If the much-rumoured Chinese anti-ship IRBMs are indeed a reality it means the RN won't be able to go within 1,000 or more miles of the PRC or any of its client states without US/Japanese escort.

Originally Posted by AndyPipkin

If the much-rumoured Chinese anti-ship IRBMs are indeed a reality it means the RN won't be able to go within 1,000 or more miles of the PRC or any of its client states without US/Japanese escort.

I'm not sold they are a reality - not least because it would be a massive waste of time to build a system that could be countered very quickly by something like mounting a high-energy laser on an existing hull. You couldn't mount decoys alongside the warhead either - the fact that the real warhead would (unlike an attack on a static target) have to make some drastic and obvious maneuvers to get to the target would be a dead give away to anyone trying to shoot it down.

Originally Posted by Ancient_Mariner

Originally Posted by Chuffit

I'm a bit confused as to why Japan/US should shoot down a launch intended to put a satellite in orbit...

From what I've read, the missile has nothing to do with satellites. It's a test of a ballistic missile intended to deliver a significant payload to Japan or South Korea. There's less reliable speculation that Uncle Kim has a nuclear warhead in development that's small enough to sit atop the missile.

There's no serious concern that this missile forms part of some sort of deliberate attack. However, given the state of North Korea's technology sector, there are well founded fears that the missile will go t1ts up and come down on a populated area of Japan. Hence the Japs are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst with Aegis ABM ships at sea and Patriot batteries set up around Tokyo.

Originally Posted by Chuffit

.... And what the feck is an 'illegal missile launch' if it isn't aimed at anyone?

North Korea is banned by the UN from launching missiles.

Originally Posted by Chuffit

.... And how silly will they look if they try, and miss?

Indeed. The Japanese Navy uses the American ABM Mk 3 Standard Missile. The American ABM programme has had a troubled history with many failures but recent tests by the US and Japanese navies have been successful against missiles and satellites.

Trouble is, the SM-3 warhead contains no explosives. It disables its target by colliding with it at high speed. The target then falls to earth in big chunks. This is preferable to blowing a radioactive warhead into powder and distributing fallout over a wide area.

However, in this case, there is almost certainly no radioactive warhead to worry about. The prospect of big chunks of hot, North Korean scrap landing on Tokyo is almost as worrying as an intact missile falling out of the sky. They could damage some of the vending machines that dispense schoolgirls' used underwear in Tokyo's less salubrious establishments.

Hence the pantie protecting Patriot batteries that will provide a last line of defence against any potentially knicker incinerating lumps of hot metal that might rain down from the edge of space onto Japanese sex shops.

Seriously. Thank you Ancient mariner.
Educational and entertaining. The perfect post.

I bet this so called rocket never even gets off the ground The pilgrim forces of the west will see to that if world pease is at stake.

Originally Posted by PE4rocks

Originally Posted by AndyPipkin

IIRC Japan is a development partner in Aegis SM3 ABM. The Kongo class ABM destroyers are basically Japanified Arliegh Burkes. No doubt the new South Korean DDG's will have some form of ABM capability as well to complement ROK's Patriots. Several Gulf states are also getting PAC3 to defend against ballistic missiles.

And the UK's capabilities in this increasingly important area of warfare are?

Oo, Oo, me Sir, me Sir, is it sod all? (1)

(1) Other than US toys at Menwith Hill

Interesting tidbit, what toys at Menwith Hill?

DPRK's plan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZIgda01k6o

When is this meant to be happening, then?

Commy pinkos have got this out there about Menworth hill. Funny old place - using US dollars in the Uk ?


http://cndyorks.gn.apc.org/mhs/mhshist.htm

Originally Posted by old_bloke

Commy pinkos have got this out there about Menworth hill. Funny old place - using US dollars in the Uk ?


http://cndyorks.gn.apc.org/mhs/mhshist.htm

One of the more balanced sites about Menwith on t'internet. Still does not shed any light on the "toys", or is it just more tinfoil hat stuff?

So what could/would NK do if Japan knocked it out of the sky? The NK navy is a littoral force and the Japanese capable of blue water operations. If the NKs are still in the testing phase then they have nothing that can hit Japan. Or am I thinking too conventionally?