In February 2003, the UK announced that it would allow the US to use RAF
Fylingdales in Yorkshire as part of a proposed US missile defence system.
Other military installations in the UK will almost certainly play a part
in the system.
Missile defence poses a serious threat both to British security and international
stability. Missile defence is a key component of President Bush's aggressive
military posture. It is triggering a new nuclear arms race and it makes
the UK a target.
CND believes that the Government should have no involvement in missile
defence.
What is Missile Defence?
Missile defence (often referred to as Star Wars) is a
military project that aims to intercept and destroy missiles by shooting
them down before they hit their target. The system being developed by
the US aims to intercept missiles targeted at the US mainland, and in
later stages of development, possibly their allies too.
President Bush's current plans involve land, sea, air, and space-based
sensors, radars and missile systems, designed to detect, track and destroy
hostile missiles.
How would it work?
Missile launches would be detected by US early warning satellites using
infra-red sensors. The initial trajectory of the missile would be tracked
from space and the information relayed to a missile defence command centre
in the United States.
Information concerning missile launches from the Middle East, Eastern Europe
and elsewhere would be relayed via RAF Menwith Hill in Yorkshire.
A network of ground based early warning radars would track the missile in
the middle and late stages of its flight and feed information back to the
Command Center. The radars are located in Massachusetts, California, Alaska,
Greenland and RAF Fylingdales in Yorkshire.
A point of interception would be calculated and interceptor rockets launched.
Once close to the incoming missile, the interceptor rockets would launch
"kill vehicles" to seek the incoming missile and destroy it. Although
there are no current plans,
interceptor rockets may be based in the UK in future. Other interception
techniques being considered and developed include lasers on adapted Boeing
747s and space based lasers on satellites.
For interactive guides to missile defence, visit:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/bush/flash/0,7365,434805,00.html,
or http://www.acq.osd.mil/bmdo/bmdolink/html/bmdolink.html
Initial US plans
In December 2002, the US announced initial plans for a limited missile defence
system including:
-
Early warning detection satellites and radar
to detect missiles shortly after launch and to track their trajectories
(one of these radars will be at RAF Fylingdales in North Yorkshire).
-
A command centre, which would have advanced
radars theoretically capable of distinguishing between a warhead and
a decoy. This information would then be relayed to interceptor sites.
-
Interceptor sites with the capability to launch
interceptor missiles, could attack the incoming missiles while they
are outside the world's atmosphere. These interceptors would carry a
number of small "kill vehicles" that would be fired from the
tip of the interceptor missiles and should theoretically make a direct
hit on the incoming missile.
The Pentagon plans initially to install up
to 20 ground-based interceptor missiles at Fort Greely, Alaska and Vandenberg
Air Force Base, California by 2004-05. These are intended to intercept any
potential missile attack from the Asia-Pacific region, for example North
Korea.
Up to 20 sea-based interceptors will also be deployed on board Aegis destroyers,
along with possible airborne and space based laser weapons and a network
of sensors, satellites, ground-based radars, and communications systems
of which Fylingdales and Menwith Hill in Britain are part.
Research and development for a more extensive Star Wars system is underway.
British arms companies are participating in US research programmes via a
US-UK Government agreement dating back to 1985.
Technical challenges
The task of tracking, intercepting and destroying missiles
is scientifically and technologically challenging and is extremely costly.
The US is spending approximately $8-9 billion per annum on developing
and building the system as a central plank of its military power.
It requires high precision, often likened to the capability to "hit
a bullet with a bullet". To date, 14 out of 17 US interceptor tests
have failed.
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