You have commented 358 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
China-Japan-Koreas
Taepodong-2 aimed at area off Hawaii (?)
2006-07-07
TOKYO (Reuters) - A North Korean missile launched on Wednesday was aimed at an area of the ocean close to Hawaii, a Japanese newspaper reported on Friday.
That would have been a very big mistake.
Experts estimated the Taepodong-2 ballistic missile to have a range of up to 6,000 km, putting Alaska within its reach. Wednesday's launch apparently failed shortly after take-off and the missile landed in the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan, a few hundred kilometres from the launch pad.

But data from U.S. and Japanese Aegis radar-equipped destroyers and surveillance aircraft on the missile's angle of take-off and altitude indicated that it was heading for waters near Hawaii, the Sankei Shimbun reported, citing multiple sources in the United States and Japan.

North Korea may have targeted Hawaii to show the United States that it was capable of landing a missile there, or because it is home to the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific fleet, the paper said. An alternative explanation might be that a missile could accidentally hit land if fired towards Alaska, the report said.
Another alternative explanation is a decided death wish on the part of the NKors.
A separate report in the Mainichi Shimbun daily cited U.S. and Japanese government officials as saying a piece of the Taepodong-2 missile fell off immediately after take-off, strengthening the view that the launch was a failure.
Posted by:Steve White

#17  Of course every point within 2000 km of Oahu is close to Hawaii, there not being much else in the neighborhood, unless the wiley Norks have an attack planned on French Frigate Shoals.

Move the fleet back to SD, break out the New Jerseys, unmoth the fleet!

Or enjoy the light hearted, if nutty entertainment.
Posted by: 6   2006-07-07 17:12  

#16  Oahu is too well populated. There are areas of Kauai that are totally unpopulated. Might be places on Maui, Molokai, or elsewhere. The Navy used to use Kahoolawi as a target range. It might be best to put the interceptors and radar there - it's relatively undeveloped, but full of unexploded ordinance.

Another alternative is to hit Pyongyang with 20 consecutive strikes with 10mt nukes, one ever 45 seconds, to get the burrowing moles that live deep underground.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2006-07-07 14:50  

#15  Act of war. Respond in kind.
Posted by: Iblis   2006-07-07 12:32  

#14  What happened to the good ole days, when you had to shoot something 'straight up' to get into space??
Posted by: smn   2006-07-07 11:48  

#13   A ballistic track toward Hawaii would be considered a threat and justify a shootdown.

A ballistic track toward Hawaii might be considered an attack and invite a counterforce response. President wouldn't even need to consult Congress.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-07-07 09:26  

#12  Steve you're closer to the truth than you might think.

Posted by: Oldspook   2006-07-07 09:21  

#11  Taiwan is certain of US intervention. Why else would they not even have one full loadout of air-air missiles for their fighters?
Posted by: ed   2006-07-07 09:02  

#10  If the NKors don't preannounce launches and intentions, and rigorously follows the announce trajectory, then any launch should be shot down at our discretion.
Posted by: ed   2006-07-07 08:59  

#9  Taiwan may well be worried about us doing nothing.

It's also nice to have an independent actor in the mix for diplomatic purposes. "Gosh, Jintao, I'd like to help you out here, but we can't control what Taiwan does. Heck, we don't even have diplomatic relations with them, you know that."
Posted by: Mike   2006-07-07 08:50  

#8  A ballistic track toward Hawaii would be considered a threat and justify a shootdown.
Posted by: Steve   2006-07-07 08:48  

#7  As was mentioned yesterday, a launch toward Hawaii is natural if they are trying to place a satellite into orbit.
Posted by: ed   2006-07-07 08:47  

#6  The neat part is we are still at war under a UN mandate. What would it take to make things hot again?
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-07-07 07:48  

#5  Sounds like we need an ABM site on Oahu.
Posted by: Mike   2006-07-07 07:21  

#4  Taiwan may well be worried about us doing nothing.
Posted by: grb   2006-07-07 04:12  

#3  Forgot to mention that TAIWAN is also dev and testing? one of its own missles aimed for use against China.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2006-07-07 04:08  

#2  PRAVDA.ru reports that the Taepodong landed within Russia's offshore 200-mile economic zone. In any case, Hawaii = Guam-Micronesia in that the Chicoms need to control same iff they ever hope to take over 1/2-plus of CONUS-NORAM for "living space". MORE EVIDENCIA AS TO WHY ANY US DEFEAT OR FAILURE IN THE WOT WILL BE INTERPRETED BY AMER'S ENEMIES AS A DE FACTO DECLINE IN US GEOPOL-GLOBAL POWER AND INFLUENCE, INEVITABLY RESULTING IN COMMIE OR ENEMY ARMIES IN AMER BACKYARDS + DOWN MAINSTREET, ANYTOWN, MAINSTREAM USA. The Chicom defense white paper > NORAM/ALCAN/CANUSA/CONUS is future Chicom = Chinese territory. Rest assured the Commies will make no distinction between US Leftie, US Rightie, andor US Moderate-Centrist-Independen, etal. when time comes to gulag or exterminate 200 Milyuhn-plus of 300 Milyuhn Americans - mere Fascist Authoritarian Socialist Amerikkkans.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2006-07-07 03:19  

#1  Note to Kimmy: don't fukcy with Don Ho tiny bubbles
Posted by: Captain America   2006-07-07 01:25  

00:00