See, the US Army is right. ICBMs are the fastest way to deploy ISR-Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance-spy bots. They only take minutes to launch and reach a target anywhere in the world. Loading them with spy bots will provide with access to real-time data about any conflict area, in virtually no time:

ISR platforms delivered from missiles can potentially provide battlefield information that is only seconds old when transmitted from long ranges. This information is particularly valuable since it is so current. It provides the potential for striking a very mobile enemy before he has time to alter his position.

But then, ICBMs usually carry a much dangerous load: nuclear warheads. You can be sure that the the Russians — or the Chinese or the North Koreans — won’t be happy about detecting an ICBM launch off Alaska. That’s exactly the reason why other similar efforts pioneered by Darpa were scrapped. The US Army boffins, however, say they have a plan to avoid the confusion: Use a different kind of ICBM.

How different that missile could be? A ballistic missile is a ballistic missile. They follow a trajectory across oceans and continents to open and drop whatever load they have, being that nukes, spy bots or cotton candy. Then, the Army also says that they want the spy bots to be fully armed, just in case they want to strike seconds after they find the enemy.

See, that still doesn’t sound like a good idea to me. Like the old Russian proverb says: “If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it’s a nuclear missile.” [Wired]

But Schule spent Tuesday afternoon calling the FBI, Homeland Security, the Sheriff’s Department – every agency he could think of. He was stuck in a bureaucratic limbo.

“Everyone was handing it off to everybody else,” Schule said.

He was surprised at the amount of work it took to get the military to pick up its lost missile launcher.

Schule called the military police at Fort Sam. But their jurisdiction doesn’t extend off the post. Schule’s information was passed along to an Army criminal investigator, who visited Schule on Wednesday morning – about 19 hours after he started making phone calls.

Markings identified the weapon as a guided missile launcher built in 1996. It still has the 13-digit military stock number that will be used to identify its origins and, possibly, how it might have wound up on the property of a man who lives miles from a military installation. Could there be crazy Texans out there hunting deer with black market military missile launchers? Honestly, I wouldn’t be that surprised. [MySA News via Neatorama]

At least, that’s what the theory is. Iran says that the missile can reach 2000km, which is enough to hit Israel, NATO-member Turkey, India, China and some parts of Greece and the former Yugoslavia. According to Western military experts, however, the Shahab-3’s range may be only 1300km. The same experts also say that there may be a 2500km range version, which could easily reach many countries in Europe.

The worrying part about all this is that the Iranians have now a working, solid-state, multi-stage missile. This means that even longer-range variants of the Shahab-3 are only a matter of time. Eventually, it will become a full Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles capable of hitting anywhere in the world. [BBC News]

That includes every single nuclear weapon, every one of the Russian Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles in ground silos, nuclear submarines and heavy bombers around the world. Scary stuff indeed.

But fear not, fellow humans, because the Dead Hand system is not completely automatic. The actual red button is apparently activated by a soldier hidden in some underground bunker.

Yes, I feel so much safer now. [gradremstroy—in Russian via DRB]

It’s the second interceptor silo for the Ground-based Midcourse defence system. It’s being installed now by Boeing and the US Missile defence Agency at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, in Santa Barbara County, California. You know, the missile defence system that is not going to save us from any nuclear mayhem, but maybe from some retards launching the occasional warhead. [Boeing]

According to Wikipedia, it depends. If they’re using the short to medium range missiles, it’s probably going to be the Musudan, which has an operational range of 2500-4000 kilometers. The darker red circle shows the maximum range of this. Nowhere close to US territories, but China, Russia and Japan should probably keep an eye open.

However, if they’re going to use their Taepodong-2 long range three-stage missiles, there’s a MAXIMUM possibility of 10,000 kilometers (the larger circle). However, a more likely scenario is somewhere around 4500 kilometers, which still isn’t quite far enough to hit Alaska or Hawaii.

In the case that somehow it can reach the maximum 10,000 kilometers, it’s still not quite there to the west coast of the US, so I can take my diapers off and stop worrying. [Guardian]

In a recent briefing, the Department of defence laid out its new plans: Smaller and far more precise UAVs with badass names like “Suburb Warrior” and “Sniper” that will hunt in groups, rather than just blowing suspected hideouts to pieces with Hellfire missiles. The Suburb Warrior, for example, is designed to fire volleys of mini-missiles in tight formation, which makes a nice change from previous missiles that often demolished entire city blocks.

Unfortunately, these new UAVs should see production in about five years, by which time who knows what kind of battles we’ll need to fight—or who’ll be leading the Pentagon. But it’s a step in the right direction, that’s for sure. [Esquire]

320kph in 7.887 seconds. That and liquified brains when you smash against a concrete wall is what this superbike will get you. I wish we could see the end of the run in this fiery video.

Each of its J402-CA-702 Model 373 turbines—originally used in cruise missiles—have 1,000 pounds of trust. [Techeblog via Dvice]

Hooray for the Chinese, for they have developed a super cool new anti-ship ballistic missile with low radar signature and unpredictable flight path which can destroy US Navy Supercarriers on one go! Oh, wait.

According to the latest intelligence report, the new missile—a modified Dong Feng 21—can strike carriers or any other warship within a 2,000 kilometre range from its launching point. The new super-weapon carries a warhead powerful enough to sink a supercarrier in a single strike, travelling at mach 10 (ten times the speed of sound), which enables it to reach the maximum range target in less than 12 minutes.

Even worse: its combination of a complex guidance system and high maneuverability makes it almost impossible to intercept. Let’s hope that the US Navy admirals are good at playing Battleships. [Defense Tech]

According to the US Northern Command, the infamous North Korean launch of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile—which went over Japan terrifying Brian Ashcraft—has been a complete failure, with its payload falling into the Pacific Ocean:

NORAD and USNORTHCOM monitor North Korean launch

April 05, 2009

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – North American Aerospace Defence Command and U.S. Northern Command officials acknowledged today that North Korea launched a Taepo Dong 2 missile at 10:30 p.m. EDT Saturday which passed over the Sea of Japan/East Sea and the nation of Japan.

Stage one of the missile fell into the Sea of Japan/East Sea. The remaining stages along with the payload itself landed in the Pacific Ocean.

No object entered orbit and no debris fell on Japan.

NORAD and USNORTHCOM assessed the space launch vehicle as not a threat to North America or Hawaii and took no action in response to this launch.

This is all of the information that will be provided by NORAD and USNORTHCOM pertaining to the launch.

Apparently, their rocket technology is not really there yet, and the second stage never separated or ignited, according to Defence Tech’s analysis. And that’s yet another pathetic failure by the North Korean clowns, boys and girls. Maybe Kim Yong-il and the rest of his gang should develop pork buns for their starving population, rather ICBMs. [Northern Command via Defense Tech]