They Just Lie
The entire missile shot that took place last night was a agitprop stunt. We have done exactly the same thing in the past for a hell of a lot less money: from the CNN report on the shot
In 1989, a U.S. fighter jet destroyed an American satellite by firing a modified air-to-air missile into space from an altitude of 80,000 feet. That move adds to evidence the U.S. acted Wednesday strictly to guard against the prospect of a potential disaster, Cartwright said.
The ancient Phoenix air-to-air missile/F-14 system achieves a “hard” lock-on at 75 miles. We have newer and better missiles on newer and better aircraft. This was not a difficult shot, because there weren’t any active defensive systems on the satellite and the flight path was well known.
This mission was set up so that every service was involved, and that is exactly how the Iran hostage mission got screwed up – too many “cooks”. The whole thing was anti-missile system propaganda, to justify spending tens of millions of dollars more than necessary on a straight-forward air defense mission.
4 comments
In the summer of 06′ I was in Fort Bliss reclassifying to MOS 14J, Air Defense Tactical Operations Center Operator:
The primary tasks of MOS 14J Soldiers are to operate the Air Defense System Integrator, Air and Missile Defense Workstation and the Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control processor, while Aviators operate the Tactical Airspace Integration System and ADAM Brigade Aviation Element. Combining the capabilities of these robust systems together enables aviation planning and A2C2 at a single location, while providing the maneuver commander with reliable situational awareness utilized to de-conflict regional air space and mitigate risks of fratricide.
Ya, lots a jargon, I know. Anyways, while on the way to PT one morning before dark, there was a sudden brightening in the sky. I looked up to see the trail of a missile head up, up, and up. Then, big flash.
Here is the whole story: White Sands missile test ‘phenomenal’
I’m too intimately involved with the Air Defense community to speak ill of it so I’ll have to pass on going farther.
I spent years reading that jargon in Russian while keeping tabs on what the chaps in the Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces were up to, which essentially what my Dad had been up to his entire military career – making the other side’s stuff go boom.
I assume this is the system that has been installed at Fort Greely as part of the anti-missile defense.
Personally, I’d like to see some money spent on IFF for our own helicopters and ground vehicles, to stop the Air Force from launching on them. A common command frequency would be nice.
I think any of the services could have done this job, and one of them should have been selected and allowed to do it. Joint operations tend to get people killed.
In any case this is a damn expensive way to de-orbit satellites.
Heh, http://www.cdi.org/friendlyversion/printversion.cfm?documentID=2259…
The Navy’s system that identified an Iranian airliner as an Iranian F-14. The Air Forces fighter jocks who couldn’t identify a Blackhawk. The A-10 pilot who shot up a British armored unit. The Alaskan ADC pilots who had a hard time telling the difference between a KC-135 and a Soviet Tu-95.
The prize has to be flying airborne command and control and having several of the fighters you are controlling sweeping you with their weapons radars.
We really need to address these issues, because they have been going on for decades, and I really thought they would have been solved by now.