U.S. Missile Test Mimicking Iran Strike Fails - Polidicks

[QUOTE] WASHINGTON -- A U.S. attempt to shoot down a ballistic missile mimicking an attack from Iran failed after a malfunction in a radar built by Raytheon, the Defense Department said. The abortive test over the Pacific Ocean coincided with a Pentagon report that Iran had expanded its ballistic missile capabilities and posed a "significant" threat to U.S. and allied forces in the Middle East region. The Missile Defense Agency said that in Sunday's test both the target missile, fired from Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands, and the interceptor, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, had performed normally. "However, the Sea-Based X-band radar did not perform as expected," the agency said on its Web site. Officials will investigate the cause of the failure to intercept, it said. The SBX radar is a major component of the ground-based midcourse defense, the sole U.S. bulwark against long-range missiles that could be tipped with chemical, biological or nuclear warheads. It was the first time the United States had tested its long-range defense against a simulated Iranian attack. Previous drills have imitated a flight path from North Korea, another country in a standoff with the international community over its nuclear program. The Pentagon's Ballistic Missile Defense Review released on Monday said Tehran had developed and acquired ballistic missiles capable of striking targets from the Middle East to Eastern Europe and had fielded increasing numbers of mobile regional ballistic missiles. The Iranian program has received support in the past from Russia, China and North Korea, and Tehran still depends on outside sources for many missile components and parts, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency. DEFENSES AGAINST IRAN To counter the Iranian threat, the United States has expanded land- and sea-based missile defense systems in and around the Gulf, according to U.S. officials. The deployments include expanded land-based Patriot defensive missile installations in Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain, as well as Navy ships with missile defense systems in and around the Mediterranean, the officials said. The Pentagon's Ballistic Missile report also singled out Syria's short-range missiles as a "regional threat". It said Damascus may have chemical warheads available for some of its missiles. After Sunday's failed Pacific test, Raytheon and Boeing, which manages the overall system, had no immediate comment. Harris Corp., which provides systems engineering for the SBX radar, said their technology was not involved. Speaking at the Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit in Washington in December, Army Lieutenant General Patrick O'Reilly, head of the Missile Defense Agency, said the test, costing about $150 million, would break new ground. He described it then as "more of a head-on shot like you would use defending against an Iranian shot into the United States." It was the first time such a scenario was being tested, he said. Experts have compared the simulation to a bullet hitting another bullet in space. O'Reilly said the goal was to destroy the target over the north central Pacific when the missiles had a combined closing speed of more than 17,000 miles per hour. "Whenever we have a situation where we're taking on a missile more head on than from the side, that increases the challenges," O'Reilly had said. The SBX radar is mounted on a mobile, ocean-going oil-drilling platform designed to provide the layered U.S. missile defense system with a powerful sensor that can be positioned to cover any spot on the globe. [img]http://www.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/Scitech/SBX006_hires_doomsday_604x341.jpg[/img] [i]This floating X-band radar station, jointly managed by Boeing and Raytheon, failed during a test meant to mimic an Iranian military strike.[/i] [/QUOTE] Source: [url]http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/02/01/missile-test-mimicking-iran-strike-fails/[/url] We're fucked :downs:

Well that's certainly comforting...

uh oh. looks like were screwed

[QUOTE=MrScout;19984274]we got lucky it malfunctioned.[/QUOTE] wat

[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;19984279]wat[/QUOTE] because if it worked then in a real mission it would fail

Luckily, it was only a test and the malfunction can be looked into.

We're doomed.

[QUOTE=Matt0690;19984304]because if it worked then in a real mission it would fail[/QUOTE] He said it was lucky it malfunctioned. So it would be lucky when it malfunctions if there ever was a missile threat?

Good thing they caught it before shit goes down for real Not that I hope it ever does but if it does

We need another Star Wars Project to spook the Iranians just like we did to the Soviets.

[QUOTE=CabooseRvB;19984388]We need another Star Wars Project to spook the Iranians just like we did to the Soviets.[/QUOTE] If Iran ever tried to attack us they would be wiped off the damn map.

