3 Uncomfortable Truths We Already Know About the MH17 Shootdown

Popular Mechanics ^ | July 17,2014 | Joe Pappalardo

[Hojczyk]

1. Anti-Aircraft Missile Proliferation Is Out of Control

The Malaysia Airlines 777 shot down today was flying at about 33,000 feet. It takes a big rocket—one about 16 feet tall—to hit a plane at that altitude.

There was a time when the missile proliferation threat everyone worried about was the shoulder-fired variety. Now it seems that more powerful mid-range missiles are falling into the hands of rebel groups and untrained paramilitaries. It's pretty scary to consider that three fighting forces in the area—Russian government forces, Ukrainian government forces, and separatist rebels—have the technology that could have taken down the airliner.

This proliferation is happening in Ukraine, but there is a risk of such equipment falling into the hands of ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq. Oh yeah, and those shoulder-fired missiles are also proliferating, with governments giving them to rebels fighting Assad regime in Syria. So it’s not like that threat is diminishing, either.

2. With Missiles Everywhere, Bad Aim Can Kill Hundreds

As the ranges of available weapons increase, expect collateral damages to reach unexpected places—like an airliner traveling above any airspace restrictions or perceived risk. With powerful anti-aircraft rockets out there, more flights and fliers are caught in a possible crossfire.

3. Protecting Civilian Aircraft is a Bigger Task Than We Imagined

The U.S. government has often pondered whether to install missile countermeasure systems on commercial airliners. It’s wildly expensive and not an ironclad defense against enemies attacking airlines by firing shoulder-fired missiles close to landing or takeoff. But with these larger missile systems spreading, this scenario goes out the tube. A modern anti-aircraft system has no trouble targeting airliners; their power and reach make countermeasures impossible. This incident just showed in lethal detail that the future of protecting airlines is more bedeviling than we thought.

[BobL]

Who knows...I’m just not in a BIG HURRY to trust the Obama Administration when they have more to gain by the plane crash being blamed on Russia than Russia had to shoot it down.

But it does surprise me the extent that others trust Obama to be telling the truth here, but not anywhere else. Personally, I don’t trust him either domestically or on foreign affairs.