Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: fdiron on October 02, 2002, 03:49:54 AM

Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: fdiron on October 02, 2002, 03:49:54 AM
Hypothetical situation:  U.S. recieves a warning that a rogue nation is going to launch 20 nuclear ICBMS at major cities in the U.S.  The missles launch and are inbound to the U.S.  Is there any way that the U.S. could shoot down the missles?  Also, if the U.S. had information about which cities were going to be hit, would scrambled fighters be able to shoot down the individual warheads once they seperated from the ICBM?
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: Dowding (Work) on October 02, 2002, 03:59:25 AM
Who cares?

Why are all your posts so morose or overly concerned with the military?

Post about something righteous and beautiful for a change. Please. ;)
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: fdiron on October 02, 2002, 04:02:25 AM
Please stop going insane.
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: -duma- on October 02, 2002, 05:29:13 AM
That's righteous and hopeful, Dowding :)
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: Eagler on October 02, 2002, 05:41:42 AM
to answer the question, no I don't think they could be shot down

I do think if info was given which cities were targeted, the churches in those cities would become very popular, very quickly
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: Hussein on October 02, 2002, 05:41:58 AM
fdiron I doubt there is a way.

They wanted people to think so with scuds and patriots.. Post war aftermath revealed that the Patriots were a waste of money.
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: Dowding (Work) on October 02, 2002, 05:51:01 AM
lol Duma - ok I misquoted him, but congratulations for getting the reference anyway. :D
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: Leslie on October 02, 2002, 06:45:58 AM
Once the rocket goes ballistic, there would be no way to stop it.  Think incoming from a 50 mile apogee at 15,000 miles per hour.  Satellites would detect the launch and NORAD would launch a retaliatory strike, to the launch site probably.

This is what the Space Based Initiative was all about...a means to disable launch vehicles in the ascent stage, before they can build up inertia.

But to answer your question fdiron, no, they could not be shot down.

Les
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: Holden McGroin on October 02, 2002, 07:12:43 AM
"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The maiden flight of an aircraft that officials hope will one day be able to shoot down U.S.-bound missiles took place Thursday over western Kansas, the Air Force said Friday.

The Airborne Laser is planned as one part of the overall Missile Defense Agency's program to create a shield of defense systems to protect the country "from incoming tactical or ballistic missiles."

The test flight, from McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas, was the first in a series designed to see if the modified Boeing 747 can still perform properly with its distinctive structural changes. The two-hour flight did not involve the firing of a laser, which is not scheduled to be installed until later this year, Boeing officials said.

The weapon, officially known as the Prototype Attack Laser, Model A-1, is designed to destroy missiles during their early launch stage by focusing a beam on the missile's pressurized fuel tank, causing it to explode."
[/b]

The work on the system is ongoing, a few sucessful? tests with missles intercepting missles from Kwajalien have been performed.
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: popeye on October 02, 2002, 08:07:27 AM
The only hope would be to launch huge bundles of money at defense industries in congress members home states, and hope the fallout would land in their re-election campaign funds.
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: SC-Sp00k on October 02, 2002, 08:53:52 AM
A blurt on this anti missile laser system was on the news the other night.

From what I understand, is that if the laser misses its target, it just keeps on keeping on until it hits something.  This of course creates its on problems as the only thing likely to save your skinny friendly prettythang should you be in its path is the horizon LOL.
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: AKDejaVu on October 02, 2002, 08:58:16 AM
Quote
Originally posted by SC-Sp00k
A blurt on this anti missile laser system was on the news the other night.

From what I understand, is that if the laser misses its target, it just keeps on keeping on until it hits something.  This of course creates its on problems as the only thing likely to save your skinny friendly prettythang should you be in its path is the horizon LOL.
I guess the risks are all dependant on the angle of the shot then.  Besides, there'd only be about a 100 mile area that was at risk.  Its a damn good thing the earth isn't flat.

AKDejaVu
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: NUKE on October 02, 2002, 09:08:38 AM
Quote
A blurt on this anti missile laser system was on the news the other night


Saw a show on discovery channel about this laser system a few days ago. The 747 has a chemical laser that has about a 200 mile kill range.

The 747 flighs in a figure-8 pattern above the clouds and can track and target dozens of missles in the early launch phase.

Once the missle gets above the clouds, it is fired on by the laser.

The system is the most reaslistic and capable system I have heard of and it is pretty far along in development.

They say the US has plans to get about 24 of these.
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: Leslie on October 02, 2002, 09:23:55 AM
Quote
Originally posted by SC-Sp00k
A blurt on this anti missile laser system was on the news the other night.

From what I understand, is that if the laser misses its target, it just keeps on keeping on until it hits something.  This of course creates its on problems as the only thing likely to save your skinny friendly prettythang should you be in its path is the horizon LOL.


LOL Spook!!!  I want an Ostie equiped with one of those.  Wonder how many perks that would cost.:D

Sorry, couldn't resist.  Carry on.

Les:)
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: AKIron on October 02, 2002, 09:43:58 AM
If they told ya they'd have to shoot ya. ;)
Title: Re: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: gofaster on October 02, 2002, 09:44:29 AM
Quote
Originally posted by fdiron
Hypothetical situation:  U.S. recieves a warning that a rogue nation is going to launch 20 nuclear ICBMS at major cities in the U.S.  The missles launch and are inbound to the U.S.  Is there any way that the U.S. could shoot down the missles?


Are you kidding me?  In the mid-80's, there were thousands of teenagers training to do this very thing - without the guidance of their parents!  I remember spending hours at the console, learning the technology and figuring out the switches, working the simulators...the tricky part was timing the interceptor missiles to detonate on cue so that they could trigger the ICBMs to destruct.  

