FOX: Pentagon confirms SCUD fired as well as Chinese anti-ship missile and small aircraft

Fox ^ | 3/20/03 | Fox reporter

[Mark Felton]

Fox news Washington correspondent says the Pentagon reports 3 missiles fired. Trajectory indicates 1st missile is a SCUD that was intercepted by the PAtriot

The 2nd missile was a Chinese anti-ship cruise missile that was not intercepted but missed targets and did no damage.

The 3rd "missile" was actually a light aircraft that crashed harmlessly in Kuwait.

[Beck_isright]

Yo, Sadamn, it's sunset in about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Sleep tight you b*stard. And enjoy the air show.

[OK]

The news that a Sunburn was defeated must have the Kremlin and Chinese groaning and crawling in their holes. This is supposedly their best shot at defeating the US Navy. The first time it is tried it fails.

I fully suspect Navy countermeasures defeated it. Navy 1, Axis of Evil 0.

[Mark Felton]

More sophisticated US radar seekers would not likely be as easily fooled, and I suspect the same is true for the Sunburn (it's fairly new Chinese/Russian technology).

If the Sunburn gets an initial lock it would use both the IR and radar trackers together to confirm and maintain lock. In the event that the the radar signature went away then it would use the IR tracker. Both trackers will maintain "quality" scores and the chosen tracker will have the highest score.

Rapid spatial changes in one tracker but not the other would be filtered out because it would present a lower "qaulity" value and be inconsistent with expected target dynamics. So that poor track would be ignored.

Your helicopter spoofer might help but it would be a slow response, and an incomplete response. The missile is supersonic, and the IR signature would also have to be spoofed simultaneously.

Sea-skimming missiles are notoriously one of the most difficult missiles to counter.

[Mark Felton]

The Sunburn was not defeated. We did not hit it. I suspect it was just a stupid missile to use in this scenario. It is anti-ship, not anti-tank. It is not an area weapon, unless equipped with the 200 ton nuclear warhead.

I fear that we will see the missile actually used the way it is supposed to be used over water against US ships. Then it will be very difficult to counter.

[AppyPappy]

They are Soviet-issue, copied by the Chinese.

[AppyPappy]

It's impossible for it to be shot down by any landbased systems unless it's by pure luck.

Not entirely true. I believe it has air intakes. If you can foul them up, the missile comes down. Think styrofoam peanuts.

[Mark Felton]

good point. Din't they fire this one in a sandstorm?

[Jack of Diamonds]

But who said it was a SS-N-22 Sunburn; which is after all a Russian made missile. A Chinese made missile would probably be of the Silkworm verity; however that too would just be conjecture until we get more data.

[Thane_Banquo]

Foxnews: Chinese Missile was proscribed by 1441. I guess Blix must've mi$$ed it, if you catch my drift.

[thedugal]

Brits saying SCUDS confirm Saddam in material breach. They have 600km range way over UN guidelines... FRUCK FANCE.

[OldFriend]

The left will say that this is all propaganda. That nothing was fired at US troops.

[Catspaw]

And Hans Blix didn't find those Scuds? I thought--at least according to Blix, France, Germany & Russia--Iraq was cooperating and all it would take would be a few more months of inspections to declare Iraq in compliance with 1441.

[OK]

I don't see how you can say that the anti-ship missile was not defeated. An anti-ship missile can be led astray electronically, and thus defeated. I suspect that this is the case here.

[Lee'sGhost]

NPR kep saying that the suspected "SCUD" missle had not been confirmed.

Just trying to be accurtate, I'm sure.

[Cvengr]

What really burns me is the attitude that the US is going this alone.

This last article I read yesterday indicated the US had about 30 nations supporting us and the anti-war, give-terrorism-a-chance-during-peace crowd had less than 20 nations in support.

Most of those 20 nations had high Islamic imigrant populations so were a bit more circumspect about voicing anti-Iraqi sentiment so as not to attract internal terrorist activity upon themselves.

Even with these numbers, the US/Bush entertains much greater percentage of support in our opposition to Iraq than Clinton ever did to become elected as IMPOTUS.

[Coop]

What are you whining about?

[OldFriend]

It is clear that the American people believe in President Bush and pay no attention to the America hating media.

Have faith and keep praying!!

[Coop]

CNN is saying the military told them the missiles were Abbeville 100 missiles. Sounds French to me.

It's actually Ababil, a solid-propellant, long-range rocket. No French involvement, to my knowledge.