Did The U.S. use an Airborne Laser to Shoot Down the North Korean ICBM?

I don't think so. That would be kind of like loading up on steroids to race Grandma.




N Korean Astronauts

Before the ICBM ever left the ground i was thinking to my self. If this thing looks to be functioning correctly the US or an Ally will for sure shoot it down, or like many of you pointed out. Heat it to the point of failure. And when your scooting fast it doesn't take much to cause critical failure.

If I'm not mistaken. the airborne laser was recently mothballed. And even if it had been there, it being so large and needing to be so close to the missile and for a not so short period of time, it would have been very easy to spot and identify. It's been mothballed because of those reasons. Large, easy to spot (and shoot down), and not mature enough of tech for real life use. It's an experimental platform, not a front line weapon. Or so the studies have shown. Perhaps we have something new, like a submarine platform or ship platform? Considering all the radars aimed at the missile, the airborne laser would have been Very Easy to spot.

www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/asd/2011/12/21/02.xml

Listen the US and Russia and Isreal and G8 and everyone have laser weapons, this is just new because it's not known publicly. The illusion of control is way more than we can comprehend not being part of it.

reply to post by IAMTAT


Personally I would not like to speculate on N Korea's failure to launch its rocket. Whether it was brought down by the YAL-1 airborne laser 747 or by Chinese hackers. The fact remains it was a failure and its good. I hope the next rocket they try to launch will just fall over at the launch pad and I hope they invite a lot of foreign correspondents/reporters to cover the event. Man...they would have a hilarious time.

Do we really need this thread?

Just saying.

reply to post by IAMTAT


Considering the programme is not viable, and unfunded. I think we can safely say the answer is no.

Funding for the program was cut in 2010 and the program was canceled in December 2011. It made its final flight on February 14, 2012 to Davis–Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona to be prepared and kept in storage at the "Boneyard" by the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group.

en.wikipedia.org...

I agree that it's best if the North Koreans don't know for sure if US (or another country) technology caused their rocket malfunction.

So far, then, the North Koreans may have a nuclear bomb (they've been talking that up for years) but not a delivery system. This suggests a "suitcase bomb" (i.e. hidden in a car or truck, or installed in a building, right at the target and set off by a timer or remote control - the bomb itself could be more compact because stripped of guidance systems, and the resulting blast would give no warning and possibly remain anonymous). North Korea's extreme poverty also suggests that it would be tempted to sell its nukes to whomever has a few billion in ready cash. This is a serious concern.

The airborne laser is an experimental weapon. It does not have the range as in those nice animations, yet. So for it to engage the rocket it would have had to be deployed within less than 1000 miles. I really doubt they deployed it outside the us to counter the scheduled launch.

Tricky stuff this. Consider that the regional powers and we would actually want the launch to go forward so we could better guage North Korea's compentency in this very technical and technology-demanding arena. This might also inform us as to the potential value of their exporting such knowledge. It is also probably true that we could adversly affect any single launch of any vehicle of any state anywhere in the world at any time.

Originally posted by CynicalWabbit
reply to post by haven123

 

A couple of problems with the US destroying the NK missile with an ALS (Airborne Laser System), There is only one prototype plane and it was sent to the boneyard in February, 2012 and in 2010 The Defense Department dropped funding of the project.

After they spent that much money on it, I seriously doubt it. The CIA probably took over from there and is using it today. They know missile defense pisses off the Russian publicly so to cool things down they scrap it publicly and put the CIA in charge just like they did with the SR-71 and the rest of the advanced planes we have rumbling the sky's today.

reply to post by CynicalWabbit


yea how many years was the SR-71 about befor they anouned it existed,just one example

reply to post by CynicalWabbit

I didn't know the airborne laser was sent to the boneyard, however, I really doubt that this was the end result of the program. My guess is that it was an early prototype which was already obsolete.

reply to post by apsalmist

I'm inclined to agree with you on your point that the US can effectively take out ANY launch at ANY time.

Why else would Obama even think of reducing our ICBM stockpile if we didn't already have a very effective deterrent in place and fully functional? If anyone REALLY thinks that Reagan's 'Star Wars' missle defense program 'simply went away'...they are sadly naive.

Military Laser and Particle Beam technology is alive, well,...and currently living (and covertly working) in the US military arsenal.

reply to post by Shadowalker

With all due respect...Why did you even take the time to ask the question as to whether or not there was any need for my thread on this? Arbitrary dismissal is not opinion, debate, or discussion; it adds nothing but negativity.

Isn't this a forum for speculation and discussion?
...I'M just sayin'....

Originally posted by IAMTAT
reply to post by CynicalWabbit

 

I didn't know the airborne laser was sent to the boneyard, however, I really doubt that this was the end result of the program. My guess is that it was an early prototype which was already obsolete.

I agree...we are not going to be in the know of what we are capable of. It would of absurd for a country like the USA or even Russia, China, or even North Korea...to show the world their own bag of tricks.

I dont think they would of tried to launch this long range rocket unless they were really really confident it was going to work. Its possible, we all make mistakes....but yeah, its one of those topics that you really hate to speculate on.

that is an act of war. why would the u.s. provoke n. korea into a full on invasion of s.korea.

if the united states did shoot down this missile it would be reported on state news, they could use it as justification for war.

if they did shoot it down and n.korea is saying nothing, then it's equally dangerous, because that means they are contemplating revenge.

Originally posted by IAMTAT
reply to post by Hkkoru

 

Good point about the previous failures...but with the stakes so high on this particular launch, I just wondered if the US could afford to count on a natural failure...perhaps we had the lasers standing by as a failsafe contingency if the missle didn't fail on it's own merits.

Since this weapon only works during the boost phase there isn't enough time to wait and see if it fails on it's own.

The only way to be sure is to just take it down.

reply to post by randomname

North Korean state news will report anything it wants it's poorly-treated population of sheeple to believe.

The simple fact of the matter is that IF this was NOT a natural failure (keep in mind that this was to be a VERY important commemorative launch) and they (NK) had no idea or proof as to WHICH country actually took it down (The U.S., S. Korea, Japan, Russia AND China all objected to this launch taking place...with several countries threatening to shoot it down), they would simply say nothing about it (...which is what they are doing).

Anti-missle missles from other countries (such as South Korea or Japan) could be detected on radar...which is why I suggest that IF this was a shoot-down instead of a natural failure, the U.S. probably would've used a laser weapon...which would, in turn, deny the NK regime proof of U.S. (or any other nation's) culpability.

THAT SAID...This launch failing has been a major blow to N.K. pride and prestige....and the young and unstable (literally as well as figuratively) N.K. leadership is now apt to do something very stupid and dangerous, in order to try and save face.

Remember, they (N.K.) gambled greatly on this launch succeeding and in it's dismal failure lost international support and confidence (Russia and China included),...along with U.S. food aid; a lose-lose for the N.K. leadership, as well as it's sadly misled and abused population.