posted 01-18- 10:17 AM               

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Is the speed of the bullets in SDOE relative? If I fire a round with a muzzel velocity of 1,500 fps will it move at 1,500fps relative to the plane or the ground?

Also, is the flight of the round a 'fixed' path? If I fire a round moving at 10,500 fps will it take the exact same arc as a round moving 1,500 fps?

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posted 01-18- 12:44 PM               

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The speed of the bullet is relative to the vehicle which fires it. IE, if the muzzle velocity is 1500 f/s, it will leave the barrel at that velocity. If the vehicle is travelling in the same direction at 200 m/h, the initial speed of the bullet will be roughly 1793 f/s relative to the ground. If the vehicle is travelling in the opposite direction, the initial speed relative to the ground will be roughly 1207 f/s

The arc of the bullet is dependent on initial velocity and the altitude (air density).

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posted 01-18- 02:20 PM               

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I found an interesting item about how the muzzle velocity affects accuracy:

"The NDRC study of hypervelocity noted at the end of the war that, in
attacking targets moving in three dimensions, heightening muzzle
velocity of guns by 50 percent would have more than triple the number of hits."
(NDRC = National Defense Research Committee)

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Kopper

Fortunae Nihil
(Nothing to Chance)
OPPs Making SDOE a Dangerous place.
One plane at a time.

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posted 01-18- 03:33 PM               

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Thanks MH and Kopper. With the creation of the F-15, F-14, plus the soon to be Viper, speed is becoming an issue with ammo.

Kopper:

That goes back to most pilots beleiving that firing when a plane is in the sights and in range that the rounds will hit the plane. There is still flight time to muzzel to target, time for the plane to move. Of course, I'm just stating the obvious...

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