A video describing the global missile defense's capabilities currently under development, and expected to be fully operational by 2017. These include the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS), Airborne Laser (ABL) aircraft, the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 short-range missile defense system.

I have no idea of who actually produced this video. If you know, please post below. Thanks!

Such a waste of resources. Like Star Wars.

And I hope this wasn't the way they advertised the system to others!

Wow... the music was a bit over the top, to say the least.

That's why they call it Star Wars -- cool in theory, totally impractible.

I like how they were using the Middle East as launching points, in 2017.

Sure doesn't look like a DoD production. It's probably the product of a military enthusiasts wet dream.

Can't give it a vote though.

if they get them all, more power to them. But if they miss 1 missile, good bye major city.

That would have been the case 20 years ago, but the tremendous improvements in technology and CPU speed are making defense missiles more and more accurate. Remember this is comparable to shooting down a bullet with another bullet. In 10 years, I could see this happening.

That's exactly the case, Wumpus. I'm a graduate student in electrical engineering, and even though I'm not involved with the missile defense project (or with any military project, for that matter), my work involves the same algorithms you find in their radar, source identification and navigation systems.

The idea is that every one of these systems uses a very high resolution adaptive phased array array radar. That's a radar made from a grid of hundreds or thousands of tiny antennas. The requirements are very strict -- you need to accurately detect an object with a cross section of just a few square meters from thousands of km away. In order to combine and process the array's output you need a lot of processing power. Today's hardware is at the threshold of making this possible on a large scale, and in 10 years this system will be very accurate.

I love how no one grasps the fact that this - if successful, which is very much in doubt - would restart the arms race all over again, with every other nation then trying to launch its own defense system.
It's completely unnecessary, and should be banned by treaty - but, of course, the tail is wagging the dog here and the arms industry will lobby heavily to make sure that never happens. Idiots.

Looks awesome to me and I'd rather pay for this tech than the Iraq BS.

amxcvbcv: The music is from the Matrix, actually...

"It's completely unnecessary, and should be banned by treaty"

Maybe we should ban all guns and weapons of any kind as well and simply hope that all the criminals of the world will follow the law.

Wumpus, don't be a dick.
That's not what I said, and you know it - so please don't twist my words around. Thanks.

This video brings me back to the days of C&C. seriosuly, go GDI! crush the brotherhood! wait... it isnt a preview of an expansion?

but really: the Patriot missle system has been proven not to work very well, larger warhead missles now have some clever counter measures, and im pretty sure if any country was going to Nuke the states, they would be so bold as to use missiles, im pretty sure it'd be some crappy RC airplane launched from some guys boat and flown in by remote and detonated. unless it was by china. (mostly opinion.)

What's the name of this song and group? Rad song.

Part of it is recognizable as being from the Matrix... which on its own is fine, but coupling it with this particular visual presentation is like some sort of obscene multimedia masturbation that I'd prefer to not see.

More teen masturbatorial material for the acne challenged. Let's see- it STILL hasn't been proven to work. Sorry for clouding the issue with facts.

Anybody figure out how it will protect us against a dirty suitcase bomb? An attack on a chemical plant (which STILL have not been secured according to the recommendations of the 9-11 Homeland Security group)? Boxcutters? A reservoir? An IED, for christ's sake?

Thought not. That IS the problem, isn't it? No thought, all glitz. It's what these corpse-orations do quite well. And please spare me the outdated fear-mongering of a discredited neocon, corporation suckhole. The no-bid, no-review war profiteers are doing landmark business at the cost of soldiers lives and limbs.

It's not what cost freedom. It's what cost corporate profit?

*geek

Video added to geek channel (geek called by gold star member calvados)

*promote

Promoting this classic video back to the front page; last published Monday, October 2nd, 2006 12:00am PDT - promote requested by MarineGunrock.

It's The Bravery Of Being Out Of Range.

Would someone please hook these warmongers up with a WOW account?

Somebody add this to the Music channel. The song is Navras by Juno Reactor. I would do it by I don't have the "gold" star on my forehead.

It's Juno Reactor and Don Davis together. From the Matrix sound track.

The new PAC-3 and soon to come ABL are actually really effective, if I remember correctly the new PAC-3 is at 89-91%. However, it is only meant to defend against small scale launch, like a couple of SRBM/SLBM, IMRBM, and maybe one ICBM. It's really really hard to fend off ICBMs, esp when some one can launch more than say 3 or 4. These days all ICBMs cantains about 10-20 warheads and all are MIRV(Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle) So that means the system will need to track up to 80 warheads, and wardheads will not only flare as seen in the video, it will also deploy counter measures and decoys makes it even harder to track. I am not opposed to the system, it's a great safty net against "rouge states" that are willing to launch 1or2 warheads that they have for an all out attack. But like theo47 said how can we be sure that it won't start the "Arms race" again and that some future "warmonger" president won't use it as a tool to start a nuclear war.