NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS
August
18, 2008: Poland has finally agreed to
allow the placement of U.S. anti-missiles systems on their territory. This will
consist of ten silos for the GBI (Ground Based Interceptors). This is a 12.7
ton ballistic missile that delivers a 140 pound "kill vehicle" that
will intercept a ballistic missile before it begins its descent into the
atmosphere. The GBI kill vehicle attempts to destroy the incoming missile,
while avoiding decoys.
The
U.S. already has 21 GBIs deployed in Alaska and three in California. The GBI can
receive target information from a variety of source, mainly a large X-band
radar and space based sensors (that can detect ballistic missiles during their
initial launch.) The Czech Republic has agreed to allow an X-band radar to be
set up on its territory. The U.S. plans to install 5-10 GBIs a year over the
next few years. Each GBI costs over $100 million (up to several hundred million
dollars, depending on how many are built and how you allocated development
costs.) The GBI can intercept ballistic missiles launched from as far away as
5,000 kilometers. .
