.TH Command LAUNCH
.SY "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 sectors belonging to
countries you are not at war with. (see info relations)
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If there are nuclear warheads on board the particular missile,
you will be asked for targeting data for each warhead
(also known as \*Qre-entry vehicle\*U), including the target x,y.
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Once a satellite has been launched, it can not be moved again.
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Additionally, each missile can be targeted to air-burst or ground-burst.
\*QNote that the rest of this paragraph is obsolete, and retained for historical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 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 \*Qcounter-force\*U 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 havoc.
Nuclear strategists call this a \*Qcounter-value\*U technique.
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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.
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Of course, things don't always go as planned!
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Note that when you are first asked for the target sector
you can chicken out by hitting ^C
(or your favorite abort character).
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As a final note: When launching partially efficient missiles, there is a 
% chance equal to 100-missile efficiency that the missile will blow up on
the launching pad instead 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...
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See also : build, planes, satellite, nuke-types, relations,
\*QOn Thermonuclear War\*U by Herman Kahn.
