
After 25 years, military told to move from “expendable” to “reusable” rockets - ryan_j_naughton
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/07/congress-requires-military-to-consider-reusable-rockets-for-launch-contracts/
======
cwkoss
These are space rockets. Reusable munitions would be much more challenging and
impressive, though.

~~~
scienceBomb
I think it would be splitting hairs to start calling reusable rocket munitions
anything other than unmanned aerial drone bombers.

Figure you stow such a "rocket" in its launch tube, then, you see a target,
lase it (paint/illuminate it with laser guidance target selection) and fire.

The rocket launches, zips over to the target with a first stage, zeros
directly over head and ejects the explosive payload onto the target, then the
second stage fires, launching it skyward, and it returns to a landing pad with
a combination of parachute decent, finished off by a balanced retro-rocket
vertical landing on tripod legs.

Hmmm, are the avionics of guided munitions worth such a level of design
complexity?

