[ExI] The Doomsday Clock

[spike]

-----Original Message-----
From: extropy-chat [mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf
Of Adrian Tymes


>...You'd think it would have been deployed in Israel to intercept Hamas
rocket attacks by now...

As I understand it, the system calculates where a rocket will land, then
makes a decision on whether or not to use a THAAD.  Usually that decision is
no: THAAD is an expensive bird, one you probably wouldn't want to use to
shoot down an unguided potshot with small payload.  A more effective
approach would be deterrence by return fire.  If Hamas manages to hit
anything that really hurts, the Israelis would likely carpet bomb the area
from which is was fired.


>...Hitting a missile with a missile, when the incoming missile makes no
concessions to make the outgoing missile's job easier, is difficult.
Staging a series of successful tests, especially after the program's funding
was already cut for failed tests, is much simpler.
_______________________________________________


The army fires the targets, so they know the system's capabilities and
weaknesses.  We do not.  The bad guys do not.  They do know what will happen
if they decide to try their luck.

spike