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| Britain |
| Blair 'in Son of Star Wars deal' |
| 2004-10-17 |
| PRIME Minister Tony Blair had secretly agreed to let the United States station interceptor missiles on British soil for the so-called "Son of Star Wars" defence system, it was reported today. Britain had agreed "in principle" to a US request to site the missiles at an existing early warning radar centre in Fylingdales, Yorkshire, northern England, the Independent on Sunday said. According to the paper, agreement was reached at a meeting last May in Washington attended by senior officials from the British embassy and the US State Department. However, the British diplomats asked that no official announcement be made until after Mr Blair faced a general election likely in the middle of next year, the newspaper said, without citing its sources. It was already known that the United States would use the early warning radar at Fylingdales for the new defence system, but nothing has been said publicly about missiles being stationed there. Britain's Ministry of Defence said no decisions had been made. "The UK has not yet decided whether we need our own missile defence. This is a decision for the future when the US system has further evolved," a spokesman said. If Britain does accommodate the missiles, it could prompt difficulties for Mr Blair within his ruling Labour Party. With many of his MPs already angry at the his backing for the US-led war in Iraq they might blanch at closer military ties with Washington. "Son of Star Wars", designed to detect and then destroy incoming missiles through interceptor missiles, has been devised by the administration of US President George W. Bush. It got its name from former president Ronald Reagan's planned Strategic Defence Initiative anti-missile system, dubbed "Star Wars" at the time. The system has long been highly controversial, with critics warning it is both impractical and unfeasibly expensive, while the Bush administration remains strongly committed to the project. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #13 James thats all fine. This system is not meant to counter a Russian threats. It's to counter an Irainian or other terrorist state threat. Do you honestly think Iran can build 1000's of missles before we just vaporise them? This system is designed to counter the NORKS and IRAN not China or Russia. MAD is still the status with Russia and China and will continue to be. I doubt the UK will deploy. As soon as the defeatist nutwingers get wind of it the BBC and UK press will make sure not one interceptor will be deployed. There will be huge protest marches. Moonbats will be chaining themselves to gates and laying in the road to stop it. This is just slightly less evil than fox hunting and the back benchers will have none of it. The UK has nothing to worry about they will be quite able to be nuked at will by anyone via balistic missle. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-10-17 6:43:58 PM |
| #12 "highly controversial" I didn't study missile interception, but while a lowly post-doc I spent a few months researching a proposed (not by me) satellite-borne detection system. (No, it would not have worked.) Short conclusion: If you have enough boosters you can fake out or overwhelm any detection system. Boost phase interceptors are nice--the target is nice and bright--but unfortunately the interceptors have to be very close: you have less than two minutes. If you have only a handful of missile headed your way you might be able to stop them--and I think it would be worthwhile. With detection arrays in Iraq and Turkey it might be doable. But Star Wars could not have stopped enough Soviet missiles to be any use. Suppose they lob 20 missiles at every one of a hundred targets. Suppose half the missiles fail :-) (even though the Soviets made pretty decent rockets). Suppose they soften up our detection with an ionosphere burst--make our radar pretty useless. Now: you try to spot each cold payload (some of them brighter than others--which is fake?) and hit it with a solid boosted interceptor of your own, doing course correction for wind and for better estimates (if any) of the incoming payload's trajectory. Hairy indeed. |
| Posted by: James 2004-10-17 6:18:03 PM |
| #11 I have never understood the rational about how having defensive systems such as SDI (I loath the term "Star Wars") Causes the United States to become ready to launch a first strike. But I really think what drives the moonbats nuts is they fundementally understood that SDI drove the their god on earth, the USSR into abject poverty. And once France becomes Franjastan the Trafalgars and Los Angeles class boats will have new targets to follow |
| Posted by: Cheaderhead 2004-10-17 5:53:12 PM |
| #10 Shep---The Alaska units are coming on line, one by one. It is quite a project getting the parts in place. The software component is enormous! I have a friend who works there. It is a major project. I was up there going by Ft. Greely last week, but I didn't see nothin'. Heh heh. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-10-17 1:58:46 PM |
| #9 Kinda makes you wonder if the papier mache companies are the true secret masters of the world, doesn't it? |
| Posted by: BH 2004-10-17 1:37:10 PM |
| #8 Good news. Bring 'em on in. Once Iran has it's nuclear tipped missiles that can reach London we'll need it. Of course, if they then launch them, and we take 'em out, then it's our turn to fire back... |
| Posted by: Tony (UK) 2004-10-17 11:49:23 AM |
| #7 Maybe these are boost-phase interceptors, meant to kill nuclear missiles launched from France once it loses its own struggle against the jihadis and becomes an Islamic state. I'm just being mischievous here, but still... |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2004-10-17 10:29:56 AM |
| #6 Shep, The closer to the source the missile is intercepted, the better. Thus, your self-destruct above France is a bad idea. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-10-17 6:20:53 AM |
| #5 made me very happy this, anyone got any idea of the timescale involved as to when the first interceptors will arrive, the Alaska station already has 6 or so interceptors dosn't it? We must though make sure that none of the missles stationed here would ever launch to kill a nuke thats predicted to land on France for that'd be interfering with another countrys affairs! perhaps a interceptor self didtruct system as soon as it enters in or above French airspace. |
| Posted by: Shep UK 2004-10-17 5:00:55 AM |
| #4 Freeking Sorros is the antichrist. This don't defend yourself crap is loony. Thats why the LLL and Moonbats can't understand it. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-10-17 3:36:19 AM |
| #3 Lol! It's what they live for: begging someone to come take them over. Personally, I'm pretty sure they'd prefer little green men, but I guess Soros will do in a pinch for most of the LLL, heh. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-10-17 3:11:10 AM |
| #2 Yea and a huge row over how evil protecting yourself from Balistic Missles is. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-10-17 2:52:44 AM |
| #1 Oh boy! The UK Loonies will have a new excuse to march and make banners and giant puppets! And get laid, the real reason the myn show up. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-10-17 2:27:56 AM |