“Yes, the Navy is going to deliberately shoot missiles into the most heavily traveled air corridor in the world. Makes perfect sense.”
Actually, they do. Google for the aeronautical chart for that area. It is called a “Warning Area”, and is an area used by the military and NASA to perform such exercises.
Flight 800 skirted an edge of that active area that night when it should not have.
Half right. Those warning areas are used for the military for training. But not live fire exercises, unless you honestly think the U.S. military is actually that stupid.
At the time W-105 and W-106 were frequently used for P-3s out of Brunwick. They would conduct training by trying to track subs entering and leaving New London. However, all they would be firing would be flares and sonobuoys. And before the military plans any activity in these warning areas they must issue a NOTAM well in advance. There were none issued on the day in question. Or for the month in question for that matter.