North Korea firing missiles!

From what I understand, it IS easier to hit a ballistic missile during launch (while the first stage is still firing) than it is when it's just a warhead traveling on inertia towards a target, at hypersonic speeds.

Slower target. :)

That said, we'd need to have interceptors within "X" amount of distance of the launch. I don't know if we do; probably depends on where in North Korea the launch was from and what distance "X" is.

I still haven't heard which way the thing was pointed.

I suspect this is mostly saber rattling, though, and they didn't intend to hit us. He's going, "Look at me! I have big guns!"

Why? Because if they'd intended to HIT us, or anyone else, they'd have launched the ballistic missile to hit a target, and then held the smaller missiles in reserve for other uses. "I.e., nanny nanny boo-boo, hit us and we nuke Japan!"

(Which would probably not get the reaction he'd be expecting from Japan, but would at least be smarter than throwing scuds around like roman candles.)

OTOH, North Korea has never been noted for being smart about strategy.

JoeNeubarth wrote: Cygnet wrote: Good point. Though given the state of their rocketry (the Taepedong 2 is supposed to be cobbled together out of parts of other rockets) -- blowing up at launch may not be outside the realm of possibility. That's probably the best possible scenario. Be pretty funny in a sick sort of way if they tried to start a nuclear war with the US and all their missiles failed. If we did shoot it down, we'll probably never know ... it's to the US' advantage, I'd think, for the world to think it went blooey on its own. JoeNeubarth wrote: IT blew up?   Or, did we help it blow up?      I called an old friend from my Navy days, and he assured me that their missle never would have gone any further. (i.e. We assisted it in "falling apart.")

    

Now wait.

In defense of Pres. Wacko Kim, there is such a thing as a smart bomb, they destroy human beings but leave the infrastructure intact,....... for later when they invade us.

I say we send in our top secret weapon, the undercover guys who can sneak into the country, and reak havoc,.... that's right, our own illegal Mexican aliens.

They won't know what hit 'em!


MK
    

  Seems like there should be an icon for "N.K. Nut firing missles"  on the  RSOE Havaria Emergency and Information Service 

Just heard that the long range missle was directed at Hawaii......

I continue to pray for all of us.

MY MOM SAID IT WAS ON FOX NEWS ABOUT IT BEING POINTED TO HAWAII BUT I WENT TO THEIR SITE AND COULDNT FIND ANYTHING, WHEN ARE THEY SUPPOSE TO LAUNCH IT

THANKS I THOUGHT SHE MEANT FOR NOW OR SOMETIMEES SOON. IVE BEEN OVER ON ANOTHER THREAD AND THAT NEW GUY GOT ME ALL UPSET, GUESS I NEED TO LISTEN BETTER NEXT TIME ANYWAY THANKS AGAIN

Report: N. Korea targeted Hawaii
Jerusalem Post, Israel - 1 hour ago
North Korea targeted waters near Hawaii when it fired a long-range missile this week, a Japanese newspaper reported Friday. The ...
N Korea missile 'aimed at area off Hawaii' New Zealand Herald

Opinion : Avian wise - I think there is a connection here, or at least a need to be aware of the instability of the the North Korean government.  I still think it is far more likely and practical for them to launch a bio attack than to seriously  hit the U.S. with a nuclear missile. In the case of a bio attack, it would be difficult to lay blame and even more difficult to defend against. A little cliche, but the saying "the world will not end with a bang but a whimper is probably, more likely."