                               Command : LAUNCH

NAME
   launch - Launch missiles or satellites

Level: Expert

SYNTAX
   [##:##] Command : launch <PLANES> <SECT|SHIP|PLANE>

The  launch command is used to launch missiles (or satellites) from sectors or
submarines owned by you.

There are five classes of missiles:

   1. "marine" missiles may only be fired at ships.  They may be given
      "interdiction" mission.
   2. "tactical" missiles (without "marine" capability) may only be fired
      against sectors.  They may be given missions.  If they fire on a
      mission, then only enough missiles will fire to cause 100 damage.
   3. "intercept" missiles can't be launched manually.  They
      automatically intercept planes.
   4. "satellite" missiles may only be fired against satellites in orbit.
      They will automatically attempt to intercept AT_WAR satellites
      being launched into orbit.  Unlike other missiles, they don't get
      used up.
   5. "SDI" (anti-ballistic-missiles) can't be launched manually.  They
      automatically intercept incoming "tactical" (non-"marine")
      missiles.

In certain cases, a missile will require petrol or shells to be in the  sector
before  it  can be launched.  See 'show plane stats' to find out how much fuel
the missile requires.  The 'load' value in 'show plane  stats'  specifies  how
many  shells  the  missile requires.  Note that if the missile is armed with a
nucelar warhead, then it does not require any shells.

Once a satellite has been launched, it can not be moved again.

Note here that it is much safer to use 100% missiles than those which are less
efficient, and missiles below 40% cannot be launched.

The  formula  for  the  chance  that  a  missile  hits  its target is in "info
Hitchance".

In the case of non-marine tactical missiles, if there  are  any  HOSTILE  ABMs
within range of the target sector, then two of them will fire in an attempt to
intercept the incoming missile.

Similarly, two AT_WAR a-sat's will attempt to intercept any satellites you at-
tempt  to  launch  within  their range.  Also, if the sector you are launching
your satellite at is owned by a non-allied country, then they will get a tele-
gram  informing  them  of the positioning of the satellite.  See below for de-
tails of a satellite's orbit path.

When launching missiles, there is a % chance equal to (5 + 100 - efficiency) *
(1 - techfactor) that the missile will blow up on the launching pad instead of
launching.

Missiles launched from submarines are anonymous. The victim is not notified of
the identity of the launching country.

Nuclear-tipped  missiles can only be launched at sectors.  You specify whether
the nuclear warhead will airburst or groundburst when  you  arm  the  missiles
(see  info  arm).   In  order  to better destroy missiles on the ground (or in
their silos), the ground-burst technique is used.  Ground-bursts are much less
effective  against  large area targets, but do massive damage to the sector it
impacts, possibly knocking out hardened  missiles  before  they  can  be  used
against  you.  In the parlance of nuclear targeting doctrine, this is known as
"counter-force" targeting.  Air-bursts are used in order to kill large numbers
of civilians, to knock out industry (by flattening the factories), to take out
lightly armored military targets in a large area, and to generally wreak  hav-
oc.  Nuclear strategists call this a "counter-value" technique.

See Also "On Thermonuclear War" by Herman Kahn.

When you launch a satellite, you will be asked "Geostationary orbit?".  If you
answer "y", then your satellite will stay where you launch it.   If,  however,
you  answer  "n",  then  your  satellite will move along 5% of a geodesic path
around the world every update.  The path  the  satellite  follows  looks  like
this:

   +----+
   | /  |
   |/   |
   |   /|
   |  / |
   | /  |
   |/   |
   |   /|
   |  / |
   +----+

That is, start in the middle, move northeast until you hit the edge, then con-
tinue from the west edge near the top and go northeast until you  go  off  the
top  of  the map, then continue at the bottom going northeast until you go off
the eastern edge again, and continue from the western edge near the bottom un-
til you get back to the centre.

If  a  foreign satellite moves over your territory durring an update, then you
will get a message like "Fodderland satellite spotted over 12,24" as a part of
your update BULLETIN.

SEE ALSO
   build, plane, satellite, Nuke-types, relations, Planes, Nukes

