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For years American naval power has been able to swing it’s big stick unchallenged. As our Nimitz-class nuclear carriers were thrust into every place oil was to be found in abundance international hot spot. Full of overcompensation and seamen.
But our virility is threatened.
U.S. naval planners are scrambling to deal with what analysts say is a game-changing weapon being developed by China — an unprecedented carrier-killing missile called the Dong Feng 21D that could be launched from land with enough accuracy to penetrate the defenses of even the most advanced moving aircraft carrier at a distance of more than 1,500 kilometers (900 miles).
This can mean only one thing. No universal health care, no infrastructure renewal, no “home-based” stimulus until we build a new form of carrier impenetrable to the Dong, or at least ‘theoretically’.
This is the greatest threat to America’s naval power since John McCain was on the Forrestal so government, please spend $1 trillion dollars or more on this necessary project immediately — for peace.
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You sure about that headline, Attaturk?
Good morning and thanks for the post.
Actually, I believe the Sunburn missile, though with less range, has the same kill capability for an aircraft carrier, and flies in so low and fast that it is unlikely to be stopped.
It is my contention that we will soon see a carrier destroyed in the Gulf as the false flag pretext to take out Iran.
Death before health!
First one should measure the Dong before deciding on what preventative measures to apply to the Feng. Other measures include length, diameter and whether any lubrication is required. Look it up.
The last time we were inflating the Dreaded Yellow Menace, it was Shark Summer of 2001, and we were ignoring al-Qaeda.
I don’t usually reply to this early stuff, but I’m up left coast . . . *G*
Dong?
Dang.
Aside from the penis analyses, China and Russia hold us close WRT a few issues, and countries.
Iran included.
I love world political analyses.
Dong if I don’t!
*G*
This new dong is NOT a game changer. We have nukes galore. Zoot aloor!
THAT, is the end game, not some phreakin Chinese Dong.
It’s just being touted to be so, to pump up the military budget and continue our war policy.
Pure shit, hoss.
It’s just that time of year.
Budgets, ya know.
Sigh.
*G*
I’m sure that illusive bipartisanship can be achieved on this project.
How I loathe them all.
I’m sure Obama will focus like a laser beam on this.
We will need to borrow MORE from the Chinese to protect us from Chinese missiles!
Why can’t they and their Dong treat us respectfully and just leave the money on the nightstand?
Hey, this is family website! ;o)
Carriers are offensive weapons. Maybe the US should rely more on defensive weapons.
I know that, isn’t this post enough evidence that I’m like 9-years old? ;-)
made be laugh out loud first thing in the morning, a truer sentence is hard to find
especially that “theoretical” part because we all know, it’s not about the weapon it’s about the company making profit on the weapon, the more the weapon fails and has to be re-engineered the more the company makes on it
simple stuff
I do wonder how many tax cuts will be necessary to pay for Operation Chastity Belt?
Good morning, pups. Prof. Krugman is flying solo today because both Bobo and Mr. Cohen are off. In “The Flimflam Man” he says the Beltway crowd gets fooled again, this time by Representative Paul Ryan’s plan for a major overhaul of federal spending and taxes. Are we supposed to be surprised by yet another Republican lying to us?
Here he is.
The coffee and tea are ready, the cold drinks are in the fridge, and I’ve got blueberry pancakes today. Now it’s time for me to buckle down and do some of the work that I’ve slacked off on the last couple of days. Have a great day.
Tax cuts? Won’t need them. Just slash Social Security — those old geezers don’t need chastity belts any more…
hehe
everyone knows, the less money you take in the more money you take in
it’s common knowledge dontcha know
Wow, 900 miles! That’s a long Dong.
In John Hersey’s book, “Hiroshima”, many victims of the bomb were reported to have said that they were happy to die for the Emperor. I remember being shocked and confused by their statements. Now that I see how passively many people accept being exploited by the MIC in America in the name of patriotism, I think I am beginning to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Not another “missile gap?” The MIMC will not be denied.
Nah, lasers won’t get Obama excited… only the looming threat of a Dong will get Obama excited….
Decades after the oversell overkill years of the Reagan “Star Wars” SDI charade real lasers actually capable of intercepting such threats are already under development and would be far simpler and cheaper to deploy than new classes of carriers…
… so expect such defensive lasers to get their funding cut along with things like social security, health care, education etc etc as the mighty Dong is skillfully used to whip the congressional corporate curs into a froth of unsustainable military funding spasms…
This is a defensive weapon. Don’t play in their backyard and you don’t need to worry. They can easily bring the US to it’s knees by sending us tainted food, tainted medicine and toxic toys or refusing to carry our debt. But of course why would they do any of that when Politicians are for sale on K Street.
“As our Nimitz-class nuclear carriers were thrust into every place oil was to be found in abundance international hot spot.”
Instead on technology being driven by “energy independence” we are all enslaved by “oil whores” willing to compromise life and liberty for to perpetuate “their way of doing business, via Military intimidation? One thing is clear. Like the slave-owners prior to America’s civil war, Corpo-Oil will pull every trick in the book to keep America in a state of servitude to corporations as slaves where in a state of servitude to Masters. Problem is Americans and zee conditioned minds… just like Pavlov’s dog! Call it free enterprise? Bullshit… leveraged economic servitude bought by corporations, like a FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW?
Good morning all.
U.S. aircraft carriers are nothing if not gigantic traveling targets. Huge piece of junk sitting the the water. Don’t need no Dong to make them into scrap at the bottom of the ocean.
