I would prefer to see if the Aegis system works. If we did shoot it down, and I think we could, then that would put a big question mark in the minds of rogue countries like NK and Iran. If we can shoot that NK missile down, who's to say we can't shoot down one a bit more sophisticated? I think producing that worry would be worthwhile, and if the Aegis system won't work on a primitive ICBM like this, then that's something we should know as well. Keep D&D Civil.
Aegis won't work on a ICBM. An ICBM is a balistic missle. It shoots more or less straight up to the edge of space and then falls on its target. The Aegis is designed to protect ships from threats against their fleet. Generally threats from space are not of prime consideration for warships.
just to play the devil's advocate here if n. korea really is launching a communication satellite what right is it of anyone to shoot it down? i mean everyone knows it's for military purposes, but still............ and yeah it would be awesomeness to see the aegis shoot that sucker down! if they could get film of it happening...............
Yea Aegis is worthless against ICBMs. But do we actually have NMD missile interceptors in Japan? The article made it sound like we had some around there.
Even better, it's spectreman, who was effectively the Monkees to Ultraman's Beatles, but with more of an environmental theme, as well as a fixture of KTXH's afternoon TV lineup when I was a kid. B-Bob (a scion of evil Dr. Gori) and I used to exchange tons of nerdy spectreman-oriented post back when he used to post here.
Ottomaton, it has been tested as an anti-missile system. From Wikipedia regarding a successful ABM boost phase test: On 24 February 2005, the Missile Defense Agency, testing the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, successfully intercepted a mock enemy missile. This was the first test of an operationally configured Standard missile 3 interceptor and the fifth successful test intercept using this system. On 10 November 2005, the USS Lake Erie detected, tracked, and destroyed a mock two-stage ballistic missile within two minutes of the ballistic missile launch. [7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Missile_Defense Experimental U.S.-Japan Missile Tip Passes First Test By JIM WOLF, REUTERS An experimental missile tip, designed by Japan and the United States in a landmark missile-defense cooperation effort, worked without apparent hitch on March 8 in its first flight test, the Pentagon said. In a drill off Hawaii’s Kauai island, a U.S. cruiser with an advanced Aegis weapon system successfully launched a Standard Missile (SM)-3 tipped with the innovative "nosecone" at a simulated target, the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency said. The new hardware is designed to open like a clam shell to more quickly release the so-called kill vehicle, which is built to dart into the path of an oncoming warhead and destroy it through collision. By contrast, in its standard configuration, the SM-3 missile must maneuver to eject the barrel-shaped kill vehicle -- a tricky process known as "pitch and ditch." The component research on the missile tip was split 50-50 between Raytheon Co. of Waltham, Massachusetts, and Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. under a joint U.S.-Japanese research program begun in August 1999. Raytheon builds the SM-3 missile. The test was "an important milestone in the project and is an example of the close coordination between the U.S. and Japan in ballistic missile defense," said Chris Taylor, a Pentagon spokesman. "The advanced nosecone worked as planned." Japan is a key partner in the multibillion-dollar U.S. drive for a layered shield against ballistic missiles. Its interest soared after North Korea fired a multistage Taepodong 1 missile across the Sea of Japan on Aug. 31, 1998, its first such ballistic missile test in more than five years. China has declared that Japan’s missile defense plans could undermine the regional power balance and spark a fresh arms race. In December 2003, Japan announced it would join the United States in fielding a layered anti-missile bulwark, using both Aegis-equipped destroyers and upgraded Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile systems. Among its related steps, Tokyo is modifying the first of up to four Kongo-class destroyers with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system, linchpin of the sea-based part of ballistic missile defense. That work is being done by Lockheed Martin Corp. under a three-year, $124 million contract. Lockheed, the Pentagon’s largest supplier, has integrated the experimental SM-3 missile nosecone into the Aegis system, which is a maritime weapon of choice for South Korea, Norway and Spain, in addition to the United States and Japan. Australia is also buying it. http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=1585307&C=americas These tests, however, appear to deal with the descent phase. Considering how several nations are attempting to buy this technology, one would think it's effective. No, it's not going to nail an ICBM in sub-orbital flight, and is most effective, I would think, against shorter range missiles, and missiles without sophisticated systems to defeat ABM technology. Ultimately, the best hope for effective missile defense, against missiles in the boost phase, may be the airborne laser. (and it may already be deployed... we aren't told everything, lol.) The Airborne Laser (ABL) weapons system, designated YAL-1A, is a megawatt class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) primarily designed to shoot down theatre ballistic missiles (TBMs) similar to the Scud while in boost phase. The laser system is fitted to a heavily modified Boeing 747-400F freighter and is still in the test period. The laser has been test fired on the ground but not yet in flight. However a much less powerful early flying prototype successfully shot down several missiles in the 1980s. It was called the Airborne Laser Laboratory, and was a technological pathfinder for the ABL [1]. The ABL doesn't burn through a missile, or disintegrate it. Rather it heats the missile skin, weakening it and causing failure due to flight stresses. If proven successful, a fleet of seven Boeing 747s with the ABL system would be constructed. In operation they would be divided between two combat theaters. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_laser I certainly hope we have a greater capability than the public is aware of. North Korea is a real threat, and Iran keeps making noises about turning Israel into a parking lot. We're spending billions on these systems. Lets hope they work against primitive systems like that of North Korea. Keep D&D Civil.