[QUOTE=zerglingv2;19985156]If Iran ever tried to attack us they would be wiped off the damn map.[/QUOTE] True, but if they launched a single missile into NYC, we'd have an even worse tragedy than 9/11.

And they'll be a fucking hole.

[QUOTE=AegisÂ°;19985409]And they'll be a fucking hole.[/QUOTE] No, a hole implies there's something left there when we're done with them after they hit us.

Probably a fake test to put Iran's guard down. Military isn't that stupid guys.

And they released it to the public? [QUOTE=lolwutdude;19985519]Probably a fake test to put Iran's guard down. Military isn't that stupid guys.[/QUOTE] What? The government doesn't lie to us :3:

[QUOTE=Boba_Fett;19985342]True, but if they launched a single missile into NYC, we'd have an even worse tragedy than 9/11.[/QUOTE] Why fire a missile to New York when you can sneak it in on a freighter. I mean its not so hard to sneak a Nuclear warhead or biological weapon passed port authority. Even if it was a tactical warhead with a small yield and you couldn't get it passed PA you could still detonate it off shore and do massive damage. Manhattan isn't so big, just its population is.

[QUOTE=don818;19985868]Why fire a missile to New York when you can sneak it in on a freighter. I mean its not so hard to sneak a Nuclear warhead or biological weapon passed port authority. Even if it was a tactical warhead with a small yield and you couldn't get it passed PA you could still detonate it off shore and do massive damage. Manhattan isn't so big, just its population is.[/QUOTE] I'm pretty sure our coast guard isn't incompetent as the ones in World in Conflict.

Well that stinks. Oh well. We don't really need that to beat the Iranians anyway. I hope they try something. Well, not really cause many would die, but I just wanna see that dictator Amadinawhatsit go down.

Okay so basically instead of trying to settle disputes everyone is continuing to expand on their militaristic technology in hopes to win an arms race and come up with a weapon that can kill anything instantly? World Leaders are more like children than children are. They need to grow up and fucking unite already. All this talk about weapons of mass destruction and people trying to get better defenses is annoying. We wouldn't need them if no one was at war.

[QUOTE=Jurikuer;19986390]Okay so basically instead of trying to settle disputes everyone is continuing to expand on their militaristic technology in hopes to win an arms race and come up with a weapon that can kill anything instantly? World Leaders are more like children than children are. They need to grow up and fucking unite already. All this talk about weapons of mass destruction and people trying to get better defenses is annoying. We wouldn't need them if no one was at war.[/QUOTE] "Unite" Haha. Under what? There's so many ideologies, beliefs, religions, philosophies, cultures. Its impossible. The world will always be fractured into belligerent groups; even inside a country there is almost zero 100% unity. Even when it comes down to households of families. There's always one family member that dislikes another.

[QUOTE=lolwutdude;19985927]I'm pretty sure our coast guard isn't incompetent as the ones in World in Conflict.[/QUOTE] I've seen Port Authority in action, they only act when something is suspicious and has been flagged. Coast Guard does their job damn fine but only when it's a random check or something.

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;19986498]"Unite" Haha. Under what? There's so many ideologies, beliefs, religions, philosophies, cultures. Its impossible. The world will always be fractured into belligerent groups; even inside a country there is almost zero 100% unity. Even when it comes down to households of families. There's always one family member that dislikes another.[/QUOTE] Unite it under one rule, one religion, one philosophy, one culture. :hitler:

I think the problem is that this platform is constructed out of giant ping pong balls instead of radar equipment. Common mistake.

This is what tests are for.

This is good, hopefully those crazy religious leaders will decide to send a missile America's way. Then the rest of the world has the excuse it needs to wipe them off the map.

Well, apparently we wasted a metric fuckton of money.

Looks like this system is rocketing to a budget cut

[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;19991433]Well, apparently we wasted a metric fuckton of money.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Uberslug;19989510]This is what tests are for.[/QUOTE] .

[QUOTE=lolwutdude;19985927]I'm pretty sure our coast guard isn't incompetent as the ones in World in Conflict.[/QUOTE] True, but competency can't search the hold of every single ship coming into the US. They just don't have the man power.