Air Force to Fly Hypersonic Aircraft in Global Strike Test (and weaponize next year)

[bananas]

http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20110324_8460.php

Air Force to Fly Hypersonic Aircraft in Global Strike Test
Thursday, March 24, 2011

The U.S. Air Force on Thursday intends to test a developmental hypersonic drone aircraft as part of an initiative to provide the United States with the ability to deliver conventional warheads to any location across the globe in just minutes, the Los Angeles Times reported (see GSN, March 3).

<snip>

The experimental aircraft has had one flight test to date, in May 2010 when it was released midair from the wing of a B-52 strategic bomber not from from Point Mugu in California. The 14-foot system dropped for roughly four seconds before a booster rocket engine activated and shot the X-51 to an altitude above 70,000 feet. The rocket engine then detached and the X-51 continued its flight for more than two minutes, building to a speed of roughly 3,500 mph.

<snip>

"In fiscal year 2012, we will begin weaponizing the X-51 research vehicle," Air Force Deputy Assistant Secretary for Science Stephen Walker informed Congress earlier this month.

<snip>

There are concerns, though, that some possible global strike systems could be misconstrued as a nuclear attack, leading another state to launch an atomic response (W.J. Hennigan, Los Angeles Times, March 24).

[Mnemosyne]

1. Really have no words. K&R for more visibility and disgust. n/t

[Ter]

2. Nice, but Aurora is faster

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(aircraft)

[Phoonzang]

3. Re: The nuclear attack thing...

I wonder if other states seriously think that the United States would launch a first strike nuclear attack out of nowhere. Skipping all the inevitable "the US are evil imperialists run by corporations" blah blah, would the Russians and Chinese really be that out of touch to think that we'd commit suicide and lose everything?

[bananas]

4. Bush and Cheney wanted to nuke Iran

They wanted to drop nuclear bunker-busters on Iran's underground facilities, there were even some here on DU who advocated for it, it took a great effort to inform people of why that was an extremely bad idea.

edit to add: the next Republican administration may go ahead and do it, if not to Iran, to some other country. Republicans want to win at any cost, they believe a nuclear war is winnable, they didn't care about the loss of life in "Shock and Awe" in Iraq, they didn't care about loss of life in Katrina, etc etc. Unfortunately, there are also Republicans and conservatives in other countries with nuclear weapons.

[Ter]

6. The next Republican Administration will likely be 2016

As more an more Tea Baggers take the neo-cons out of office, the party is becoming less anti-war than it's neo-con past.

[FiveGoodMen]

5. It only takes one nut in the White House

Who will be there in 2017? (Or sooner)

[Phoonzang]

7. Good point.

These weapons won't be deployed in large numbers for years. Relations with Russia and China could change by then.