I think some of you are forgetting about this bad boy [Boeing 747 ABL] which now may or may not be operational. Certainly they will be up in the area if they are in fact ready for a live "test". The ABL would be the best option to destroy the missile - because the laser hit would not be detectable (well, that is assuming they got rid of the pink laser). Please forgive the 1997 photoshopping.
I didn't forget it. I just hope Picard has his finger on the button, or else we're doomed! Keep D&D Civil.
He ain't in the picture, Hayes. Why not??? He's a manly man. Picard has that shiny dome, which is used by girly men to deflect the laser beams. Picard's a cheater! Keep D&D Civil.
Ok, I was wrong. But the Aegis will still only work for about 20% of the total flight time, the first part of the boost phase and the last part of the decent phase. Also note that this was a test on a "simulated target" which would seem to indicate the item is still deep in development, not a production item. I am not sure how close to Korea they would have to be to stop a long range test, but I think that that would have to be a consideration. I also don't think it would be acceptable to destroy it over North Korean airspace or waters? BTW, I never said anything bad about Aegis. It's great. But it was designed as a naval fleet protection system.
I'm sure that N. Korea will back off, but you have to admit this is rather exciting in a weird way. ________ A medium-range separating target missile is seen seconds after lift-off from the Pacific Missile Range Facility. N. Korean threat activates shield The Pentagon activated its new U.S. ground-based interceptor missile defense system, and officials announced yesterday that any long-range missile launch by North Korea would be considered a "provocative act." Poor weather conditions above where the missile site was located by U.S. intelligence satellites indicates that an immediate launch is unlikely, said officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. However, intelligence officials said preparations have advanced to the point where a launch could take place within several days to a month. Two Navy Aegis warships are patrolling near North Korea as part of the global missile defense and would be among the first sensors that would trigger the use of interceptors, the officials said yesterday. The U.S. missile defense system includes 11 long-range interceptor missiles, including nine deployed at Fort Greeley, Alaska, and two at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The system was switched from test to operational mode within the past two weeks, the officials said. ... full article
Yea...let's shoot down their test missile. That would be cool. At least we get to evaluate the system in regards to someone else's test missile launch even if we don't attempt to shoot it down. It's a practice run against the real thing. We need to boost our deterrent so they can reciprocate by boosting their deterrent. Then, we need to boost our deterrent so they can reciprocate by boosting their detterent. Then, we need to tell them what they should and should not be doing. Then, they need to tell us that our provocative statements and actions will necessitate them to...boost their deterrent. Then, we can boost our deterrent some more followed by some more deterrent boosting by the other side. Deter deter deter deter deter deter deter deter deter deter deter deter............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................deter off you deterrent. Deter the deterrer. I deter you. Deter...deter...deter...does not compute! Does not compute! Missile defense test failure! Blue screen! - W.O.P.R.
