The best defense is an anti-missile shield

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FrankGSterleJr
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The best defense is an anti-missile shield

Post by FrankGSterleJr »

Unlike Ronald Reagan's 1980s Strategic defence initiative, a.k.a. Star Wars, the anti-missile defence shield, into which Canada currently seems to be placing some serious stock, is quite realistic and technologically sound. In fact, over two decades ago the tech had impressively (at least to me) proved itself to be on solid ground, though I feel that it could’ve already been by now solidly established as a fully functional defense shield.
One need only note the success of the Patriot batteries stationed around Israel during Desert Storm.
If I recall correctly, the Patriot missiles had been barely developed with no practical testing, thus they had to be field tested during actual warfare. Only one scud made it through the defence shield intact and another after being severely damaged, though both did not result in death, injury nor even notable damage. Had the system been shy of competent, let alone a failure, there’s no reason to believe that the nuclear-armed nation of Israel was bluffing when it promised to retaliate against Iraq if the Patriots failed to deliver and Israeli casualties were incurred.
Unfortunately, whatever small degree to which the U.S. has thus far developed its shield technology in actual hardware would only serve to intercept ballistic missiles targeting nations that are U.S. friendly or their protection is in U.S. interests.
That kind of act could motivate some nations – most worrisome being rogue nations such as the bizarre-behaviour North Korea via their Great Leader – to find other means to compensate for their new great disadvantage. For example, they could expand their nuclear arsenal while collaborating with their own friendly nations (however few) to achieve the means to overwhelm the biased anti-missile shield.
A good means of avoiding such dreary anti-productive measures-thus-counter-measures would be to ensure all interested ‘sides’ that the anti-missile defence shield would be independently programmed to intercept all airborne projectiles regardless of their origin. The system would monitor the planet’s air space and launch anti-missile defensive measures, equipped with latest computer-systems-hacking fail-safe technology.
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henry quirk
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Post by henry quirk »

"...the anti-missile defence shield would be independently programmed to intercept all airborne projectiles regardless of their origin..."

What we need is Gort (Micheal Rennie [and Keanu Reeves ] can stay home).
uwot
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Re: The best defense is an anti-missile shield

Post by uwot »

henry quirk wrote:What we need is Gort (Micheal Rennie [and Keanu Reeves ] can stay home).
No systems perfect. Klaatu was shot as I remember.
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henry quirk
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Post by henry quirk »

Yeah, that why meat bags can stay home and let the world-destroying machines do the dirty work.

Gort was untouchable.
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henry quirk
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Post by henry quirk »

"No system's perfect"

'Fuck you. Fireballs and Lightning Bolts solve all problems.' --Fizbin the Wizard to an optimistic diplomat

;)
uwot
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Re: The best defense is an anti-missile shield

Post by uwot »

Never heard of Fizbin, but I like his style.
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henry quirk
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Post by henry quirk »

"Never heard of Fizbin"

Me neither...just plucked that name out of my keister to attach to some (truthful) snark... ;)
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Arising_uk
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Re: The best defense is an anti-missile shield

Post by Arising_uk »

The problem I have with this 'shield' is where are these missile going to be intercepted?

As when America suggested it before it looked like they be blowing-up over Europe.
Blaggard
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Re: The best defense is an anti-missile shield

Post by Blaggard »

Star Wars was cold war nonsense bandied about for propoganda purposes, everyone who was suppposedly working on it knew it could never happen.

As far as an Aegis system goes, modern cruisers have it right, fire as much shit into the air that if any thing does get through it will only be scrap metal, and not with warheads attached. :)

I once saw a gun that fires millions of rounds in the air to take down missiles in an arc of 45º hence then covered by other guns of the same ilk. That's gonna work, try getting a missile through that shit storm, targetted lazers, well you're talking shit obviously. I'm pretty sure I haven't broken the official secrets act a) it was 30 years ago, and b) if you're standing on the deck of a cruiser at the age of 12 having how their defense systems work explained, they're probably common knowledge. :)