Man, talk about stress!

Watching the slender line of an incoming warhead as it plummeted from its zenith through the stratosphere, streaking towards major cities, killing thousands of innocent civilians.  My hands would be shaking, palms greasy with sweat as I flipped the switches and spun the control ball.  My heart tried to climb out of my throat every time my interceptor missile overshot the vapor trail of the inbound nuke. Horrors!  

A few years later, the code was updated to improve the graphics, but the program itself was no longer on the forefront of project development schedules.
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: john9001 on October 02, 2002, 10:54:10 AM
Hypothetical situation: where is a "rogue nation " going to get 20 nuclear ICBMS ?? and why would they attack the USA, also the USA can track where the launch came from.

FYI, the US has already shot down incoming dummy ICBM warheads, it's one of the "wastfull military spending programs" that you liberals always want to cut.
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: Sikboy on October 02, 2002, 11:31:18 AM
uh oh, I think this thread just switched gears!

-Sikboy
Title: Re: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: funkedup on October 02, 2002, 11:34:46 AM
Quote
Originally posted by fdiron
Hypothetical situation:  U.S. recieves a warning that a rogue nation is going to launch 20 nuclear ICBMS at major cities in the U.S.  The missles launch and are inbound to the U.S.  Is there any way that the U.S. could shoot down the missles?  Also, if the U.S. had information about which cities were going to be hit, would scrambled fighters be able to shoot down the individual warheads once they seperated from the ICBM?


NO.  If we recieve warning that a rogue nation is going to launch 20 nuclear ICBMs at major cities in the U.S., we will turn that nation into a smoking glass parking lot well before they launch anything at us.
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: funkedup on October 02, 2002, 11:37:19 AM
Quote
Originally posted by john9001
FYI, the US has already shot down incoming dummy ICBM warheads, it's one of the "wastfull military spending programs" that you liberals always want to cut.


Yep we had a fully operational system of this sort in the mid-70's.  But "wiser heads" decided to eliminate it to focus on important things like subsidizing mediocrity and encouraging sloth.
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: Sikboy on October 02, 2002, 11:42:43 AM
Quote
Originally posted by funkedup


Yep we had a fully operational system of this sort in the mid-70's.  But "wiser heads" decided to eliminate it to focus on important things like subsidizing mediocrity and encouraging sloth.


Um, I don't think that any of our programs were developed enough to prevent the type of attack described. Even Safeguard and Sentinel with their "use a nuke to kill a nuke" wouldn't have been capable of intercepting this attack after 1972 (assuming they even could before 1972).

-Sikboy
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: AKSWulfe on October 02, 2002, 11:45:28 AM
The 70s program= Star Wars program?

Or the missile defense plan using land based missles to intercept inbound ICBMs?

In any event, neither was reliable.

A couple of ICBMs may be stopped, the rest will travel to their target... or worse, explode in the atmosphere and rain radioactive material on the world for the next decade.

Do I think they should of stopped development of this? Not at all, eventually they would get atleast 70% reliable.

OTOH, don't believe that these defense systems would of done much more than stopping one nuke safely, while the rest travel to their intended targets or detonate in the atmosphere.

Nukes are nukes, there's no safe way to stop 'em.
-SW
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: Sikboy on October 02, 2002, 11:50:31 AM
Quote
Originally posted by AKSWulfe
The 70s program= Star Wars program?

No, that came in the 80's

Quote

Or the missile defense plan using land based missles to intercept inbound ICBMs?


Yep, that's more like it. Sentinel and Safeguard were the two programs from the late 60's into the 70's. They were made up of land based interceptor missiles with Nuclear warheads. They are similar in nature to the "Golash" (NATO Codeman, I forget what the Russians call it... Maybe "Svezda?"  system deployed around Moscow (That is I think Golash uses nuke warheads.

-Sikboy
Title: Re: Re: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: Eagler on October 02, 2002, 11:53:38 AM
Quote
Originally posted by funkedup


NO.  If we recieve warning that a rogue nation is going to launch 20 nuclear ICBMs at major cities in the U.S., we will turn that nation into a smoking glass parking lot well before they launch anything at us.


this is true

that is why there would be 20 suitcases/packpacks/U-haul trucks/vending machines/etc in twenty different cities instead
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: midnight Target on October 02, 2002, 11:59:38 AM
We cannot allow a vending machine gap!
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: Eagler on October 02, 2002, 12:02:18 PM
Quote
Originally posted by midnight Target
We cannot allow a vending machine gap!


I stole that idea from the movie SOAF :)
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: StSanta on October 04, 2002, 08:57:50 AM
Eagler wrote:


to answer the question, no I don't think they could be shot down

I do think if info was given which cities were targeted, the churches in those cities would become very popular, very quickly


They'd be popular even before they were launched - popular on my Target list :D.

Hullo Eagler, everything ok on yer side of the pond? :)
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: Tracer-15 on October 04, 2002, 02:18:46 PM
Quote
Hypothetical situation: where is a "rogue nation " going to get 20 nuclear ICBMS ?? and why would they attack the USA, also the USA can track where the launch came from.


Wanna know where........one word....RUSSIA....anyone with enough $$ can get anything from them
Title: Stopping ICBMS
Post by: Sikboy on October 04, 2002, 02:26:58 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Tracer-15


Wanna know where........one word....RUSSIA....anyone with enough $$ can get anything from them


I dissagree. No matter how much money you have you can not buy 20 nuclear tipped ICBMs fromt he russians. Fissile material to build a warhead? Perhaps. But I don't believe that you could even buy a single working Nuclear ICBM from Russia.

-Sikboy