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Science & Technology

It Wouldn't Take Much to Wipe Out America's Air Bases

2015-09-28

There was a time when the United States could count on safe and secure air bases from which it could leisurely deploy warplanes to deter an enemy or launch an air campaign. No longer. Potential enemies -- China, in particular -- possess long-range missiles that could pepper an airfield with bomblets and wipe out huge portions of America's air power.

"Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. dominance in conventional power projection has allowed U.S. air forces to operate from sanctuary, largely free from enemy attack," RAND analyst Alan Vick writes in a new study. "This led to a reduced emphasis on air base defense measures and the misperception that sanctuary was the normal state of affairs rather than an aberration."

The emergence of the long-range, highly accurate, conventional missile (both ballistic and cruise) as a threat to air bases is now widely recognized in the U.S. defense community, and, with that recognition, there is a growing appreciation that this era of sanctuary is coming to an end. Consequently, there is renewed interest in neglected topics, such as base hardening, aircraft dispersal, camouflage, deception, and air base recovery and repair.

How bad would a missile strike on a U.S. air base be if the planes were parked in typically blase American fashion? Check out RAND's illustration above. And take a look at the top of the story, at the hardened F-22 shelter at Kadena Air Force Base in Japan. As the Pentagon finally deals with threats to its airfields, these shelters could pop up at bases all over the world.

Posted by:Blossom Unains5562

#5 EMP Airburst to fry the electronics + power grids, then Underground EMP andor Fracking to sink all or the most significant/useful parts of the Base in righteous Anti-China andor Anti-Caliphate "A2/AD" indignation.

* DANGER = WHAT ABNORMAL CRACKS OR FISSURES IN THE WORLD MAY RESULTETH???

Posted by: JosephMendiola 2015-09-28 21:31

#4 Now widely recognized? Somebody finally read Red Storm Rising? In the 1986 novel, cruise missiles launched from subs, scattered bomblets all over the airfields where the bad guys were refueling and re-arming. Very disruptive.

Posted by: Bobby 2015-09-28 13:15

#3 Tell you what. We'll trade you some Patriot batteries for some A-10 squadrons.

Posted by: Procopius2k 2015-09-28 08:43

#2 AFAIC just another reason for the US to make GUAM a US State, + turn GUAM-CNMI-PALAU-BONINS into a major US ABM-BMD Base in WESTPAC.

Mighty USN Pearl Harbor Battleship USS OKLAHOMA "Capsizing" = "GUAM WILL CAPSIZE" = US STATE OF OKALAHOMA going from two EQS a year to up to 585 FRACKING-blamed/related EQS a Year [Oklahoma = sinking/negative geographic land change].

CHINA IDEALLY WANTS TO TAKE-OVER US MILBASES IN EAST ASIA + WESTPAC, NOTSOMUCH DESTROY THEM IFF THEY HAVE A CHOICE.

China's new Airfields + Ports in the SCS puts it ina good position to attack the PH's Northern Luzon + quickly install LR Heavy Airpower + LRBMS, ASBMS, etc. in order to deter or destroy any US intervening forces coming in from EASTPAC, CENTPAC, + far WESTPAC while US Forces are still very far away.

AGAIN, CHINA'S + RUSSIA'S + IRAN'S GREATEST OR ULTIMATE SINGLE "ACE" = HAVING AN ANTI-US US POTUS IN THE WHITE HOUSE + IN CHARGE OF THE US NATIONAL COMMAND AUTHORITY.

The US' so-called "Direct Military Response" [DMR] to any Crisis or Crises, OR IN ALTERNATE THE LACK OF SAME.

* FYI WORLD MILITARY FORUM > SINA DEFENCE: WHAT CHINA HAS DONE WID ITS IMPROVED ISLANDS IN THE SCS IT MUST NOW ALSO DO FOR THE SEAS BETWEEN THE SCS, NORTHERN LUZON + TAIWAN DESPITE THE LACK OF COMPARABLE REEFS OR ISLANDS.

Armed Converted Oil-Gas Rigs = "Sea Forts", + Mobile Offshore Bases/Platforms, + mucho PLAN Subs. ARSENAL/FIRE SHIPS???

* SAME > ANALYSIS: CHINA'S EFFECTIVE CONTROL OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA + EAST CHINA SEA PUTS JAPAN'S SEA LANES OF COMMUNICATIONS, TRADE AT HIGH RISK OF PLA-LED INTERRUPTION OR CUT-OFF. ALL BUT IMPOSSIBLE FOR JAPAN TO COMPLY WID ANY US-LED TPP.

Earlier WMF Artics had China's latest PLAAF H-6K ALCM-capable Strategic bombers, when staged from SCS islands + used in coodination wid the PLA's DF-21D + DF-26 "Guam/Diego Garcia Killer" LRBMS, Other? effec putting the US Base on Guam at risk of isolation or destruction, ALL IN HOPE OF ULTIMATELY MOTIVATING OR CONVINCING THE US + USDOD TO PULLOUT OF EAST ASIA + GUAM-WESTPAC BACK TOWARDS HAWAII-EASTPAC + US WEST COAST.

Lest we fergit, IN CHINA'S VIEW US INTERESTS IN THE PACIFIC ENDS WID ITS STATE OF HAWAII IN EASTPAC - the US has nothing in WESTPAC save small unincorporated islands WHICH THE US SHOULD GIVE UP TO CHINA'S CONTROL OR SPHERE.

OTOH, China would like to take over Hawaii as well iff they can do it. I READ ON FREEREPUBLIC THAT VLAD = RUSSIA WANTS TEXAS + PUERTO RICO [+ INDIAN + BLACK AAMERICA] TO SECEDE.

AND OLE LOUIS FARRAKHAN WANTS BLACK AMERICAN MUSLIMS TO SUPPORT ISLAMIC TERROR AGZ THE US + "WHITEY".

MOVE ALONG, PEOPLE, CLEARLY THE US WON'T HAVE TO SINK GUAM + OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDS AS PART OF "A2/AD" AGZ CHINA + NUCLEAR ISLAM BECAUSE CLEARLY THE US WILL NEVER RETREAT + THERE ARE NO INTERNAL ANDOR EXTERNAL EXISTENTIAL THREATS TO AMERIKA!

Posted by: JosephMendiola 2015-09-28 00:54

#1 How well did that work out for the Japanese empire?

Posted by: Betty Hitler2611 2015-09-28 00:12

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