Posted on 11/09/2010 8:05:31 AM PST by Gennie
(CBS) A mysterious missile launch off the southern California coast was caught by CBS affiliate KCBS's cameras Monday night, and officials are staying tight-lipped over the nature of the projectile.
CBS station KFMB put in calls to the Navy and Air Force Monday night about the striking launch off the coast of Los Angeles, which was easily visible from the coast, but the military has said nothing about the launch.
KFMB showed video of the apparent missile to former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Robert Ellsworth, who is also a former Deputy Secretary of Defense, to get his thoughts.
Scroll down for KFMB video showing the launch.
Video here
"It's spectacular… It takes people's breath away," said Ellsworth, calling the projectile, "a big missile".
Magnificent images were captured by the KCBS news helicopter in L.A. around sunset Monday evening. The location of the missile was about 35 miles out to sea, west of L.A. and north of Catalina Island.
A Navy spokesperson told KFMB it wasn't their missile. He said there was no Navy activity reported in the area Monday evening.
On Friday night, Vandenberg Air Force Base, in California, launched a Delta II rocket, carrying an Italian satellite into orbit, but a sergeant at the base told KFMB there had been no launches since then.
Ellsworth urged American to wait for definitive answers to come from the military.
When asked, however, what he thought it might be, the former ambassador said it could possibly have been a missile test timed as a demonstration of American military might as President Obama tours Asia.
"It could be a test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile from a submarine … to demonstrate, mainly to Asia, that we can do that," speculated Ellsworth.
Ellsworth said such tests were carried out in the Atlantic to demonstrate America's power to the Soviets, when there was a Soviet Union, but he doesn't believe an ICBM has previously been tested by the U.S. over the Pacific.
Officially, at least, the projectile remains a mystery missile.
Ditto a cruise missile's rocket motor exhaust, left photo below from a relatively short distance away, as it's more pencil thin and disperses rather quickly. A cruise missile also tends to fly a flatter profile lower on the deck, while last night's launch, right photo below, from approximately 35 miles away, shows a vehicle with a much beefier thrust still accelerating through some serious altitude.
I know what it was! Chavez was right. It was our super secret earthquake/volcanic eruption machine. We caused the Indonesian volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. We need another country to occupy. We’re almost done with Iraq and Afghanistan. /s
They have no idea what it was but are sure there’s no indication of a threat.
Brilliant. Maybe this was a signal for a ‘dirty bomb enthusiast’ to have a go at things too.
Well, that explains it!
Note to Spooky Dude: Beck's on the right coast, Mr. Soros :)
ER....tin-foil dictator....
IT WAS A MADAGASCAR SUBMARINE FISHING BOAT AND THEY LAUNCHED THE DONG LONG MISSILE WITH A 100 MT CAPS LOCK WARHEAD.
That was Wade Phillips after his firing from the Cowboys.
I think we all have a bad feeling about this. I’m starting to wonder if this isn’t some kind of false flag event now and an excuse for the boot coming down.
I think it’s about to get really interesting, I still can’t find this on any news up here, just stories about people winning a poker payout, and other nonsense.
If something went wrong on a US boat, I mean I just do not see that as likely. It takes the whole crew working together to launch those birds. It never can happen on accident. If an accident did happen it would be catastrophic, and send the boat down like the Kursk in Russia.
A secretive Op would have a cover. There is no cover here other than “we don’t have a clue”? Oh no no no no Mommy isn’t buying that.
The pentagon knows, and isn’t at all interested in admitting it knows a damn thing. WHY?
If you watch the video you plainly see one of those huge double rotor helicopters near the launch. The military knows full well what it was. They had an aerial observation platfrom right there waiting for it to launch. Why can't the press pull their head out and ask them what the chopper was there for.
But how do we know if that was an offer or a threat?
Sounds like they are looking for who fired that shot.
Watching the video repeatedly, it appeared it launched towards the northwest...Is that your take? If I'm not mistaken, Vandenberg usually always launches towards the south, southwest...
What is your take on direction?
Thank you for the correction! You are 100% right!
Yeah what an moron. We regularly tested the status of our aging ICBMs by lobbing one out that way.
They were heading out the rescue the cruise ship now floating off the coast - fire in the engine room. Out of power with 4,500 on board. Was heading to mexico.
;-)
This had crossed my mind. It is not impossible for a group of people to build a sounding rocket. "Amateurs" have launched unmanned rockets into sub-orbital flight however this was done openly with full notification of FAA.
The pictures posted seem to show a large missile, powered by solid fuel, maneuvering under control. It looks like a SLBM.
A launch like this, especially in the location, should be announced well ahead of time. To the point of local news outlets telling the general public when to go down to the beach and watch the show.
orly
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