U.S. Navy Spooked by N.K. "Mystery Weapon"

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Al

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In 2013, the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet hinted at a mysterious and "newly discovered threat" to American warships. Whatever it was, it was serious  —  and had America's admirals spooked.

We knew the threat was probably a missile, because the Navy's only mention of it was inside a contracting request for a new electronics countermeasures system designed for surface ships.

The Navy awarded a $65-million contract to the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory to develop the system within a "critically short" time frame.


http://theweek.com/articles/553224

Methinks a whole bunch of Navy people need to be fired? We are not prepared for cruise missles???????????????????????
 
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It was only 65 million!

I would have thought NK would just use Kamikaze delivery systems.
 
The problem is that a cruise missile that flies at a high enough speed very low over the water is very difficult to see. It travels in its own environment, very different from that around it. It has to be reacquired every time it changes direction accompanied with a change in speed however slight. In other words, you blink, you lose.

If several of these missiles come at you in a group, especially in a slightly trailing formation at various speeds and heights above the water while broadcasting or radiating different jamming signals and leaving confusing metallic vapor trails it adds a line of sight problem for detectors and defeats fast firing Gatling style guns.

Financially speaking three or four or five or six such missiles is a good trade for disabling a ship of just about any size.
 
I think its only a matter of a short time before the NK military realizes what a nut case their leader is and the military takes over and he is out. He has had a few of the top leaders killed recently.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
I think its only a matter of a short time before the NK military realizes what a nut case their leader is and the military takes over and he is out. He has had a few of the top leaders killed recently.


I'm really surprised that hasn't happened. Another sociopath knocks off the leader sociopath. I think in NK's situation Kim has figured out who the other sociopaths are and has them executed before they can get to him.
 
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
The delivery method is what can be a game changer.
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
The problem is that a cruise missile that flies at a high enough speed very low over the water is very difficult to see. It travels in its own environment, very different from that around it. It has to be reacquired every time it changes direction accompanied with a change in speed however slight. In other words, you blink, you lose.

If several of these missiles come at you in a group, especially in a slightly trailing formation at various speeds and heights above the water while broadcasting or radiating different jamming signals and leaving confusing metallic vapor trails it adds a line of sight problem for detectors and defeats fast firing Gatling style guns.

Financially speaking three or four or five or six such missiles is a good trade for disabling a ship of just about any size.



I think you two have it.

I'm not going to say any more than what has already been said, because I don't know how much was meant to be repeated, but after speaking with my wife's son once (ex Navy), he said something similar to what you described... Only it was a different country that possessed the technology.
 
Originally Posted By: Blaze
Originally Posted By: Donald
I think its only a matter of a short time before the NK military realizes what a nut case their leader is and the military takes over and he is out. He has had a few of the top leaders killed recently.


I'm really surprised that hasn't happened. Another sociopath knocks off the leader sociopath. I think in NK's situation Kim has figured out who the other sociopaths are and has them executed before they can get to him.


Assasination is a very much a [censored]. The only sure thing about the aftermath is that it is unpredictible.

The issue for the military leaders in NK is that.....Talking to each other is tantamount to suicide, and choosing who should lead, in the mess afterwards is compounded by the false loyalty that the populace has been forced into.
 
First of all the Navy doesn't "contract" to NRL.

Second, $65M isn't much of anything in weapons development.

Finally, there are lots of threats under development by adversaries.
 
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
The delivery method is what can be a game changer.
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
The problem is that a cruise missile that flies at a high enough speed very low over the water is very difficult to see. It travels in its own environment, very different from that around it. It has to be reacquired every time it changes direction accompanied with a change in speed however slight. In other words, you blink, you lose.

If several of these missiles come at you in a group, especially in a slightly trailing formation at various speeds and heights above the water while broadcasting or radiating different jamming signals and leaving confusing metallic vapor trails it adds a line of sight problem for detectors and defeats fast firing Gatling style guns.

Financially speaking three or four or five or six such missiles is a good trade for disabling a ship of just about any size.



I think you two have it.

I'm not going to say any more than what has already been said, because I don't know how much was meant to be repeated, but after speaking with my wife's son once (ex Navy), he said something similar to what you described... Only it was a different country that possessed the technology.


Although being a movie it seemed to print a pretty accurate picture from an aircraft based launch.

Edit: I should also say I am well aware ships just don't let planes get that close or travel alone at sea. Hollywood again but I can see the potential for a threat.
 
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Originally Posted By: Donald
I think its only a matter of a short time before the NK military realizes what a nut case their leader is and the military takes over and he is out. He has had a few of the top leaders killed recently.
Won't happen the military is made of mostly followers.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
I think its only a matter of a short time before the NK military realizes what a nut case their leader is and the military takes over and he is out. He has had a few of the top leaders killed recently.


Take any news like this about NK with a bucket of salt. The SK intelligence agency rolled back their claims.
 
I really doubt the US navy was "spooked" by any anti ship missile.

Not exactly a new weapon in naval warfare after all.
 
Cruise missiles are quite a big threat to the US Navy, mostly large ships like carriers hence the rapid deployment of laser defense systems.

Looks like little Kim got his hands on a couple decent missiles, the Russians and French for that matter are known weapons whores and will sell anything to anyone. Not that we are much better.

Plowing one of these into the side of a ship would fit right in with NK's foreign policy.
 
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Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
The delivery method is what can be a game changer.
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
The problem is that a cruise missile that flies at a high enough speed very low over the water is very difficult to see. It travels in its own environment, very different from that around it. It has to be reacquired every time it changes direction accompanied with a change in speed however slight. In other words, you blink, you lose.

If several of these missiles come at you in a group, especially in a slightly trailing formation at various speeds and heights above the water while broadcasting or radiating different jamming signals and leaving confusing metallic vapor trails it adds a line of sight problem for detectors and defeats fast firing Gatling style guns.

Financially speaking three or four or five or six such missiles is a good trade for disabling a ship of just about any size.



I think you two have it.

I'm not going to say any more than what has already been said, because I don't know how much was meant to be repeated, but after speaking with my wife's son once (ex Navy), he said something similar to what you described... Only it was a different country that possessed the technology.


Its no secret that the Chinese Navy has a few missiles for each US carrier. Heck its even a scenario in a couple of Janes games and as far back as 20 years ago in JF2. In JF2 if I remember correctly the missiles were in groups and you just about had to go full afterburner in the F14 at about 200ft to hit them with the gun, 90's French Exocet.

The only difference is technology has been getting better and better so these missiles are getting harder and harder to shoot down. Drone technology is going to make it far worse. Imagine how hard they will be to kill when you have a video game nerd controlling them.

This is one of the reasons lasers are getting rushed into development, they are the best way of knocking them down.


Hence my assertion that aircraft careers today are as obsolete as the battleship was in the 1930's.
 
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Air power will kill any surface vessel. The Japanese air superiority in early 1942 wiped out every Allied capital ship between China and Australia in about 3 months. IIRC there were only 2 or 3 battleship vs battleship actions in the entire war. The Allies used them as mobile bombardment platforms for pre-invasion shelling. As awe inspiring as an Iowa class battle ship is, they were obsolete before they were launched.
 
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