Why a ship based missle?

This is just an uneducated guess, but I remember reading that they wanted to have a 45 degree angle when they hit the thing. Maybe it's easier to obtain and maintain that angle from sea level as opposed to 5 miles up in the air.

Just a guess...

I also have a feeling that though this isn't the first time they've done this, they are really uncertain about everything, almost like this is their 3rd try to get it right.

Like I've mentioned before, why isn't the gov. dealing with secret tech with secret tech? Given the high probability that our currently acknowledged technology is roughly 25 to 50 years behind our secret black ops technology, why are we using ballistic interceptors? We already have an airborne laser system (courtesy of Boeing) that can destroy early stage ICBM deployment. I find it hard to believe that we do not possess anything better. I really do believe that there is an ulterior motive to all this. Many have said in related threads that it is merely political and "show casing" of technical prowess.

what is a missle?

You would think with all the high technology at our disposal, this thing should have been destroyed long ago without even the slightest mention. Something just ain't right about this. Why even inform the public?

And on the same day the Moon turns blood red from and eclipse?

I don't think its possible for a fighter based missile to have enough fuel to reach a satellite in orbit. That would be an estimated range of 100+ miles plus the speed required to get that high. Sorry, but a book is a book.

I think it's ship based (or land based, basically the same thing when dealing with a ship) due to the shear size of the delivery system needed to make it into orbit.

Someone forgot another "i".

That is exactly my point. Trinity, yesterday brought up a good point in that if we are dealing with technology that is secret, why not deal with it secretly so no one knows about the incident at all. Why bring attention to it. Obviously we have a large cache of technology that our gov. will never acknowledge due to the umbrella of "national security". All these years they have been developing with outside contractors such as Boeing, on both military offensive and defensive systems. The airborne laser is just one of them. But the only one that is currently acknowledged that I know of is the ABL that is integrated onto military aircraft. But what I would like to know of are the high energy systems that are of course classified. And what about the high energy particle accelerators that have been in development all these years???

The 'acknowledged' method was to deploy an f15 to an altitude of 100,000 feet which would then launch a missle, presumably a Phoenix variant.

This says expect it from a ship, plane, or sub with a range of at least 120 miles.

They haven't got any "star wars" tech for fuck sake. Chemical rockets and rusty old 70's style space shuttles that fall apart for the slightest of reasons. All mouth and no trousers. I'll wager they can't even hit this satellite with a missile. Should of asked the Chinese to shoot it down for them.
Just pathetic.

Why not trick out an F-15 with an airborne laser at that altitude?

why don't these things have a self destruct button?

they already practiced launch and intercept with twa 800

because everyone laugh at a bass shaped missile

The airborne laser with all the necessary hardware is HUGE, that's why it is mounted in a 747. By the way, I am not aware that the airborne laser is operational yet.

No. And no. And NO!

65,000' is the service celling for the F-15. Further, how fast do you think a satellite is traveling? Actually, nevermind...you obviously have no idea how absurd your statements are. Are you just throwing out complete bullshit because you're scared and have no fucking clue what else to say?

WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE SO FUCKING IGNORANT? WHY DO I READ THESE FUCKING THREADS?!?!?

FUCK

Because the SM-3 really is the best missile for the job.

[link to en.wikipedia.org]

the laser punches a hole the size of a siver dollar, has no kinetic energy, and cant shoot through moist air without being refocused.....all that starwars junk from sdi is just that...junk....they allocate billions, spend a couple million on "science projects", and the remaider finances black ops, dirty tricks, and retirement villas...if they cant make the "osprey" fly without killing pilots and crews, what could possibly make you believe these conmen could build a "deathray"?.....grow up sci fi fans....

Railgun.

Seriously, a bicycle gun does have the capacity, but its more of a show-off thing this time.

It might not be optional as for the "conventional" ABL, but as for the nonconventional black opts version, I'm sure our gov. has a few of those in their back pocket they could use. Of course, they will deny anything outside the "box" IMHO.

Wouldnt the laserbeam burn the moist away? The size really doesnt matter if its lots of energy in it, thinking in the ways of a sword that CUTS through anything.

A laser is nothing but coherent light. Light is diffused by mouisture in the air, like haze. That (and their cost to operate) is what limits the use of lasers inside the atmosphere. Lasers do not "cut through anything." They contain a finite amount of energy, and therefore have limits.

Having worked on weapons systems for the military for 20 plus years. For our government and governments around the world, to which we have sold those weapons systems, we are the best! If our government finally comes' out and says' they have a weapon that can do something special, then they have had it for at least a dozen years before the public figured it out, and believe me they have improved it beyond belief. You wouldn't believe the shit we are able to do. And believe me, we have the best fucking pilots and military in the "WHOLE FUCKING WORLD"! Russia wishes they had the knowledge we have spent trillions of dollars on. I have watched pilots of ours on the ranges who can drop 2000 pounders in the drivers seat of a moving fucking car without any problems. We are the best!

but lasers that cut through metal?

maybe a water beam could be used (like industrial water cutting?


what about plasmas?

I really hope you're joking about shooting down a satellite with a high pressure jet of water, lol. DEWs are cool, but most of them have problems like that. Ion beams keep seeking ground, plasma is hard to contain, etc. I personally think it'll be a while before we have anything reliable enough to be used as a weapon. I'd bet on a railgun as the first operational next-gen weapon.

Because if it had a button, it wouldn't be self destruct :)

It has powered down and cannot be communicated with.

great highlander, you think about swords.....the moisture difuses the light....it un focuses it....thus you would have to focus on each band of moisture you encounter en route to target....that might complicate your software a bit.....the laser on the 747(whatever lameass acronym they use for it) shoots a pulse of light...a few microseconds...much more, it cooks itself...not exactly a giant lightsaber, huh, skywalker san? science projects is what this crap is...railgun, please.....they've been howling that crap at the moon for 35 years now...what do they have to show for it?....an 8 megajoule bench model...a fucking science project!!!......it's a long con, rubes....all that "high tech" nonsense is smoke and mirrors.....they divert the money for such things as funding al quaida....killing bhutto......buying tools and propellants and explosives for the "terrorists" in gaza...."IEDs" and "EFPs" in iraq....those damned kurd "freedom fighters".....keeping the planet unstable aint cheap....and somehow, i doubt a jewish senator will vote to allocate moola that results in rockets killing israeli's....so the money has to come from somewhere...all those rumors about all that "gee whiz" crap that uncle has on the back burner are produced to keep you from looking for where the money goes....stop eating the bullshit they feed you....oh, and to OP.....tom clancy writes fiction, you moron.....

could it work with a high powered microwave pulse beam?

or even a missile with a microwave and duct tape strapped to its front end to just give it enough reach to kiss the satellite and grace it with its microwavey goodness

Why a ship? Easy answer. There is a surplus of Navy Unit Commendations sitting in the warehouse. It's a good enough excuse to move out the overstock.