Posted on 08/23/2004 8:27:05 AM PDT by olinr
Osama bin Laden may soon have his hands on three Agosta 90B next-generation stealth submarines capable of carrying sixteen sea-to-land cruise missiles each. Those missiles can deliver atomic warheads. And Osama, I suspect, will have access to the forty nuclear warheads constructed by Pakistan. Washington and New York, two primary targets for Al Qaeda, are near bodies of water from which these nuclear-tipped missiles can be launched. So are many other major American cities.
Here are the skeletal details:
In 1994, DCN, the government-owned company that builds France's naval vessels, agreed to help the Pakistanis build and learn to operate a rather amazing shipyard. It was a next-generation facility building next-tech, Agosta 90B stealth submarines. As of today two of these subs have been built and a third is scheduled for launch by 2006.
Each Agosta 90B is able to carry sixteen Harpoon Stand-Off Land Attack cruise missiles. According to the Pakistani Navy Captain Iftikhar Riaz Qureshi, who commanded both of these subs in their test phases, Pakistan purchased its Agosta 90Bs to provide itself with "second strike nuclear capability." Qureshi's words imply that from day one, Pakistan's intention has been to tip these missiles with atomic warheads. And guess what? Since Pakistan tested its first nuclear bomb in 1998, every nuclear device it's made has been a missile warhead.
According to Defence Journal, Pakistan's subs have a range of close to twelve thousand miles…they can travel to the Hudson River or the Chesapeake Bay, unleash their missiles on New York and Washington, then still be able to take refuge in mid-ocean, lay low and threaten other world capitals with a similar fate.
(Excerpt) Read more at howardbloom.net ...
The French are at it again! As Howard Bloom stated, "Do an Internet search for Agosta 90B...". This is a formidable weapon which can be used against us.
This is assuming Musharraf gets knocked off and the U.S. doesn't send in Special Forces to secure their nuclear weaponry...
Yeah, right. From what I have read, Pakistan's nukes are free-fall weapons. It takes a lot more sophistication to make a missile warhead than it does to make a Hiroshima-era A-bomb.
And just what is going to happen if even ONE of those subs goes unaccounted for? Can you say "regime change?" I knew you could.
Pakistan probably won't survive one of those subs disappearing; the odds of the sub making it to US coast is pretty small, too. If all else fails, it has to snorkle sometime.
Finally, I don't know how big a warhead the Harpoon has, but I don't think you can strap a nuke on it. Its pretty small 700-800 lbs of HE.
Go here:
http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/agosta/
I want one, too.
Why blame the Frenchies alone??Pakistan's first generation of Daphne class subs carry the US harpoon missile to go with their Airforce F-16s & there are persistent reports that the US will sell them more Harpoons & P-3 Orion.
That being said ,I would treat this report with a ton of salt-both the Harpoon & Exocet carry small warheads(around 200-250kgs)-it would be technically impossible to miniaturise a nuke on to that for the Pakis ,unless they buy a land attack version of their all weather ally China's anti ship missile,the C-801(Which is not yet into service).
They don't have weapons like the Russian Klub anti ship/land attack cruise missile(which is deployed on Indian subs & surface ships) or the Israeli Turbo Popeye(which is deployed on Israel's Dolphin class subs & is rumoured to have been sold to India as well).
Why blame the Frenchies alone??Pakistan's first generation of Daphne class subs carry the US harpoon missile to go with their Airforce F-16s & there are persistent reports that the US will sell them more Harpoons & P-3 Orion.
That being said ,I would treat this report with a ton of salt-both the Harpoon & Exocet carry small warheads(around 200-250kgs)-it would be technically impossible to miniaturise a nuke on to that for the Pakis ,unless they buy a land attack version of their all weather ally China's anti ship missile,the C-801(Which is not yet into service).
They don't have weapons like the Russian Klub anti ship/land attack cruise missile(which is deployed on Indian subs & surface ships) or the Israeli Turbo Popeye(which is deployed on Israel's Dolphin class subs & is rumoured to have been sold to India as well).
Why blame the Frenchies alone??Pakistan's first generation of Daphne class subs carry the US harpoon missile to go with their Airforce F-16s & there are persistent reports that the US will sell them more Harpoons & P-3 Orion.
That being said ,I would treat this report with a ton of salt-both the Harpoon & Exocet carry small warheads(around 200-250kgs)-it would be technically impossible to miniaturise a nuke on to that for the Pakis ,unless they buy a land attack version of their all weather ally China's anti ship missile,the C-801(Which is not yet into service).
They don't have weapons like the Russian Klub anti ship/land attack cruise missile(which is deployed on Indian subs & surface ships) or the Israeli Turbo Popeye(which is deployed on Israel's Dolphin class subs & is rumoured to have been sold to India as well).
OOOOOPS-SORRY for the multiple posts!!!!
There's Harpoon (anti-ship cruise missile) and SLAM (Stand-Off Land Attack Missile). They are different weapons. SLAM is air launched only. Neither can carry a nuke warhead.
Or maybe this is assuming the Taliban dig a gigantic canal linking the Indian Ocean to those parts in Afghanistan the Taliban still control. Oh, and it is also assuming that the Taliban begin to train to become submariners.
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