I’d like to think that the simplest explanation is that there was a scheduled test, and that the wires got crossed in the request for the FAA NOTAM. The NOTAM is in error, and should have shown at DTG a day earlier than it did.
However, if we fired an SLBM, we’d have notified the rest of the world. The opposition has satellites too. We wouldn’t want them to see a launch they weren’t expecting. You’d think the russkies would be saying, “Da. We knew about that. Had our ‘fishing fleet’ there to take souvenir photos.”
But, I am also suspicious that our early warning infrastructure isn’t what it once was. Hard to know what to believe any more.
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.