sjs@u1100s.UUCP (Stan Switzer) (02/22/85)
In article <29200205@uiucdcs.UUCP> renner@uiucdcs.UUCP writes: > > > No arms control treaty has ever been negotiated that is not verifiable. > > Period. The free press is not considered one of the national technical > > means used to verify arms control treaties. Satellites and listening > > devices turn out to be much more effective. > > -- Mike Kelly (mjk@tty3b) > > The 1972 ABM treaty prohibits deployment of anti-ballistic missile > systems. The Soviets are building a large phased-array radar system in > Siberia -- very nice for tracking ICBMS; ... Actually, as I understand it, this PAR is not in Siberia, and that is the problem. It is OK to deploy PARs looking outward from the frontiers of the country. The US has many (see recent Sci. American article). Point of intrest, ours have a field of view of about 120 degrees, well into the interior. Anyway, I don't really understand why there is this restriction, unless the US thinks it will make it difficult for the USSR to build them. After all, who wants to build a PAR in remotest Siberia? Anyone out there who can clear this up? ---------------------------------------------------------- Stan Switzer | "Neil Armstrong: once the hero of our Nation ihnp4!u1100s!sjs | Now the head of a large Corporation"
tierney@fortune.UUCP (Charles Tierney) (02/23/85)
> In article <29200205@uiucdcs.UUCP> renner@uiucdcs.UUCP writes: > > > > The 1972 ABM treaty prohibits deployment of anti-ballistic missile > > systems. The Soviets are building a large phased-array radar system in > > Siberia -- very nice for tracking ICBMS; ... > > Actually, as I understand it, this PAR is not in Siberia, and that is the > problem. It is OK to deploy PARs looking outward from the frontiers > of the country. The US has many (see recent Sci. American article). > Point of intrest, ours have a field of view of about 120 degrees, > well into the interior. > > Anyone out there who can clear this up? > Yes, the rule from the ABM treaty is (paraphrased) You may build Phased Array Radars which look OUT of your country. You may not build them when they look INTO your country. Except: each side is allowed one (1) ABM site. Ours was the Safeguard/Sprint site near Minot, North Dakota. Thiers is around Moscow. The U.S. has three (maybe four?) phased array radars looking out for submarine launched ballistic missiles. One is in Cape Cod (subject of the Scientific Am. article), one is on the North West Coast (where??), one is in Florida (at an Air Force Base down there), the questioned fourth would be around San Diego (my opinion). They have a field of view of 120 degrees, however, look at some maps and you see this area is open ocean. An interesting point is the Navy Missile Test Tracking Ship: this is a big ship with a huge phased array (brother to the land based radars) mounted on a turntable. It is used to track Soviet missile shots. The boat sure looks funny though! "Enough of this Warmonger garbage already!" - Charlie Tierney