TBMs and the flaming datum problem

By Alan R. Washburn

Subjects: BALLISTICS, GUIDED MISSILES, LAUNCHING, ANTISUBMARINE WARFARE

Description: Theater Ballistic Missile launching systems are vulnerable just after a missile is launched because the missile's track can be extrapolated backwards to the location of the launcher. The situation is similar to one where a submarine torpedoes a ship, thus creating a flaming datum near which ASW forces may concentrate a search for the submarine. This report describes how some simple analytic methods adapted from ASW can be applied to the task of locating the TBM launcher. TBM, Scud, Search.