Posted on 06/03/2003 11:03:15 AM PDT by presidio9
New Zealand home handyman is building a do-it-yourself cruise missile with legal, off-the-shelf equipment and claims he can do it for under 5,000 US dollars.
AFP/NAVY VISUAL NEWS REFERENCE/File Photo
But the activities of Bruce Simpson were Tuesday attracting official interest, particularly as he has now test fired several jet engines.
On his website (www.interestingprojects.com/cruisemissile) Simpson says he was challenged by US military experts over his claim the missile could easily be built.
"So, in order to prove my case, I decided to put my money where my mouth is and build a cruise missile in my own garage, on a budget of just 5,000 US dollars," the 49-year-old Internet developer says.
"Obviously the goal of this website is not to provide terrorists or other nefarious types with the plans for a working cruise missile but to prove the point that nations need to be prepared for this type of sophisticated attack from within their own borders."
He said he managed to acquire most of the parts from the online auction house eBay, including a GPS system purchased for 120 US dollars that "was delivered by international airmail in less than a week and passed through customs without any problems."
The initial procurement is so far the only one of 15 stages of development completed in Simpson's missile diary.
Simpson told Radio New Zealand it was a crude missile but it was easy enough to make and he expected to have it flying by the end of the month.
"It's like a small aircraft powered by a jet engine," he said, which could easily reach a chosen destination up to 100 kilometres (62 miles) away, carrying a 10-kilogram (22-pound) payload.
Authorities were reluctant to comment Tuesday but it was clear they were taken an interest in the project.
The Defence Department would not comment but one official told the New Zealand Herald that Simpson's website could be violating the international Missile Technology Control Regime, under which New Zealand has agreed to restrict the availability of missile technology.
Similarly, my ownership of Stingers harms no one. And I still don't have the freedom to shoot down airplanes.
Question: How many commercial airliners and people have been killed by civillians using box cutters?
What ratio is that compared to the number of people killed and aircraft shot down by civillians owning Stingers?
Nonsense. During colonial times privately owned crew served weapons (cannon) and private naval vessels were legally held by those wealthy enough to afford the infrastructure and staffing such tools require. The founders understood that government derives it just powers from those concentually assigned to it by the people. If government has the authority to own Stingers, it comes from individual's rights.
Ultimately, all human systems require trusting the individual actor (soldier, cop or citizen) to do anything, even the right thing. Organized systems may have built in checks and balances to see that power tools aren't abused or toyed with foolishly, but ultimately some individual, or small combination of actors, somewhere has to be trusted.
It's hard to find a cheaper, more common, and more energetic material pound for pound than gasoline, and yet instances of its abuse are statistically non-existent. Stingers may sound more awesome and dangerous (even though their warhead is only about as big as a can of beer), but their potential was obviously less than the tactical deployment of a small team with box cutters and basic piloting skills. It seems pretty clear that not only people in uniform are in danger in the War on Terror, and it also seems pretty clear that if we are going to successfully defend ourselves against such threats, we'll need to trust more than just uniformed public servants.
Nations under siege (Israel comes to mind) invariably count on irregular, non-uniformed citizens to be able to respond. If Hamas had airships, you can bet Israelli citizens would likely demand and develop some form of man portable air defense tool. Then again, Israelli's sense of community hasn't been split apart as badly as ours by diversity, multiculturalism, and the "leave things to the professionals" attitude of a culture in decline.
,,, and a 365 day hunting season each year.
See, that engine is a buzzbomb - it consists of a dryer vent, a spring, a pipe, and a fuel injector.
My eight-year-old could build one.
search google for V1 Buzzbomb.
,,, Area51? Don't think so; not for this boy.
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