New 'missile defense' test: "We're not going to try to hit the target"

[bigtree]

Stage Set for Biggest US Missile Defense Test

LA Times | Tue, August 29th, 2006, 01:24

FT. GREELY, Alaska: The U.S. military will test its missile defense system Thursday, the fullest demonstration since a pair of tests grounded the program 18 months ago.

Military officials are seeking to lower expectations. Although a target missile will be fired from Kodiak Island, Alaska, and an interceptor rocket topped with a "kill vehicle" will launch from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base, military and industry officials say the goal isn't to actually shoot down the missile.

"We are not going to try to hit the target," said Scott Fancher, head of Boeing Co.'s ground-based missile defense program. "It is not a primary or secondary test objective to hit the target."

After a tour of the missile interceptor silos here Sunday, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said that although he wanted to see a "full end-to-end test," he was patient. He rejected suggestions that the system should try to hit the target this time.

"Why not proceed in an orderly way with the kind of the test expert people ?" Rumsfeld told reporters. "They do not have to do it to demonstrate to you."

more: http://www.defencetalk.com/news/publish/Stage_Set_for_Biggest_US_Missile_Defense_Test_20060829.php

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. exactly. Why try something it was designed to do?

Knowing it will fail?

How many billions have been wasted?

[Liberal Veteran]

2. See, if you leave out that pesky objective of hitting the target...

...then they can report all tests a success.

[madokie]

3. what if it was to accidentally hit it then all bets are off

they will be crowing to high heaven about how successful they were, hell there would be so many broken arms from patting themselves on the back that they would have to shut down for a while to let them all recuperate. what a bunch of idiots

spelling

[soothsayer]

4. KIM Chong-il is laughing at you, rummy!

[jimshoes]

5. Have we fleeced the American public?

... You bet. Do we have a system that's a complete waste of billions of taxpayer dollars? ... Absolutely. Are we going to continue this charade well into the future? As long as there is American Idol & Survivor, goodness yes. Do we give a rats patootie what Americans think about this? A resounding good golly no.

[acmejack]

7. Are you interested in a position in the DoD?

A cursory review of your qualifications indicates you have the attributes we are looking for in a career officer at the Pentagon.

[jimshoes]

9. Only if I make an outrageous

amount of money for very little work. I get tired easily.

[Wickerman]

6. lowered expectations - its the Dimson** way n/t

[KansDem]

10. What if Presidents had this philosophy?

JFK: "We are not going to try to land on the moon"
FDR: "We are not going to try to win WWII"
A L: "We are not going to try to hold the Union together."

GWB: "We are not going to try to find OBL"
GWB: "We are not going to try to help New Orleans"
GWB: "We are not going to try to leave Iraq"
GWB: "We are not going to try to find a way to help Americans with health care"
GWB: "We are not going to try to keep jobs in the USA"
GWB: "We are not going to try to protect the environment"
GWB: "We are not going to try to develop non-fossil fuel energy"

Wait! I think we do have a president who has this philosophy!

[Strawman]

8. "They do not have to do it to demonstrate to you"

You reporters are just supposed to scare the people into forking over billions to my buddies in the defense industry, not infrom them that this shit will never work.

[Fierce]

11. Uh, what?

I wouldn't call that a test, then. I'd call it...uh...um....

[mainegreen]

12. While I think the defense system is stupid, the non-hit test is not.

You can test sub systems. In fact, you should test smaller subsets of whatever one designs first to see how they perform and when those work then you move on to testing the whole thing. This is not a WTF story. This actually indicates that there might be a logical and orderly methodology being used by the developers.

[bigtree]

14. *snicker*

"logical and orderly methodology being used by the developers" :rofl:

[MadHound]

13. In other words, we're going to spend more millions of dollars

Just so the DOD can say that their missle defense system is a success just because it can "see" an incoming missle.:banghead: Hell, I thought that was what radar was for.

More millions down a rat hole, meanwhile we have cities foundering and people dieing, all due to lack of proper government funding.

[tabasco]

15. The second greatest taxpayer scam of all time.

#1 is the Iraq war.

Lots of people getting very rich on these projects.

[bigtree]

16. looks like the money for this one goes to Boeing

what a scam