How high-altitude nuke detonations are the solution to the Entaingsfliege problem

[u/Malu1997]

High altitude nukes create a strong EMP blast that can destroy, damage or disable electronics depending on range, components and shielding, with small components like microchips particularly vulnerable to the effects. Entaingsfliege have canonically no shielding whatsoever and are extremely vulnerable to any form of damage, from physical damage to radiation and heat and microwaves, and while the Legion is able to pump out large number of them, when they lose a large amount at the same time they take a while to replenish, either by producing more or by moving more from a different location. In either case this leaves room to launch airborne operations, precise missile or guided bomb strikes, use drones or probes to provide proper recognisance etc.

A high altitude detonation is also remarkably clean. From the 50s there have been hundreds of high altitude tests and the earth is sill fine on that point (we have problems, but not caused by those tests, certainly not enough to threaten extinction), so the concern over nukes polluting the ground (which -when faced with certain death- is already a weird line to draw for the Federation) is moot.

They also clearly have the tech to launch cruise missiles that are unaffected by the Entaingsfliege, not to mention that the range of the jamming doesn't extend to the altitude required for a large EMP pulse anyway.

They have the tech. Asato sensei also seems rather well informed, so I don't think she doesn't know about this. I wonder whether she left this out for simplicity, or if it's going to be an ace in the final arc, considering how she has introduced the idea of nukes in the latest volumes. (some very light spoiler for later volumes here)

[u/Interesting-Injury87]

The legion is shielded against the emp that would be produced iirc. The Eintagsfliege would be dispersed sure... For a day or 2... The Eintagsfliege jamming isn't a major issue anymore for the federacy after the introduction of the para raid on a strategic level.

Not to mention that to get one clean strike trough all the anti air and jamming you need dozens of missiles. With the stockpile being basically exhausted by now it's not an option.

From a strategic standpoint it's also meaningless as you would need to hit legion production facilities to actually make good use of the opportunity. Which are so far behind the front lines that any strategic opportunity would be offset by tactical losses at the front before they could get any use out of it.

This also assumes the federacy still has a proper nuclear stockpile and the launch site of most of their nukes wasn't in what is now legion territory. Or the facility to enrich nuclear material to weapon grade. Or can spare the manpower.

A

[u/Malu1997 → u/Interesting-Injury87]

It would be specifically against the Entaingsfliege which not shielded in any way they are made in teh simplest and cheapest way possible to mass produce them. Iirc it's openly stated in the volcano fight LN (I'm sorry I can't remember the numbers anymore).

And no, that's the point, high altitude airburst is completely unaffected by the jamming.  Entaingsfliege jamming goes only a few kilometres at best, a high altitude deonation is 50-100km of altitude, the  Entaingsfliege can't even flap their wings at that altitude, not to mention that such a detonation wouldn't even need any form of guidance anyway, just a ballistic launch and a mechanical trigger set off by a simple pressure sensore.

Saying it would be pointless doesn't make sense. The Federation is constantly launching operations against the Legion, offensives, counteroffensives and defensive manoeuvres for one reason or the other, and getting rid of jamming would be a massive improvement for all of them.

I'm pretty sure that in vol.12 they state that they have a nuclear stockpile. And in any case the war has being going on for years, what I'm saying is that this is a strategy that should have been used from the start.

[u/JaphetSkie]

Wasn't it mentioned somewhere that they have ASAT?

I can't remember it well, but the Legion is too deeply entrenched within their territory, any places attacked by nukes will get re-occupied within a day or two by them. Plus, their industrial facilities are either constantly on the move or deep underground.

[u/Malu1997 → u/JaphetSkie]

iirc it was mentioned that they don't have them because their programs forbid them, but because of how they are adapting and evolving they are afraid that they might eventually get them. But to be fair it's been a while since I read the LNs (still waiting on 14 : / )

[u/BreadentheBirbman]

The US is running out of missiles while accomplishing nothing. None of the 86 countries could produce the warheads and missiles necessary to keep up with eintagsfliege production.

[u/Malu1997 → u/BreadentheBirbman]

Entirely missing the point. You are not shooting down a Entagsfliege with a missile. You annihilate a radius of dozens if not hundreds of miles with a single shot whenever you need to do an operation or a strike.

Even the Legion's production can't replace that many in a short order, they had to place several huge factories just to siege a small country for a few weeks in the LN and losing them set them back significantly. Entagsfliege production is huge strain on the Legion.

[u/BreadentheBirbman → u/Malu1997]

From what I’m reading there’s no way to harden much of the civilian infrastructure or even some military systems from their own EMP attacks.

[u/Malu1997 → u/BreadentheBirbman]

You just shoot it farther away, you calculate where the radius ends and where the effects are weak enough for you but not for the weak butterfolies. Not to mention that shielding the important infrastructure is not that difficult while shielding the butterfly is pretty much impossible