I signed the official secrets act in later life when I worked on a naval base, but then I've said too much and if you ever tell anyone you heard that you are dead. TBH though most of the shit the general mortal is going to see in a defence facility is going to be 20 years out of date... :)

It's good living nr Portsmouth though, and being the son of a Navy man, you do get to go out on ships into the ocean and see all that shit first hand. Kinda memorable even for a liberal and someone who is mostly anti interference in the affairs of other countries without good reason. :)
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SpheresOfBalance
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Re: The best defense is an anti-missile shield

Post by SpheresOfBalance »

Blaggard wrote:Star Wars was cold war nonsense bandied about for propoganda purposes, everyone who was suppposedly working on it knew it could never happen.

As far as an Aegis system goes, modern cruisers have it right, fire as much shit into the air that if any thing does get through it will only be scrap metal, and not with warheads attached. :)

I once saw a gun that fires millions of rounds in the air to take down missiles in an arc of 45º hence then covered by other guns of the same ilk. That's gonna work, try getting a missile through that shit storm, targetted lazers, well you're talking shit obviously. :)
Not at all, it could be done, it would just be very dangerous to control, without non intended incident, and it could be compromised. Not very smart to place something up there to fire down here, where a half a degree error could wipe out an entire city. Sure it would have to be huge, with a nuclear reactor, as power, another potential problem, if things go awry.

Not so much technically a problem, given enough money, rather a matter of control!
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Arising_uk
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Re: The best defense is an anti-missile shield

Post by Arising_uk »

But we're talking ICBM's and nukes? Bloody high-up and coming-in tres fast. Doubt normal ordinance would reach, maybe the new rail-guns but even so, I'd just rig them to blow and make them very dirty so lots of fallout, so nobody wins. Or would such a shield just mean planes like the TSR2 would be redeveloped?
Blaggard
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Re: The best defense is an anti-missile shield

Post by Blaggard »

The new defence systems are planning on taking them out with multiple missile war heads while there still in orbit no where near the country in question. As is say as much shit as fast as you can in a small area, anything gets through after all that shit it's gonna be space debree. With the sattellite cover NATO has any launched nukes should be picked up fairly fast. That said of course nuclear war is still as mad as it was in the MAD pact, just technology is now in a place to save some lives at least where as before it was guaranteed annihilation on both sides. I was using an analogy with AEGIS technology, not speaking of balistics of the same nature.

If nuclear war does happen even if this technology pans out 90% of the human race is boned, but it's better than 99.9% I suppose. As the OP says the political bs never matches the reality. WWIII kicks of and there's not going to be much left of Earth. Hell if antimatter bombs ever become reality there's not going to much left of the solar system, most fission warheads are about 1% efficient in theory an antimatter bomb is near 100% efficient that means the megatonnage now is is scaled up by a factor of something close to log 2, a large warhead could leave nothing left of the Earth, and little left of the surrounding solar system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG_oErV2wXc

Let's just hope that saner German scientists are in control. :)
Last edited by Blaggard on Fri May 23, 2014 7:43 pm, edited 4 times in total.
thedoc
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Re: The best defense is an anti-missile shield

Post by thedoc »

It would be better to not need a defense system at all, don't make enemies and you won't need to defend yourself. The alternative is to simply wipe them out and live in peace.
Blaggard
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Re: The best defense is an anti-missile shield

Post by Blaggard »

That wont work, then your new race that colonises the Earth that remains will declare independance and those nations will need resources, and so on. The only way to live in peace is the first option, to stop being a dick about things in the first place, but then pigs will fly. :)

Let's just all live in hope that no one ever perfects the doom melon... :)
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SpheresOfBalance
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Re: The best defense is an anti-missile shield

Post by SpheresOfBalance »

thedoc wrote:It would be better to not need a defense system at all, don't make enemies and you won't need to defend yourself. The alternative is to simply wipe them out and live in peace.
Yes Doc, I agree. The problem is that as long as there is no control to that ends, someone will always built another means. The real problem in that case would be continually smacking the hands of those that would built the means, and then taking away their toys.
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