The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.

Views expressed in this archived message are those of the author, not of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.

[Main archive index/search] [List information] [Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq Homepage]


[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

FWD: [Iraqsolidarity] Fw: CANESI: Arms makers



>===== Original Message From Vicki Andrada <michigan_vicki@yahoo.com> =====
----- Original Message -----
From: Irene MacInnes
To: lifetoiraq_canada@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2002 12:35 AM
Subject: CANESI: Arms makers



     U.S. ARMS MAKERS WORKING OVERTIME AND RAKING IN THE MONEY

MID-EAST REALITIES - www.MiddleEast.Org - Washington - 2/18/2002:
    The American President is in Asia, touring one past and potential
future
battlefield in Korea.  The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is in India
touring
another.  And the Vice-President is preparing for an unprecedented trip
that
will take him, along with senior military and CIA operatives, to nearly
a
dozen countries that just happen to surround Iraq.  Meanwhile the
Israelis
have clamped down on the Palestinians as never before; and they seem to
be
just awaiting their moment when the attention of the world is focused
elsewhere to further their conquests.
    The American arms manufacturers -- once again the largest and
richest in
the world -- are working overtime with windfall profits.  The U.S. has
nearly
run out of its high-tech computer/satellite guided "cruise missiles",
possibly contributing to the delay in moving the "War Against Terrorism"
to
Iraq.  But a massive unprecedented purchase order for thousands of even
more
lethal cruises has been placed; and they are to start being delivered in
larger numbers than ever in the immediate months ahead.  And now, as
this
weekend article outlines, the American Empire is on the way to becoming
an
early precursor of its "Star Wars" inspiration.   As with so many things
in
today's American Empire, if you really want to understand what's
happening,
and why, follow the money...and the weapons.



                      AMERICA'S LASER OF DEATH CLEARED FOR TAKE-OFF
                                By Sean Rayment

[The Telegraph, UK, 17/02/2002]:  AMERICA'S enemies will soon face a
weapon,
once confined to the Star Wars films, that can bring death at the speed
of
light.

The special operations AC-130 Spectre gunship, whose conventional
weaponry
has been used to devastating effect since the Vietnam War, is to be
fitted
with a laser that can shoot down missiles, punch holes in aircraft and
knock
out ground radar stations.

Despite the successful operations against Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters
in
Afghanistan, the emergence of asymmetric terrorist warfare - attacks
such as
September 11 where the enemy is unseen - has led the Pentagon to
identify the
need for a more sophisticated and deadly weapons system.

The next generation gunship, codenamed AC-X and nicknamed 'Son of
Spectre' by
US defence officials, will carry all the weaponry already used on the
AC-130,
including twin 20mm Vulcan cannon (capable of firing 2,500 rounds per
minute), 40mm Bofor cannon (100 rounds per minute) and a 105mm Howitzer.
Its
21st-century addition, however, will be its biggest punch: a chemical
oxygen
iodine laser (Coil), capable of carrying out lethal and non-lethal
attacks.

The advantage of laser weapons is that they strike at the speed of
light. In
the Coil, the power of a chemical reaction is converted to laser energy,
and
the weapon can carry on firing as long as its power source is intact.

Paul Wolfowitz, the US deputy defence secretary, has given the go-ahead
for
the next-generation AC-130, which includes full funding for the
"integration
of a direct-energy weapon".

The Pentagon is yet to announce when the new laser-equipped "Son of
Spectre"
will come into operation, but it is understood that the first upgraded
version could be involved in military operations within two years.

Although lasers exist that can hit aircraft, disable optically guided
missiles and destroy communications lines, the ability to vaporise enemy
troops and vehicles Star Wars-style will take a few more years to
develop.

The Spectre, flown by the 16th Special Operations Squadron, has a crew
of 13,
including two observers using television and infra-red images to direct
the
four gunners on to their target.

Working in pairs, normally providing close air support for special
forces
ground operations, Spectres can circle targets for hours, pulverising
areas
the size of football pitches with extraordinary precision.

The Spectre has, however, come to the end of its operational life and
further
upgrades have been ruled out on cost grounds.

Rob Hewson, the editor of Jane's Air Launched Weapons, said: "The laser
will
be the atomic weapon of the 21st century. Since the 1970s, US scientists
have
conducted a series of secret experiments in the Nevada desert using
lasers.

"We know that they had lasers capable of causing immense damage but they
needed huge power packs. This remains a problem and this is why a laser
weapon can only be fitted on an air frame the size of the AC-130.  But
advances will be made and the power plant will shrink and one day it
will
dominate the battle field.

"The Americans may already have a very powerful laser weapon far more
advanced than we have seen. They have been carrying out research in this
field for years but it is a very secret weapons programme and we have no
idea
how far they have progressed."

Once the Coil and its power plant have been fully developed, the USAF
hopes
to fit it to a whole range of manned and unmanned aircraft, such as the
Predator reconnaissance probe, which is fitted with Hellfire missiles
and has
been used in CIA operations in Afghanistan.

Lasers could also be used as an additional weapon system to fighters,
bombers, helicopter gunships and warships but this is unlikely for a
decade.

      Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
            ADVERTISEMENT




To Post a message on the CANESI list, send it to:   
<lifetoiraq_canada@yahoogroups.com>

To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to: 
<lifetoiraq_canada-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com>

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a discussion list run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq
For removal from list, email soc-casi-discuss-request@lists.cam.ac.uk
CASI's website - www.casi.org.uk - includes an archive of all postings.


[Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq Homepage]