China Ballistic Missiles and Nuclear Arms Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.

hkbc

Junior Member
The thing to consider is that the likes of Russia will not be waiting till impact to see if those launched nukes are aimed at them before launching their own ‘retaliatory’ strikes.

Something else to consider is that even a ‘modest’ nuclear exchange of a few hundred tactical nukes would probably be enough to bring about extinction level events across most of the globe.

If a nuclear power is beating up on a non-nuclear power with nukes, there can be ‘restraint’ in how many weapons get launched. When two nuclear armed powers start lobbing nukes at each other, it’s all but inevitable that things will rapidly escalate out of all control and both end up lobbing all they can at each other.

As such, any talk of nuclear war is pretty pointless, as you pretty much always arrive at the same conclusion of the end of the human race as we know it.

What's any of what you've written got to do with the fact that if a ballistic missile leaves the atmosphere it's not in anyone's air space? Which is in response to whether missiles need to have complex paths to avoid neutral countries!

The words 'nuclear war' aren't in the sentence "Ballistic Missiles leave the atmosphere so it's usually a moot point as to whether any national sovereignty is impinged!"
 

plawolf

Lieutenant General
What's any of what you've written got to do with the fact that if a ballistic missile leaves the atmosphere it's not in anyone's air space? Which is in response to whether missiles need to have complex paths to avoid neutral countries!

The words 'nuclear war' aren't in the sentence "Ballistic Missiles leave the atmosphere so it's usually a moot point as to whether any national sovereignty is impinged!"

The point is, nuclear armed states like Russia, are unlikely to wait around hoping the dozens or hundreds of ballistic missiles you just launched in their direction are either conventionally armed, or aimed at a 3rd party behind them before launching their own nukes.

Because in the worst case scenario of that being a surprise first strike by the other side, by the time you know for surely , it would already be too late and your own nuclear forces have been obliterated by the enemy first strike.

That was a key reason why global prompt strike got canned.

While it is not against any law or international treaty to lob ballistic missiles over countries, it does not mean doing so is a good idea.
 

hkbc

Junior Member
The point is, nuclear armed states like Russia, are unlikely to wait around hoping the dozens or hundreds of ballistic missiles you just launched in their direction are either conventionally armed, or aimed at a 3rd party behind them before launching their own nukes.

Because in the worst case scenario of that being a surprise first strike by the other side, by the time you know for surely , it would already be too late and your own nuclear forces have been obliterated by the enemy first strike.

That was a key reason why global prompt strike got canned.

While it is not against any law or international treaty to lob ballistic missiles over countries, it does not mean doing so is a good idea.

You really need to quote the right post

but china is someway protected by russia. Just because us icbms must reentry over russia to hit china. Are minuteman missiles in range to strike china? And trident II if launched by port? How many of them?

and not drag me into your wacky debate, anyone with the ability to build ICBMs and nuclear warheads are more than capable of understanding the ramifications to launching one!
 

vincent

Grumpy Old Man
Staff member
Moderator - World Affairs
The point is, nuclear armed states like Russia, are unlikely to wait around hoping the dozens or hundreds of ballistic missiles you just launched in their direction are either conventionally armed, or aimed at a 3rd party behind them before launching their own nukes.

Because in the worst case scenario of that being a surprise first strike by the other side, by the time you know for surely , it would already be too late and your own nuclear forces have been obliterated by the enemy first strike.

That was a key reason why global prompt strike got canned.

While it is not against any law or international treaty to lob ballistic missiles over countries, it does not mean doing so is a good idea.

You forgot about the Ohio SSBN
 

AssassinsMace

Lieutenant General
I love how the news is using China as part to blame for the US pulling out of the INF treaty. No, it's just the crowd in the US that wants all the military toys they can while using China as an excuse to get them. Now they're trying to spin it that it can be saved if China joins. What about all of China's neighbor's that the US is encouraging to have nukes to counter China? How about India? They have the weapons in question now yet not included. Yes all of the countries that would do the US's bidding are excluded from such a treaty.
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!


Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!


Soldiers assigned to a brigade under the PLA Rocket Force operate a crane to hoist and load a ballistic missile onto a missile launching truck during a night training exercise on February 12, 2019. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Zhang Feng)

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!


Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!


A soldier in Mission-Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) gear prepares for a night training exercise on February 12, 2019. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Zhang Feng)

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!


Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!


Soldiers assigned to a brigade under the PLA Rocket Force withdraw after erecting a ballistic missile system at night during a training exercise on February 12, 2019. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Zhang Feng)

 

gelgoog

Brigadier
Registered Member
Remember Prompt Global Strike and other proposed systems like that?
The USA has wanted to side step the INF treaty for a long time. This was just an excuse to do it.
It's like saying Iraq has WMD to do what you want regardless if they have them or not. They don't care.
Anyone who believes that is the reason for the USA leaving the INF treaty must be a simpleton.

This is about the USA hitting targets at long distance on minimal notice. It has nothing to do with whichever capabilities other countries do have.
When Prompt Global Strike was proposed the initial case for it was hitting bunkers in Iran and North Korea in preparation for a military intervention. So their hardened nuclear production or missile facilities could be hit. In other words it is to prevent the possibility of a second strike.

First the proposal was to use Minutemen with large conventional explosives. Later as estimates of Iranian bunker hardness were boosted up they even proposed using tactical nuclear warheads on the Minutemen missiles. Back when Clinton was still POTUS one of the proposals was to pull back US troops away from foreign operations and replace it with the Prompt Global Strike capability to ensure that the USA would still be able to conduct punishing strikes from within their own territory in a worst case scenario. To a degree I would say the need for it was minimized once the drones became operational. But the military never quite gave up on the concept.
 
Last edited:

localizer

Colonel
Registered Member
Once people figure out how to do fusion without the fission, will there be new fusion weapons? Wouldn't that change MAD since it's predicated on fallout?
 

james smith esq

Senior Member
Registered Member
but china is someway protected by russia. Just because us icbms must reentry over russia to hit china. Are minuteman missiles in range to strike china? And trident II if launched by port? How many of them?
however, u. s. SLBMs do NOT necessarily have to re-enter over Russian territory. Which is why, for the near future, any u. s. strike on China would be launched by SLBMs from the southern Pacific.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top