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.
"NORAD is able to track virtually every inch of North American air space ...NOT an entirely true statement ...
Folks, look at my profile and see where I’ve been....
_Jim, NORAD has tapes. They should have been able to track this from the PAVE PAWS at Beale AFB near Marysville, Calif, from Shemya AB in the Aleutians, and from other national assets. They have tapes and computer data.
This from another site “above top secret”:
The original title of this thread was, “Nuclear Accident in India,” and the original opening post is preserved below. However, the story presented by the thread author has not been confirmed.
ORIGINAL POST BELOW
I know I am going to get blown out of the water with this, but I’m going to share it anyways. I will give you the precursor to my conversation for the purposes of context.
I live in Phoenix, AZ. I left work at 5:30 AZ time from Scottsdale, AZ. I entered Shea Blvd. approximately 5:37 PM from 70th St. I turned and headed west on Shea. To the direct west /southwest I noted a smoke plume that started at the ground and continued up to some type of aircraft. I immediately knew this was NOT a jet aircraft since the smoke plume started at ground level. The smoke plume was extremely thick, much like the space shuttle would produce. Within minutes this aircraft appeared to me, to be on the edge of the atmosphere. Don’t ask me how I know, I am just giving you my interpretation. I am a licensed pilot and have been an aviation buff most of my life.
I managed to snap a few pics of the smoke plume with my cell phone. I will up load them later. At this point my first guess was that this aircraft originated near Luke AFB based on where where the smoke plume originated.
I arrived home at my normal time, about 5:50 PM. I took my wife out back to show her the plume. She was freaked out about it as well. She then said, “why don’t I call John Doe?”. I said, “yea, get him on the phone, I’d like to hear what he has to say”. John Doe is obviously a pseudonym to protect my source. He is in the Air Force and works at Luke AFB. My wife got John on the phone, I told him what I saw and said this had to be rocket powered. He simply said, “your’e correct. You do know they’re retiring the space shuttle, right?” and I replied, “yes”. He said, well, what you saw is the latest technology, it is rocket powered and it is orbital. It is to replace the space shuttle.
So, I began voicing my concern given that Obama was in India with the entire Whitehouse staff and a battery of warships. I said, something is going on. He simply said, “yes, something is going on”. I went on to tell him about the USGS data posted here recently that almost simultaneously triggered every seismic sensor in the US and in fact across the world. He confirmed there was an event. I said, “was it natural” and he said “no”. I said was it nuclear and he said, “yes, but unintentional”. I said, “what country?” and he replied, “guess”. I said “India” and he said, “yes”. I inquired “an accident?” and he replied, “yes”. I inquired, “in a silo” and he replied, “yes”.
I asked him if there was anything to worry about, he said, “not yet, not stateside”. He said Obama was there for containment and this is a HUGE deal. You will NOT read about this nuclear event on the news. But this is an event of epic proportion.
That is virtually my entire conversation. I asked questions based on my own common sense and he answered “yes” or “no”. This clearly explains why Obama took his entire staff as well as a fleet of warships, etc. This also explains why we are being distracted with “mail bombs” and such on the news. It also explains the seismic event that nobody seems to want to report in the news.
This is what I know, this is what I was told by a fighter pilot from Luke AFB. Believe it or don’t. I’m just throwing it out there.
“Tough call, ain’t it?”
Personally, I think that the Chicoms would be very preferable, but surrender to them is not an option. Losing to the Slams is not possible. Banzai!
LMAO Jan the MAN L M F A O
Perhaps they're planning on bringing the world to the brink of World War III, only to have Obama save us (Munchausen by proxy-style), a few months before the 2012 election.
You know how it bugs the democrats when you mention how Reagan won the Cold War without firing a shot. I think they might try to manufacture something like this for Obama, and the ChiComs are playing along. The upcoming currency war is just another element of the new "confrontation".
They don’t protect our borders from terrorist invasion and it is not surprising that they are not protecting our shores from enemy subs. The military let a jihandist at Fort Hood kill a bunch of soldiers in the name of political correctness.
Why isn’t anyone in the media pointing it out is my question.
Iran has sea launch capability for a while.
From 1999:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_19_15/ai_54736560/
“Iran has test-fired a sea-launched ballistic missile, according to classified U.S. intelligence reports, which could be used in a devastating stealth attack against the United States or Israel for which the United States has no known or planned defense.”
“Accidental launch” by US Navy could be cover for Chinese launch, so as not so scare the peeps...
Hypothetical:
Chinese sneak a boomer within 35 miles of LA and launch SLBM northwest 4000 miles into the Pacific.
By demonstrating this range, this would prove to the US that they could hit us anywhere in the continental US within a range of 4000 miles from the Pacific coast of the US.
Yup. That was mentioned upthread a bit.. there are large areas offshore for all kinds of military test/training etc..
The problem with this launch was that there was not public notice to airmen to avoid the launch box which are typically given for military exercises.
If it was a ‘covert’ military launch, why launch so close to residential civilian areas where there is a risk over personal injury/property damage in the event of a errant launch?
Very strange situation if it was a launch.
From video and stills several mid course corrections can be seen. There seems to be some kind of guidance system going on here.
How long was it tracked? Did it fizzle out after the video shown, or keep on steaming out of sight or out of the atmosphere where we would lose the contrail?
There is a lot more exhaust flame than we would expect from a jet engine, which kind of rules out an aircraft.
To be honest, I could have made up something better.
AB- interested in your speculation- FOX now reporting this may have been an “accident”??? Although all the naval stations along the Pacific coast say it wasn’t them.
Doesn’t the reaction to this seem really off the wall?
If it were a missle launch, why is the bottom of the “plume” illuminated by the sun after sunset? Because it’s a contrail and at ~35,000 feet it is still in the sunlight.
Haven’t read the whole thread and I suspect this may have been mentioned already, but the location given in the news video is very close to San Nicolas Island, where Boeing has a launch facility for missiles for Airborne laser tests...
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Aug. 13, 2009 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], industry teammates and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency on Aug. 10 successfully completed the Airborne Laser’s (ABL) first in-flight test against an instrumented target missile, achieving a historic milestone.
During the test, the modified Boeing 747-400F aircraft took off from Edwards Air Force Base and used its infrared sensors to find a target missile launched from San Nicolas Island, Calif. The Boeing-developed battle management system aboard ABL then issued engagement and target location instructions to the beam control/fire control system, which acquired the target and fired its two solid-state illuminator lasers to track the target and measure atmospheric conditions. ABL then fired a surrogate high-energy laser at the target, simulating a missile intercept. Instrumentation on the target verified that the surrogate high-energy laser hit the target.
Whoever pointed out the corkscrew pattern of the plume was right. It was burning off fuel and momentum to keep it from flying out of the test range.
test missile. maybe launched way early.
Oops accidental launch. Who will be fired :)
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