Posted on 07/04/2006 2:02:15 PM PDT by garbageseeker
most things about North Korea, little is known for certain about the Taepodong 2 missile.
But there is no doubt North Korea does have a very long standing and pretty sophisticated missile programme.
North Korea's intentions are under the global spotlight
In 1998, before it began observing a moratorium on tests, North Korea launched a Taepodong 1 missile which passed over northern Japan and surprised Western intelligence agencies by the use of three stages in the missile's propulsion system.
What is striking about the Taepodong 2 is that it could well be North Korea's first genuine intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) - a missile with a range of more than 5,500km (3,400 miles).
Just how far it might be able to travel and with what weight and type of warhead and level of accuracy is uncertain.
But it has been suggested it could have a range up to 15,000km.
That would put Alaska or Hawaii within its reach and even the continental US if a lighter warhead were used.
Proliferation fears
In a sense though, what is more important here than the missile's precise specifications is what it says about North Korea's strategic intentions.
It indicates Pyongyang's apparent desire to have weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them at great distance.
North Korea's thinking appears to be that if it has nuclear weapons, which it claims to have, and the means to deliver them it should be safe from an attack by the US - a line of reasoning no doubt strengthened by the fate suffered by Iraq.
Just as worrying as North Korea's strategic goals are the dangers of proliferation should Pyongyang master a workable ICBM.
In the past, the North Koreans have shared their technology with Pakistan and Iran and other nations and may well do so again.
Bluffing hopes
So what can the US do militarily about any missile test by Pyongyang?
The US has already moved a couple of naval ships off the coast of North Korea to detect and track the launch of any missile.
It is also likely that the US has activated its still unproven and limited anti-missile defence system.
The system, which is based on linking radar and satellite information to nine interceptor missiles based in Alaska and California, has so far failed to intercept a single missile in recent tests.
For now though, the US appears to be relying more on the hope that North Korea is bluffing and that pressure from South Korea, Japan and China will persuade Pyongyang not to break the moratorium.
All I remember is that the last press release I saw said they had flight tested the aiming laser that kept a lock on some target through the desired atmospheric disturbances, etc.
You're right...I know they've tested the COIL laser. But not if it has flown. Course, what you and I know is not the same as what Russia and China knows, and not what certain USAF/Boeing people might know....
QUIT RUINING MY BUZZ WITH FACTS! LOOK AT THE GLOBAL FIREWORKS! FUN!
Um...
I'd prefer that it be an SM2 or SM3 that took out the missiles. The ABL is fine, but it's still in a very fragile airplane. It's possible to take it out.
I would prefer that our enemies know that anywhere our Navy can see with the Aegis, they can't possibly get a ballistic missile to hit. Navy ships are a lot harder to destroy than an airplane.
In a situation like this, a laser pops Kim's balloon, and he has no recourse other than to murder a general or two.
Depending on how the NKers built the missile, a laser might not be needed. If they were cheap (which is likely) they may have left out the shielding for the guidance and control system - in which case, a high-power focused radar beam (like what the SPY-1 radar can generate) can cause the thing to go nuts and either go out of control or possibly explode.
Check out this post!
I'm fat, dumb and happy about today. The shuttle flew, and NK had public duds. Maybe we got to test some advanced toys, maybe not. Good enough for another bev!
But Logical One is slitting wrists! Go figure!
It's not a maser.
If we're wishing, how about a chain of X-Ray Lasersats in orbit. :-P (Look up how an x-ray laser is generated by a sat.)
Why is it that I find myself alone in thinking that K.J.Il ain't what a lot of folks on here think him to be???That his "madness" has more of a method to it than meets the eye???If I were a bigwig at the Chinese C.P ,North Korea would be my ideal dirty harry.No responsibility,no trail left behind.It would pressurise Uncle Sam & his cohorts while enabling China to remain respectable.These missile tests don't mean anything unless you look for answers in Beijing.
That is a really interesting point, Sukhoi.
The various varieties of Fuk Yoo missile (even the one that failed) have succeeded at their true objective (conveying the message that Lil' Kim isn't interested in listening to reason).
Well, communists do have a habit of utilizing "useful idiots" from time to time.
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