Re: metaTHAAD was: Son of Star Wars

Spike Jones (spike66@ibm.net)
Thu, 14 Oct 1999 21:40:42 -0700

> Back when [David Lubkin's] father was active in military technology development
> for... drone aircraft. Either autonomous or remotely pilotted.

The development of military drones is a hot field, but they are being built as flying eyes, not so much as weapons. This should turn on this group: the leading contenders are tiny. Some models carry an internal combustion engine that displaces just over one cubic centimeter, with a wingspan of 10 cm, traveling over a battlefield at velocities of over 80 horseturds per fortnight.

> So, yes, I believe affordable, effective ballistic missile defense is
> *technically* possible. But I doubt that the Pentagon and the defense
> industry could deploy a working system for less than $1 trillion.

Oh ye of little faith. A mere $850 billion should do, easy. {8^D spike