Unclear on the Concept Award

[gridlore]

According to the SFGate, critical information regarding Air Force One's missile defenses and vulnerable spots was posted on a public website. This is, of course, a bad thing. The information was in the process of being removed as the story went to press.

However, the story includes this comment:

"Having information about a target's countermeasures does two things," said Daniel Goure of the Lexington Institute. "It gives you an opportunity to choose a different weapon and to choose a different attack style ... perhaps choosing to launch a salvo attack, or choose a missile that uses an active beam."

(emphasis mine)

Gee thanks! Now I know that to overload the defenses of the Presidents plane, I just need to fire multiple missiles or choose a radar guided missile for my attack. Nice job, Mr. Goure, for mentioning these facts, and kudos for the Chronicle for including the quote!

Morons!

Comments

[isomeme.livejournal.com]

In a better universe than ours, Daniel Goure would actually be an NSA plant, giving out precisely the wrong hints about how to stage such an attack.

In our boring old universe, though, it's almost certainly just incompetence.

[pauldrye.livejournal.com]

In a better world, he would be a plant giving out precisely the right hints and hoping for the best.

[robertprior.livejournal.com]

Score a keyboard...

[todkaninchen.livejournal.com]

Typically, radar guided weapons are not really considered "beam riders" and, I would expectm Air Force One to be fitted with at least the same type of ECM suite fighters get which may include flares, chaff, and jammers. Additionally, I wouldn't be surprised if it has an IR tracker jammer similar to those on the Apaches...

I think the reference to "active beam" may be toward a laser like used on the UK's Starstreak antiaircraft missiles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starstreak). Unlike radar which is relatively easy to detect and possibly jam, lasers are more difficult to detect/jam, they use simple line-of-sight to track, and--although requiring the firer to maintain a laser "lock" on target until impact--probably take a similar amount of exposure time for the firer because of a quicker time from detection to firing.