War Nerd of Exiledonline is the best military analyst ever. Here’s his take, dated April 9, with links to his much earlier posts.
Yup, and that was from April 9 of 2009.
This has been an issue for a long time, but only now — when the masses want stimulus, jobs and other goodies — is it being waved in our faces like Ron Jeremy’s short arm.
Wot’s happenin’ hot stuff?
Umm, what about that Aegis class boats that travel with every carrier battlegroup with SM3MRs? Remember those were the fancy missiles the Navy used to shoot down the ailing satellite a few years back?
I think this is a crock of shit, fear mongering at its finest. You want to cry about anything, how about the Joint Strike Fighter? All 3 air branches are buying this piece of crap, not to mention all our allies.
The Chinese only need to make something one hair better than it and all those billions are worthless. It is another F-111esque project where accountants are calling the shots. Yes, the same airframe is nice. It minimizes expenses for repairs and servicing (because they are all the same, minus the STVL aircraft). Unfortunately, all the Chinese have to do is come up with a way to detect it, and all of that money is lost.
As far as the infrastructure necessary to support that missile, you wouldn’t believe that if a carrier battlegroup was attacked (and sunk) that it wouldn’t immediately spawn a third World War? That satellite system supporting the targeting wouldn’t be there beyond the first shot.
It sounds like those MIRVesque things require radar updates. Jamming anyone? SMR3s anyone? Not to mention all the Tomahawks and other nonsense that would be immediately fired on wherever these shots originated from.
This whole thing reminds me of the Russians with their super fancy aircraft that they can’t find buyers for.
If you want to get all worked up about a new “bad guy”, now is a great time to realize China is it. We made China and now we finally realize that they will be our undoing on the world stage. Wow.. what timing.
All fear games. Tired of it.
er… the “best military analyst ever” seems to take that one phrase, “currently have no defense against a ballistic missile attack”, and just runs shrieking out the door with it…
Modern usage of the carrier concept must adapt to the changing circumstances or perish… but unthinking adherence to a bon mot such as “no defense against ballistic missiles” also must adapt or perish :)
More specifically recent developments over the past few years in solid-state laser technology have changed that “no defense” paradigm… markedly… and yet people who pride themselves on being current in military hardware often seem to think of lasers as if it was still the 1980′s instead of 2010…
I thought it was an Iranian airbus that the Ageis shot down. Why don’t we ring the carriers with Ospreys, they don’t seem to be used for much else and we can then justify more billions to develop weapons the military doesn’t need or want. Just a thought. /S
Modern military hardware is always 20 years behind technology because it takes that long to produce workable prototypes following delays, Congressional interference resulting in changes, constituent supplier contracts, delays and cost overruns and actual production units (for the parades) to justify the money spent in the comic book influenced development.
We need more weapons to kill ever increasing enemies of capitalism! Hank was right! We have seen the enemy and he is us!
A giant carrier killing Chinese dong? Oh Lordy! Feet don’t fail me now!
Is it silver?
I was speaking of military prototypes… the latest being 100 kW solid-state lasers. A set of those mounted on a carrier will fry your Dong real good.
10-20 kW military grade SS lasers are off-the-shelf hardware now, albeit not relevant in regards to the Dong of Doom.
And 100 kW+ chemical lasers are a known quantity but are being supplanted by SS lasers as the latter grow in power.
I’m not arguing for or against supercarriers… only against “no defense” as a paradigm.
At this time? It is true that there are limited defenses against ballistic missiles… but before I’d make the same mistake the Soviets made in regards to Star Wars I’d like some validation that these Dongs are a threat to the ships in question. Something other than Chinese press releases. Something that’s been double-checked by people who don’t stand to gain a budget boost from the report they write.
BTW I just saw and replied to your comment in the “well kill” thread.
It’s not an apology as such but I made an attempt to explain where I was coming from and why I said what I said.
No problem. Just tell the Chinese that if they sink one of our carriers….we’ll not repay their loans. That should put he fear of god into them.
I’m still worrying about teh bomb and the mineshaft gap.
BP is working on the shaft problem at this very moment and has issued a press release reassuring Americans that we will get the shaft shortly.
LOL! It seems we might be waving a big stick, but the Chinese have made it pretty clear who might have the bigger dong, right? Isn’t most of this military gamesmanship all just so much dong waving anyway?
If the missiles are truly ballistic, then the defense is relatively easy since they have fly a ballistic arc to the target. The problem comes from guided missiles, such as cruise missiles, which could even fly around you and come up from behind — and at extremely low altitude.
?
Not even ICBMs are truly ballistic by that standard… MIRVs y’know.
As for cruise missiles… the Navy has been tailoring its defenses against precisely that kind of threat ever since the Caspian Sea Monster inspired the Aegis program.
What some folks have been worried by… some to the point of scaring themselves half to death (this being greatly encouraged by stockholders in certain large corporations)… is the thought of something with cruise missile maneuverability being delivered at ICBM speeds.
Which would be a credible threat… if the Chinese have indeed succeeded in implementing something like that.
The thing is… the lasers can deal with the threat… but MTHEL has been fobbed off on Israel and they have arguments about how to fund it. Zeus is blowing up IEDs and leftover ordinance right and left in Afghanistan… but further funding has stalled due to arguments in the military…
… get the irony? The long-promised death ray missile defenses really are just around the corner this time… but now that they now longer require vast programs with vast infrastructure and equally vast costs… now that they might actually save money and reduce military budget needs the lasers… just aren’t sexy anymore…
… meanwhile the military types who actually want the programs to succeed and be implemented have to watch their steps carefully…