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Mystery Missile Launched Near LA
J. L. Tympanum writes "CBS News is reporting the launch of an unidentified missile off the coast of California. No one wants to take credit for it." The article has visuals taken from a CBS affiliate's helicopter, and a Navy spokesman said it wasn't theirs.
Has anyone looked at the NOTAMS for that day?
If it was a government launch then a NOTAM must have been filed to clear the air space.
They would not risk an accident that would take out an airliner full of people.
I tried to look but found nothing listed.
As to a demonstration that the US can launch ballistic missiles from a sub... Well yea that has been proven for about the last 50 years. And you can bet your bottom dollar that you do not just pop off long range missile with out telling Russia and China that you are going to do it!
That could be bad...
BTW Subs do not launch intercontinental ballistic missiles "ICBMs". They launch Sub launched ballistic missiles "SLBMs"
At this point the fact that nobody is saying anything and it is getting so little press really scares the daylights out of me.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
Not to mention it would make absolutely NO sense to fire off the coast of CA and risk a panic when we already have test ranges in the Pacific just for such tests. I'm starting to wonder if this wasn't a fuckup, as that is the ONLY reason why I could think they would launch something that close. Maybe they had a leak and had to get the bird off the ship? Because that is the only reason why I can see the Navy or other branch of the Armed Forces not going through established procedures and then trying to claim it wasn't them.
It isn't like the Navy would want to broadcast "Yesterday Sgt Gomer found PFC Pile had accidentally started a serious breach of safety and security, causing us to launch the bird to keep the dumbass from blowing the whole ship up. We apologize for any scares and can assure you Pile is now manning a station in the Arctic circle. Have a nice day." Because the only other reason I can think of is that it wasn't the USA, which is a scary thought. Hey, didn't we bust some drug dealers awhile back for having an ex Soviet sub? while I doubt China or Russia would be that stupid, there are plenty of others with subs not to mention Soviet hardware on the market. It would be pretty damned scary if some "off the books" Boomer or Alpha just popped up and said hi, and the US sure as hell wouldn't admit if that were the case.
Either way this one is a head scratcher, as it would make no sense for the USA to launch it on purpose given the 50 year+ history of doing these types of tests at our Pacific ranges. Hell have we EVER done a test launch off our own coast before? Because I certainly don't remember ever hearing of one.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.