4 ms·

The security protections on the launch pads alone would have to be incredibly high. Looks vulnerable at sea like that.

jacquesm 9y ago
Like the security precautions at airports? Any airport that I'm familiar with has access roads and roads around it that are accessible to the public from where any idiot with an RPG or possibly even a rifle could attempt to bring down a passenger jet. And yet it does not happen.
- ben_w 9y ago
  I wonder why it does not happen, given that terrorist attacks in general do occur. Great policing, or do the bad guys just lack imagination? Hoping for the former, but if I were a civil servant I’d want to assume the latter and plan for surprise imagination.
  - Boothroid 9y ago
    There are tools available to help reduce the threat, e.g. http://www.cunningrunning.co.uk/sam-pras http://www.cunningrunning.co.uk/sam-pras 'SAM-PRAS is a unique market-leading solution used by counter-terrorism agencies to identify potential MANPADS launch points within range of flight paths.' I don't work for or have any association with this company BTW, just aware of their software.
  - madamelic 9y ago
    >Great policing, or do the bad guys just lack imagination? Ease. It is likely quite difficult to get an RPG without getting eyes on you, then driving to an airport with an RPG, then lining up a shot and hoping to hit a plane moving at 100+ MPH. Or you can take a truck and drive it through a crowded mall.
- monk_e_boy 9y ago
  Or a drone with a grenade on it.
  - ddalex 9y ago
    Or a drone.
- stcredzero 9y ago
  roads around it that are accessible to the public from where any idiot with an RPG or possibly even a rifle could attempt to bring down a passenger jet. And yet it does not happen. It's so unlikely to work, that it would just be a means of getting yourself arrested. If rifles and RPGs were any good at bringing down planes, armies wouldn't need specialized AA. (They are pretty effective against landing helicopters, however.) Don't get me wrong. If you hit it at the right time and place, it would be destroyed. That's not nearly as easy as one might think. Specialized AA weapons are another story, however. Then the problem becomes getting your hands on one. The Tom Clancy-esque plot might involve a modern sniper rifle fired from a custom made gyro-stabilized platform. The low rent version might involve some drones supplying realtime crosswind data. Alternatively, there might be a guided 0.50 cal bullet. http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/29/us/us-military-self-guided-bullet/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/29/us/us-military-self-guided-bul...

Like the security precautions at airports? Any airport that I'm familiar with has access roads and roads around it that are accessible to the public from where any idiot with an RPG or possibly even a rifle could attempt to bring down a passenger jet. And yet it does not happen.

ben_w 9y ago
I wonder why it does not happen, given that terrorist attacks in general do occur. Great policing, or do the bad guys just lack imagination? Hoping for the former, but if I were a civil servant I’d want to assume the latter and plan for surprise imagination.
- Boothroid 9y ago
  There are tools available to help reduce the threat, e.g. http://www.cunningrunning.co.uk/sam-pras http://www.cunningrunning.co.uk/sam-pras 'SAM-PRAS is a unique market-leading solution used by counter-terrorism agencies to identify potential MANPADS launch points within range of flight paths.' I don't work for or have any association with this company BTW, just aware of their software.
- madamelic 9y ago
  >Great policing, or do the bad guys just lack imagination? Ease. It is likely quite difficult to get an RPG without getting eyes on you, then driving to an airport with an RPG, then lining up a shot and hoping to hit a plane moving at 100+ MPH. Or you can take a truck and drive it through a crowded mall.
monk_e_boy 9y ago
Or a drone with a grenade on it.
- ddalex 9y ago
  Or a drone.
stcredzero 9y ago
roads around it that are accessible to the public from where any idiot with an RPG or possibly even a rifle could attempt to bring down a passenger jet. And yet it does not happen. It's so unlikely to work, that it would just be a means of getting yourself arrested. If rifles and RPGs were any good at bringing down planes, armies wouldn't need specialized AA. (They are pretty effective against landing helicopters, however.) Don't get me wrong. If you hit it at the right time and place, it would be destroyed. That's not nearly as easy as one might think. Specialized AA weapons are another story, however. Then the problem becomes getting your hands on one. The Tom Clancy-esque plot might involve a modern sniper rifle fired from a custom made gyro-stabilized platform. The low rent version might involve some drones supplying realtime crosswind data. Alternatively, there might be a guided 0.50 cal bullet. http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/29/us/us-military-self-guided-bullet/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/29/us/us-military-self-guided-bul...