Amazing clifftop views like this were a five minute bike ride from our home in officer's housing.
That's from near the end of Orote Point.
Posted on 12/01/2009 7:22:31 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
As the United States moves 8,000 marines from Okinawa to Guam, the air defenses of that American island are being improved. There will now be three different air defense systems. There will be a THAAD battery (24 missiles, three launchers and a fire control communications system). This will include an X-Band radar. The gear for each battery costs $310 million. The 18 foot long THAAD missiles weigh 1,400 pounds. This is about the same size as the Patriot anti-aircraft missile, but twice the weight of the anti-missile version of the Patriot. The range of THAAD is 200 kilometers, max altitude is 150 kilometers, and it is intended for short (like SCUD) or medium range (up to 2,000 kilometer) range ballistic missiles. China is about 3,000 kilometers from Guam. THAAD has been in development for two decades. THAAD is a step up from the Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile (which is an anti-aircraft missile adapted to take out incoming missiles). The PAC-3 works, but it has limited (20 kilometers) range. Patriot also fires anti-aircraft missiles, with a range of 70 kilometers. Finally, there will be several batteries of SLAMRAAM. This system mounts four U.S. Air Force AMRAAM radar guided air-to-air missile on a hummer. A firing battery consists of one fire-control center, a radar (with a 75 kilometer range) and four to eight hummers carrying missiles. The missiles have an effective range of 25 kilometers, and can knock down cruise missiles, as well as helicopters. It was the need to knock down cruise missiles gives SLAMRAAM a similar mission to THAAD and Patriot; to knock down Chinese missiles. China is seen as the most likely threat to the many military facilities on the island.
(Excerpt) Read more at strategypage.com ...
I loved my two years on Guam.
Plenty of hardware. All we need now are shotguns to defend against nuclear capable ducks.
I loved living on Guam for two years as well....
You lost, wandering off from another site...or do you just hate anything about Guam.
I’m on Guam right now and enjoying it...
LOL.
I don’t think I have that much of an urge to become one with an island full of snakes.
I pray the folks there have enough warning to destroy the attackers. Sigh.
I used to talk to Guam all the time on the . . . radio net in the Navy.
Island full of snakes? Is that like the USA is a country full of cop killers? Don’t buy bogus media hype.
You mean they’re NOT wrapped around EVERY doorknob?
Glad to hear it.
LOL.
Amazing clifftop views like this were a five minute bike ride from our home in officer's housing.
That's from near the end of Orote Point.
A bigger "threat" were these crazy black adn orange "bongo bongo birds" (if I remember the name) that would dive bomb and peck you while you jogged through "their territory." Pretty funny though.
bump
Most amazing beaches in the world at the bottoms of those cliffs.
What are the gun laws there?
Trav,
Did you have a radio show there?
How do I know your name? Did you know Damien Fallon?
I lived there for 3 yrs.
I, too, spent 2 years on Guam. It was a good time, but after 2 years I had island fever and needed to drive fast again.
Goodness . . . shades of Alfred Hitchcock!
LOL.
Glad you enjoyed the place.
Did you bring back any brown snakes?.....}:-)
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