this forum

[advocatexxx 0]

The picture is real - end of story.

The rocket does not look oversized, merely an illusion.  Yes the launching pod has multiple caps on it, but this serves only as a cover to protect the missile(s), it does not reflect the type/amount of missiles that the loader contains.  Since the MLRS fires with 12-rocket configuration most often these "multiple-cap" covers are always used, even though inside may hold a different type of missile.

You can clearly see this on the enlarged portion where the triangular portion of the blown-off cover has caps visible on it.

Besides why would anyone fake this ?  MLRS regularly fires the M39 Army Tactical Missile System (TACMS).

And that's that  

[-TU--33ker 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (advocatexxx @ Sep. 22 2002,14:37)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">

<span id='postcolor'>

it's a fake.

look at this piece of the cover. it just looks like someone has painted it. if you compare it with the intact cover, you'll see that the edges of the small covers aren't really round. and they look like cut out from a photo and stretched with photoshop.

[advocatexxx 0]

I really can't stand ignorant comments like that.  Have you read anything I've said ?  Jeesh. There is a difference between those that know what they're talking about and those that want to make believe.

[dayglow 2]

Whoooo, don't argue with advocatexxx

I don't really care if it's fake or not, it's just when I first looked at the picture the cap thing stuck out to me. My question is why would they manufacture a cap that has 6 smaller caps painted/molded in? The normal 6 missile block is 6 tubes with an individual cap on each one. Why wouldn't it be the same for the larger 1? That's the only thing that strikes me as odd.

COLINMAN

[RedRogue 0]

Take a look at these two websites, notice how similar they are? I found this while searching for reasearch material after reading this thread and thought it was a bit weird.

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/atacms.htm

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/atacms.htm

[ran 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (advocatexxx @ Sep. 22 2002,17:28)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I really can't stand ignorant comments like that.  Have you read anything I've said ?  Jeesh.  There is a difference between those that know what they're talking about and those that want to make believe.<span id='postcolor'>

oooh mr. Advocate at his best .......

[Guest]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (ran @ Sep. 22 2002, 20:30)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (advocatexxx @ Sep. 22 2002,17:28)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I really can't stand ignorant comments like that.  Have you read anything I've said ?  Jeesh.  There is a difference between those that know what they're talking about and those that want to make believe.<span id='postcolor'>

oooh mr. Advocate at his best .......

<span id='postcolor'>

Now, now ran. You have just regained your posting rights. Flame baiting other members is a good way to loose them again.

[ran 0]

ok , but just saying that advocate's attitude is a bit low , isn't calling other ignorants considered as flame ?

end of discussion

other than that , after a longer study of the pic ..... i can say that it possibly isn't a fake judging after the form of the tube cover fragments

thoguh i still don't see the point of this "make up" just to make the mrls look like a normal one

the enemy generally doesn't see the launchers

and what's the point ? we can see plane's and boats payloads ... a tomahawk launcher isn't that hard to indentify , and it's way bigger(ok , not really bigger , but less discrete) than a Lrm ....

and the launcher isn't that important from my point of view ..... as long as the thing reachs its target .....

[ran 0]

and you even have to wear a gasmask or to stay inside when this thing fires .....

[PFC_Mike 2]

I think Colinman is right. Why on earth would one paint fake tubes? Which raises an even more interesting question- why Photoshop them in? I dunno.

[vade_101 0]

I Don't think they are "painted" they just use the same standard fibreglass panels on both types of lauch pod.

[-TU--33ker 0]

i never said the M39 system isn't real or that the missile is too big. it's just the picture that could be fake.

there's no need to call me ignorant because of this...

BTW, did you read my post carefully??

[dayglow 2]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (vade_101 @ Sep. 23 2002,00:10)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I Don't think they are "painted" they just use the same standard fibreglass panels on both types of lauch pod.<span id='postcolor'>

Do the regular tubes have a panel over top? Every picture I've seen each of the 6 tubes are caped, but no panel over top.

COLINMAN

[-TU--33ker 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (DayGlow @ Sep. 23 2002,19:01)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (vade_101 @ Sep. 23 2002,00:10)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I Don't think they are "painted" they just use the same standard fibreglass panels on both types of lauch pod.<span id='postcolor'>

Do the regular tubes have a panel over top? Every picture I've seen each of the 6 tubes are caped, but no panel over top.

COLINMAN<span id='postcolor'>

that's it! this picture must be a fake!

[Mister Frag 0]

The panels are added after loading to protect the missiles from the environment.

[dayglow 2]

so each tube has a cap, then a panel over all 6?

COLINMAN

[revchenko 0]

The system called ATACMS is real and was used in Desert Storm to strike Iraqi air defence sites and command posts outside the range of all other coalition artillery.  It's mentioned in the 1998 Global Defence Review.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Each M270 can carry 2 ATACMS weapons, compared to the standard load of 12 rockets.  The ATACMS Block 1 is 13 feet long, 2 feet in diameter and has a range of 102 miles.  Each missile contains 950 M74 bomblets that disperse over a target area and detonate on impact.  A single ATACMS can destroy a company sized target.  In 1996 Turkey became the first foriegn customer for the weapon.  Work is underway to improve the range of the system to 186 miles and other improvements include adding GPS guidance and the development of brilliant anti-armour technology sub-munitions.  The US Navy has awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin Vought Systems to test a ship launched variant of the ATACMS missile to possibly provide general fire support for amphibious landings or to strike coastal defence sites.  This version would take over many of the Navy's fire-support roles currently performed by ship's gus or strike aircraft<span id='postcolor'>

With regards the painted on cover "Each ATACMS missile is packaged in a MLRS look-alike launch pod and is fired from the MLRS"  according to Lockheed Martin

http://www.photos.external.lmco.com/ type ATACMS in the search for box

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/factsheets/product197.html

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/factsheets/product625.html