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Missile Defense

Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a "Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense initiatives more successful? Can such an application of science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable, necessary or impossible?

Read Debates, a new Web-only feature culled from Readers' Opinions, published every Thursday.

bluestar23 - 09:45pm Nov 4, 2003 EST (# 16545 of 16552)

WORLD TRIBUNE.COM -- The United States is developing a laser weapon to defend against terror attacks like the shoulder-fired missile attack on an American helicopter Sunday.

U.S. officials said Iraqi insurgents have been trained in the use of shoulder-fired SA-7 surface to air missiles which destroyed a Chinook helicopter over the weekend, killing 16 U.S. soldiers.

The U.S. Air Force has been briefed on a system that could automatically detect an infrared surface-to-air missile launch and emit a laser beam to destroy the projectile. The system would be based on the Tactical High Energy Laser developed by Israel and the United States in 2001.

Northrop Grumman has shown the Air Force a deuterium-fluoride chemical laser system that could either be mounted on a mobile or stationary platform. The concept, called the Hazardous Ordnance Engagement Toolkit, is designed to protect military and civilian airports from man-portable shoulder-fired missiles such as the Soviet-origin SA-7, which was fired toward a U.S. F-15 outside a Saudi air base in 2002.

U.S. officials and Northrop executives said they are trying to determine how many laser units would be required to protect a military airport. A unit could engage a salvo of missiles in accordance with THEL tests conducted at White Sands Missile Range in 2001. The THEL tests were conducted against 28 Katyusha rockets and artillery shells.

bluestar23 - 09:49pm Nov 4, 2003 EST (# 16546 of 16552)

"Don't forget, bluestar, that you are contributing to the "CORPUS" -- largest ever in the world."

I feel Humbled; as if I was "working" on the Torah itself...rshow's "work" stands with the Koran....

bluestar23 - 09:54pm Nov 4, 2003 EST (# 16547 of 16552)

".... some kind of platitude about the platitudinous nature of platitudes."

Ha! Perfect.....Showalter's impossible language repeats itself even in the same sentence....

bluestar23 - 11:24pm Nov 4, 2003 EST (# 16548 of 16552)

How will Showalter justify his continued postings when he has no "time" left to do his "work"..? the NYT is not going to "negotiate" with him, on the contrary, they're closing the forum....

lchic - 05:32am Nov 5, 2003 EST (# 16549 of 16552)
ultimately TRUTH outs : TRUTH has to be morally forcing : build on TRUTH it's a strong foundation

'It is computed, that eleven thousand Persons have, at several times, suffered Death, rather than submit to break their Eggs at the smaller End.'

http://www.jaffebros.com/lee/gulliver/bk1/chap1-4.html

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New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense