If and when a nuke is launched...

If and when a nuke is launched, is there anything that can be done to disarm it after the launch? For instance, if we invaded Iran, only to find out they launched a suprise nuke at us (assuming they got thier hands on a nuke and could launch it), is that it, or is there any type of defense once it's in the air?

[edit on 18-1-2005 by mpeake]

Missle defence shield.

Oh right that doesn't work yet... yep that's it, game over.

There is one way. im sure that if someone does launch a nuke that the govenment will stop it. the govenment has sooooooo much technology that is classed as classified.

As we all know the govement researches mostly defence, im sure in this age or when nukes were created they started to research defence to a nuke.

We just dont know about it YET

If Iran has full nukes (and I say IF, a dirty bomb is more likely) then Iran still lacks the capability of launching it via missle and having it reach U.S. soil. They could use short range missles and hit targets in the immediate area (i.e., U.S. bases in Israel or Turkey) but that is about it.

So if they could hit the U.S., right now it is doubtful we could knock down a missle with any degree of confidence. However, in another 2 years then we should have that capability deployed although it will never be 100% sure.

We can scuttle our nukes in flight... meaning we can disarm it prior to it hitting it's target. I would seriously doubt that today's thrid world countries designing and building nukes would bother to build such safeguards into the system. We did it only after the near full-out launch against the Russians during the Bay of Pigs.

Nope, we'd probably have to shoot it out of the sky prior to it reaching it's target or we would have to stick our heads between our legs and kiss our arses goodbye.

Would deployed aircraft be able to shoot down a nuke?
Or maybe superman can catch them and throw them into the sun!

If they DO have a nuke or 2 or 3, IMO they would probably try and hit Israel, or maybe American strongholds in Iraq. It is not likely that they have the capability to hit any part of the continental US yet, unless they obtained a long range missile(s) from China or Russia, or maybe North Korea. But once launched, very difficult to stop, especially if it is a smaller, tactical type nuke being launched a shorter distance, which allows less reaction time than a longer range launch. The only hope in that case is that someone who launched it decides at the last minute to re target it into the ocean or something, realizing that he is probably going to die as a consequence of launching it in the first place. And this assumes that the missile has mid flight retargeting ability.

Originally posted by picaso_2000
Would deployed aircraft be able to shoot down a nuke?
Or maybe superman can catch them and throw them into the sun!

No and No. Nukes fly faster than our aircraft and Superman doesn't exist... So we'd be screwed!

If we still had Bomarc missiles sitting around in theory we could take the nuke out in flight by an air-burst nuclear explosion, but that kind of defeats the purpose of stoppnig the inbound bird. If our EMP programs are as advanced theorized it would also probably be possible to lob a few missiles equipped with EMP warheads to intercept the ICBM on its arc back into the atmosphere and short it out.

The most likely outcome howerver is that we would pick up the missile on the first half of its arc and launch a preprogrammed retalitory strike before it even hits, thus kickstarting a nuclear war provided the attacking party is a country with more than one functional ICBM.

Originally posted by wyatt43
There is one way. im sure that if someone does launch a nuke that the govenment will stop it. the govenment has sooooooo much technology that is classed as classified.

As we all know the govement researches mostly defence, im sure in this age or when nukes were created they started to research defence to a nuke.

We just dont know about it YET

I doubt it.
Any anti-nuke weapon/defence shield would be braged about at length.
the only defence against a nuke is another nuke or nukes. what prevents attacks is the emminent death that would be brought upon the attacker.

If Reagan had his way and was able to set up his "Star Wars" programs, would we have a better nuke defense system, or is that a whole other ballgame?

Nope. That was the whole point of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) which was labeled as "Star Wars" by the detractors.

Originally posted by wyatt43
There is one way. im sure that if someone does launch a nuke that the govenment will stop it. the govenment has sooooooo much technology that is classed as classified.

As we all know the govement researches mostly defence, im sure in this age or when nukes were created they started to research defence to a nuke.

We just dont know about it YET

And if it was just one nuke...we still wouldn't know about it. I would bet the farm that the US would not tip it's strategic hand over a single nuke. Such a capability would be so secret, it would not be used unless it had to be in order to diminish the possibility of an enemy creating technology to specifically defeat our missle killing measures.