Missile Defense Prepped; Kim Yawns So the U.S. has decided to turn on its Alaska-based missile defense system, in response to North Korea's impending launch. Kim Jong-il ain't exactly quaking in his boots, I imagine. The Ground-based Midcourse Defense system hasn't successfully intercepted a missile since October of 2002. Five of its last ten flight tests, it flunked. And the last two times it tried to hit an oncoming missile, the interceptor didn't even leave the ground. Things have gotten so bad that the Missile Defense Agency's independent review team concluded last year that more tests may only undermine the GMD's value as a deterrent. (Here's a comprehensive list of all of the GMD tests -- past, current, and future -- from the Center for Defense Information.) Missile defense backers might point to a positive-sounding test run in April. But that was just a "data collection" flight. "No interceptor missiles were used," CDI notes. ... "This 'missile defense system initiated' **** is the biggest yawner of a story all day," says one knowledgeable source. "I'm exaggerating... but it takes approximately two seconds to flip those sorties to operational." The source also wonders whether the North Koreans are really planning to launch a "missile," at all. What if it's a small satellite they're trying to get into orbit, instead? [The South Koreans seem to be asking the same question.] Lastly, the source wonders whether the U.S. would even be willing to launch a missile interceptor, given the system's uneven track record. "What message do we send if we miss?" he asks. full article
Japan agrees to US deployment of missiles By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press Writer TOKYO — Japan and the United States have agreed to deploy advanced Patriot interceptor missiles on U.S. bases in Japan for the first time, officials said Monday. The agreement earlier this month came amid concerns that North Korea may be about to test-fire a long-range ballistic missile. The U.S. plans to deploy the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles - designed to intercept ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or aircraft - as soon as possible, a Japanese Defense Agency spokeswoman. The spokeswoman, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with agency policy, said the sites and timing for the deployment have not yet been decided. The plan was first reported Monday in Japan's largest newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. It said the U.S. military would deploy three or four batteries of the surface-to-air missiles on the southern island of Okinawa by the end of the year and send 500-600 additional U.S. troops there. Up to 16 missiles can fit in a single PAC-3 battery, according to the system's manufacturer, Lockheed Martin Corp. The plan was proposed by U.S. officials during a June 17 meeting in Hawaii, the newspaper said. Japan and the U.S. signed an agreement in 2005 allowing Japan to produce PAC-3 missiles for deployment during fiscal 2006 at Japanese bases. But the deployment plans for Okinawa are apparently separate from that deal. Recent intelligence reports indicate North Korea may be preparing to test-fire a Taepodong-2 missile within days and is fueling the missile at a launch site on the country's northeastern coast. The concerns have prompted the U.S. to move up its planned test of a missile-detecting radar system in northern Japan, Kyodo News agency reported, citing an unidentified U.S. official in Washington. A test run of the high-resolution radar, capable of detecting incoming missiles, was initially scheduled to begin weeks later. However, Kyodo said testing could start as early as Monday. Japanese Defense Facilities Administration Agency, in charge of U.S. military bases in Japan, said the report could not be immediately confirmed. The so-called X-Band radar had been transferred from a U.S. base in Japan to the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force's Shariki base at Tsugaru, in the country's north. Tsugaru is 360 miles northeast of Tokyo. The radar deployment is part of the joint missile defense project, which began after North Korea fired a missile, part of which flew over Japan, in 1998. Tokyo and Washington on Friday also signed an agreement to expand their cooperation on a joint ballistic missile defense shield, committing themselves to joint production of interceptor missiles. The agreement had been previously negotiated and was not triggered by emerging fears of a possible North Korean missile test, officials said. There has been speculation that the U.S. could try to intercept the missile if it is fired. Interesting. Keep D&D Civil.
I think you're still correct. The AEGIS system still seems to be a theatre based missile defense system that doesn't sound like it would work against an ICBM. At launch is the easiest time to stop a missile but we would have to know where and when the missile was going to be launched to get our interceptor missiles or the laser on the 747 in position to stop it. Once an ICBM gets into flight phase it is practically in low Earth orbit and is at its hardest to stop. Once it gets to the targetting phase it is still travelling very fast and even then if it could be taken out could still do a lot of damage. Trying to take out the NK missile now is a potentially bad move. Our own anti-ICBM tests have done poorly even in highly rigged tests where we know the location and moment of launch, trajectory and velocity of the missile and where we even add radar boosters to it to make it more visible. NK isn't going to help us target their missile and if we miss it makes us look worse than if we hadn't tried. Plus if we actually hit it the data from that strike will just help NK, the PRC and anyone else learn more about our defense system to figure out how to overcome it. IMO the NK missile is going to be relatively primitive and likely to malfunction on its own.
