                               Command : LAUNCH

 SYNTAX:
   [##:##] Command: launch <PLANES>

The launch command is used to launch missiles (or satellites) from sectors  or
nuclear submarines owned by you.  Note that you cannot launch missiles at sec-
tors belonging to countries you are not at war with. (see info relations)

If there are nuclear warheads on board the particular  missile,  you  will  be
asked  for  targeting  data for each warhead (also known as re-entry vehicle),
including the target x,y.

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

Additionally, each missile can be targeted to air-burst or ground-burst.  Note
that  the  rest  of  this  paragraph  is obsolete, and retained for historical
interest only. Nukes have been restricted to 1 hex of effect,  so  always  use
ground  bursts  for maximum damage'*U.  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 dam-
age to the sector it impacts, possibly knocking out hardened  missiles  before

                               Command : LAUNCH

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 fac-
tories),  to take out lightly armored military targets in a large area, and to
generally wreak havoc.  Nuclear strategists call this  a  counter-value  tech-
nique.

Once all targeting data is entered, the launch command will notify  you  of  a
successful  launch,  targeting,  and  (if all goes well) the detonation of the
nuclear devices in their target sectors.  Note here that it is much  safer  to
use  100% missiles than those which are less efficient, and missiles below 60%
cannot be launched.

Of course, things don't always go as planned!

Note that when you are first asked for the target sector you can  chicken  out
by hitting ^C (or your favorite abort character).

As a final note: When launching missiles, there is a % chance equal to  7+100-
missile  efficiency that the missile will blow up on the launching pad instead

                               Command : LAUNCH

of launching. If such an exploding missile should happen to be carrying one or
more  nuclear  weapons, there is a 33% chance per such nuclear weapon that the
bomb will go off when the missile explodes...

See also : build, planes, satellite, nuke-types, relations,  On  Thermonuclear
War by Herman Kahn.