Well, let's assume, for the purpose of discussion, that they did have a Russian ICBM capable of reaching the US and launched it...

Yes, I feel pretty confident it'd never reach the US and that it would be neutralized. Military tech is at least 20 years ahead of whatever's "announced", and since HELs have been announced, I've got faith that there's something really amazing out there that we simply don't even know of yet... Not to mention, EMP, Rail-Guns, Satellites with weapons. Who knows? The real threat would be multiple missiles...but hell, we may even be able to counter that.

The PUBLIC missile defense program is likely a black budget funnel, and disinfo program...as it's publicized failures continually reassure our enemies that their big guns aren't useless, so they then don't go spending money on bigger guns... Classic military strategy....

Originally posted by mpeake
If and when a nuke is launched, is there anything that can be done to disarm it after the launch? For instance, if we invaded Iran, only to find out they launched a suprise nuke at us (assuming they got thier hands on a nuke and could launch it), is that it, or is there any type of defense once it's in the air?

[edit on 18-1-2005 by mpeake]

AS I understand it missiles are not armed at launch that is done electronically after it reaches a predetermined failsafe point. Up until that point a simple self destruct button would stop the missile.

The same applys to bombers, when they take off the bombs are not armed
actual arming takes place in flight by the flight crew. A good example would be the b52 that went down in spain in the 60s had the bombs been armed when the plane crashed you could have kissed Spain good bye. As I recall they had four on board 3 landed in fields the 4th was found off the coast in the water serveral months later.

These are long range weapons so the procedure might be different if they are short range. I doubt they would be armed prior to launch simply because if the launch failed it would blow the hell out their own country.

Originally posted by wyatt43
There is one way. im sure that if someone does launch a nuke that the govenment will stop it. the govenment has sooooooo much technology that is classed as classified.

As we all know the govement researches mostly defence, im sure in this age or when nukes were created they started to research defence to a nuke.

We just dont know about it YET

So much information that a three planes hit our soil without any warning. Especially the pentagon, you would think there was some type of defense going on.

Originally posted by Aether

Originally posted by wyatt43
There is one way. im sure that if someone does launch a nuke that the govenment will stop it. the govenment has sooooooo much technology that is classed as classified.

As we all know the govement researches mostly defence, im sure in this age or when nukes were created they started to research defence to a nuke.

We just dont know about it YET

So much information that a three planes hit our soil without any warning. Especially the pentagon, you would think there was some type of defense going on.

Don't forget that those 3 planes were launched from our "own soil" what are the odds that an nuclear tipped ICBM will be launched from our own soil at a target within the U.S. The whole military was setup to watch for threats coming from outside the U.S., not to look at threats already here.

That being said had they been looking for it they could have easily brought down the jets -- once they knew they were threats. That was the problem, how do you know if a jet has been hijacked or not when you only have seconds to make a decision before you have to shoot them down or now.

Originally posted by Halfofone

Originally posted by wyatt43
There is one way. im sure that if someone does launch a nuke that the govenment will stop it. the govenment has sooooooo much technology that is classed as classified.

As we all know the govement researches mostly defence, im sure in this age or when nukes were created they started to research defence to a nuke.

We just dont know about it YET

I doubt it.
Any anti-nuke weapon/defence shield would be braged about at length.
the only defence against a nuke is another nuke or nukes. what prevents attacks is the emminent death that would be brought upon the attacker.

Thats not absoulutly true, if the govenment did produce an effective defence against nukes then they wouldnt realease it. If everybody knew this defence then nukes would be useless. Therefore the govenment wants to keep the defence a secret so they have a defence against other countries nukes but can still use their own.

Originally posted by Aether

Originally posted by wyatt43
There is one way. im sure that if someone does launch a nuke that the govenment will stop it. the govenment has sooooooo much technology that is classed as classified.

As we all know the govement researches mostly defence, im sure in this age or when nukes were created they started to research defence to a nuke.

We just dont know about it YET

So much information that a three planes hit our soil without any warning. Especially the pentagon, you would think there was some type of defense going on.

somethings in this world go higher than the pentagon, and even the white house. 'they' would only defend their country when they absouluty have to (i.e their lives are at risk) they probally wouldnt care if the president was killed!! not that anyone would mind!!!


Sorry i hope i didnt offend anyone