This Saturday a couple of Russian warships including a missile cruiser will be cruising down to Shangai to practice flexing their muscles with China's Eastern Fleet out in the Pacific.

Russia and China joining forces

So do you think it is just coincidence that we will be testing out our new national missile defense system based in the Marshall Islands this Saturday evening?

Missile Kill Vehicle Launch

Maybe they just want to make sure everything works this weekend juuuuuust in case the Russians and Chinese decide to stray over a little too close to the ole' U.S. of A.

Any military boys out there that might know what the range is on that Russian missile cruiser? My guess is that our entire West Coast is going to be in full military defense mode this weekend. All it takes is a small miscommunication to start a full out nuke war.

-- @ (@@@.@), September 30, 1999

Answers

A Soviet missile cruiser has weapons ranges of several hundred miles, primarily designed for anti-ship operations against US aircraft carriers and the planes flying from those carriers. I more think their little joyride is more an excuse to get close enough to the anti-missile operation to observe the goings-on in best spy-camera and reconnaisance radar range.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), September 30, 1999.

Thanks Wildweasel (cool name), would you happen to know just where the "border" is, or how close they can get to the Marshall Islands before we check them on it?

-- @ (@@@.@), September 30, 1999.