Posted on 02/29/2024 8:11:57 PM PST by Paul R.
“RT News reported that the Reaper drone was flying in the area with its transponder shut off.”
Yeah, but I bet it didn’t have its ECM shut off.
It likely doesn’t need a separate transponder. The program in the missile likely detects the “Identification Friend or Foe” (IFF) signal from the aircraft and disarms the warhead, detonates it early, or diverts it off course.
Also reported here:
German ship accidentally targets US drone in Red Sea, revealing challenges of response to Houthi attacks
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/middle_east/2024-02-29/red-sea-drone-us-germany-13159576.html
and
German frigate Hessen accidentally opened fire on an American drone, nearly costing the US another Reaper in its Red Sea fight
Message to Germans;
Learn to code.
“The Germans are still better than the Brits. Their ships don’t have missiles…”
The Royal Navy has six guided missile destroyers among others.
Nobody else has the hardware to intervene effectively.
So you cede the shipping and undersea cables through the Red Sea to the Houthis (essentially, to Iran.)
Any shred of US deterrence of anything is then gone. That WILL destroy us. Maybe not right away, but certainly within a generation.
In the meantime:
Shortages caused by the shipping diversions / longer routes, as time goes by. Probable run-away inflation in Europe, some economies collapse. US does better, but still suffers severe fallout, mainly from the other countries doing poorly. Allies like S. Korea, Japan, etc. get hit pretty hard, likely somewhere between Europe and the US. Potential for political upheaval is high, esp. in Europe. Hard to say if anybody will go a route not unlike Germany in the early 1930’s, but it’s quite possible.
Undersea cables through the Red Sea are destroyed. Hugely problematic. Modern society can’t function without efficient communications, and a crapload of that goes through those cables.
Copycat bad actors will get in the act too, around the world.
Eventually, more ships are built, longer cable runs are laid. Things settle back to normal except costs are somewhat higher due to those longer routes, etc. The worst of these effects is probably over in 5 years, tho’ whether gov’ts manage the economic damage and recovery well is hard to say. Competency seems to be in short supply.
Enjoy your ignorance.
It seems Hessians are still screwing over Yankees. Maybe pay back for the Nordstrum pipeline?
” The Germans are still better than the Brits.
Their ships don’t have missiles… “
That’s safer for everyone.
I'd be surprised if they don't have ECM (Electronic Counter Measures).
Yes, the Type 45's. Pretty advanced ships, once they got their propulsion systems straightened out. (Tended to fail catastrophically in hot weather.) Very capable, intended primarily for carrier protection.
The rub is, UK only has 6 type 45's, and you have to figure at least one is in for significant maintenance at any given time. 2 per carrier, now you've got one left for other missions. Which is why the UK has one Type 45 in the Red Sea area.
The Germans have 3 AD ships, with this one in the area, the French have one ship in the area tho' I read somewhere it's not really an AD ship. The Indians have ships in the region, but their capabilities I'm not sure of. I don't know of any other really capable AD warships other than maybe the Chinese, who are basically only going to protect their own ships (not even rendering aid to others in recent incidents) and the Russians, who are aligned with Iran anyway, and whose record on defense in the Black Sea is just pathetic.
Related, last I heard the Rubymar (hit by a Houthi missile) is still adrift and slowly sinking. It’s said to have been carrying 22,000 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, in some reports.
If that missile had hit a cargo hold of fertilizer, well, lets just say the crew would never feel a thing. That’s like a small nuke going off. Remember the fertilizer explosion in Beirut? That was 2,750 tons of fertilizer...
Graf Spee should have never left the Atlantic. The Kriegsmarine is not what it used to be.
At least they didn’t friendly fire shoot down an AWACS jet costing several hundred million...
Fahrvergnugen!!
Or maybe they are mad their economy is tanking because a certain country blew up their pipeline.
I’m still not convinced that the alleged “drone attack” on the U.S. military base in Jordan a few weeks back was really a hostile attack, and not the result of a malfunctioning U.S. drone.
Like this one?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/27/british-warships-lack-firepower-attacks-houthi-red-sea/
How about this one?
Royal Navy…
They also can’t make recruiting goals.
“From the river to the sea” was projected on Big Ben.
Maybe the UK should fix the UK?
Same goes for us.
So the U.S. must police the world.
How’s that intervening effectively going ?
90% an Europe-Asia problem
Maybe if the EU wasn’t so busy masturbating Washington over Ukraine they could stop sucking up to Islamists and adjust Iran’s attitude.
come to think of it who is the elephant in terms of influence/power (hint who is shipping most of the crap all over the world) ?
Is there no ATO and IFF?
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