UK military installing surface-to-air missiles around London for the Olympics?!
This is SO not a good idea in SO many ways.
First, they say they're using a Mach 3+ intercepter designed for low-altitude, high-speed aircraft. Not the profile of a jumbo jet or a Cessna, which questions their effectiveness. Second, London has multiple airports around and IN London, you gonna shut those down during the Olympics? I think not. Third, does England have news helicopters? What about a helicopter loaded with Sarin or Mustard Gas? Shouldn't be too difficult to steal a news chopper.
Definitely not thought through very well. But it's posturing, 'to make the people feel safer'. It won't increase safety because it can't be used: London has a very high population density, so anywhere you shoot down an aircraft you're going to have casualties comparable to if the aircraft had completed its attack run. The missiles are designed to stop high-speed jets: what, France is going to attack again? As far as I know, Al Qaeda's and the Taliban's F-18 and F-111 fleets haven't been doing too well of late.
*sigh*
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17884897
First, they say they're using a Mach 3+ intercepter designed for low-altitude, high-speed aircraft. Not the profile of a jumbo jet or a Cessna, which questions their effectiveness. Second, London has multiple airports around and IN London, you gonna shut those down during the Olympics? I think not. Third, does England have news helicopters? What about a helicopter loaded with Sarin or Mustard Gas? Shouldn't be too difficult to steal a news chopper.
Definitely not thought through very well. But it's posturing, 'to make the people feel safer'. It won't increase safety because it can't be used: London has a very high population density, so anywhere you shoot down an aircraft you're going to have casualties comparable to if the aircraft had completed its attack run. The missiles are designed to stop high-speed jets: what, France is going to attack again? As far as I know, Al Qaeda's and the Taliban's F-18 and F-111 fleets haven't been doing too well of late.
*sigh*
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17884897