politics

Defense Ministry seeks record ¥5.49 tril budget

58 Comments
By MARI YAMAGUCHI

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War is very profitable, otherwise Japan will not invest in it so much, unless she is crazy and stupid.

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

Seems the Defence Ministry can't spend its budget year on year very well. Still flying Phantoms a 50 year old aircraft, can't decide wether to base a anti ballistic missle site on shore off shore on a boat? There are too many meetings to conclude nothing, that costs tax payer money for no result. I do like the new H&K Assult rifles. Pathetic decision making, for the love of god please ask an expert, but that would mean loosing face can't have that.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

seeks record ¥5.49 tril budget

Increase of beer price in another news just show how money is being collected, also tax that will becoming 20%

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-politics-suga-tax-idUSKBN2612JZ

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Defense Spending

Japan $51 billion

China $200 billion

Russia $271 billion

The numbers say it all.

-1 ( +7 / -8 )

If you want the numbers to say it all, include the US. If you do so, you will get an idea of which nation is the most aggressive, which nation most likes to be at war.

For more evidence find out which nation has spent nearly all of its history at war with some other nation.

-1 ( +7 / -8 )

Defense Spending

Japan $51 billion

China $200 billion

Russia $271 billion

The numbers say it all.

Check also other numbers, how big are the debt?

Countries Debt to GDP ratio

Japan   237%

China   50.5%

Russia   12.2

Seem high ammount of debt, how about economy growth?

Countries growth

Russian Federation

Japan 0.7%

China 6.1%

Russian Federation 1.3%

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

CrickyToday  07:28 am JST

Seems the Defence Ministry can't spend its budget year on year very well. Still flying Phantoms a 50 year old aircraft, can't decide wether to base a anti ballistic missle site on shore off shore on a boat? There are too many meetings to conclude nothing, that costs tax payer money for no result. I do like the new H&K Assult rifles. Pathetic decision making, for the love of god please ask an expert, but that would mean loosing face can't have that.

The F-4 Phantoms were fully retired in March and replaced withF-35As. The only HK small arms issued are side arms. The rifles remain Howa 89s and 20s. Only SDF Special forces use HK rifles along with US M4s and Belgian FNs.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Total misallocation of resources. Japan has a declining birth rate and the number of young willing to join is also dwindling. Who is going to operate these fancy new toys? Unlike the U.S. military academies, the graduates are not obligated to serve so many are opting for the commercial sector; so much for the officer corps. If the LDP really wanted to increase strength and robustness, how about first starting with an increase in pay and benefits for the service member and their families? These young troops have also worked at some of the most devastated areas day in day out, especially in the tsunami area when they were retrieving corpses on a daily basis, what kind of programs are out there for Post Traumatic Stress? We all know how the private sector is woefully behind in mental health issues, how much more in the JSDF? If it's really defense that the LDP are concerned about, then start concentrating on retention and recruiting.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

How about the world's largest creditor nation?

Japan

How about the number of nukes?

Russia 6000

China 320

North Korea 30

Japan 0

3 ( +6 / -3 )

There are too many meetings to conclude nothing, that costs tax payer money for no result.

Oh then, you would love how the West spends money on defense. Here are two brief examples:

Boeing’s Troubled K-46 Tanker Aircraft Can't Catch a Break

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a31995097/boeing-k-46-tanker-aircraft/

Australia's Submarine Procurement Crisis

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/australias-submarine-procurement-crisis-166557

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

It would be interesting to see a comparison of what these obscene amounts of money COULD be spent on. Day care centres for pre-schoolers, pension pots for the future and solar/wind power generation plants.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

The only HK small arms issued are side arms. The rifles remain Howa 89s and 20s. Only SDF Special forces use HK rifles along with US M4s and Belgian FNs.

ummm there is now a replacement rifle, designed by H&K in conjunction with a Japanese firm. It's roll out is happening now. And why do I have to tell you? The point is so much spending with so little return. Japan spends and gets so little return, politicians, bueuracrats fritter the money on crap. Not what my taxes are ment for. I'd like to see the education budget increase in line with defence.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

War is very profitable, otherwise Japan will not invest in it so much, unless she is crazy and stupid.

War is very profitable, otherwise China will not invest in it so much, unless she is crazy and stupid.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

"If you want the numbers to say it all, include the US. If you do so, you will get an idea of which nation is the most aggressive, which nation most likes to be at war."

That was prior to President Trump. He dislikes war. Pulling out of unnecessary wars. And nominated for 3 Nobel Peace Prizes.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Cricky can you share info on how the new Howa rifle is co-developed with H&K? All I can find is about the HK SFP9/VP9 and how the new rifle is called the Howa Type20. It does look really good though.

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2020/05/18/first-look-japanese-armys-new-type-20-rifle/

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Trump dislikes war because it's a waste of money and lives.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

His incompetence with the economy is why he's so stingy.

The only reason he wants **allies to increase their defence budgets is because he knows that countries like Japan will likely buy more unreliable and incredibly expensive US tech and therefore claim some sort of victory.**

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Well I use the Internet, and it's a H&K rifle that Howa have claimed as its own. Wikipedia names Japanese designers but H&K designers don't get a mention. It's a good rifle no doubt, it's internals are H&K. The stock SCAR. The point of this thread is the year on year spending with little results? Japanese Marines need more equipment for a start, missle defence a priority not land based, mobile be it sea or land. And a pay rise and accomodation upgrade for those who choose to serve. Not so hard until the Bueuracrats get involed.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Just did a quick seach and H&Ks involvment has been deleted, face saving Buisness I guess. Don't have to believe me. As a funny aside heavy machine guns and aircraft, missles no longer need a bayonet attachment. Bonzai

0 ( +1 / -1 )

CrickyToday  10:56 am JST

Just did a quick seach and H&Ks involvment has been deleted, face saving Buisness I guess

Maybe it was deleted. Maybe it never existed to start with. Doesn't matter either way as getting into the fine details of weaponry is pointless if your whole point is that military expenditures shouldn't be happening at all.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

During Abe's time, Japan was prone to fortify itself, strengthening its navy and air force. Looks like it will continue under the new leadership. What is the main purpose, just for defense? What does Article 9 say?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Not even a drop in the bucket. Japan needs to put the youth i.e. starting with those not attending high school to be drafted into the SDF where they are taught skills that will help them in life while serving the needs of the country and then up to them to move on or stay in.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

That was prior to President Trump. He dislikes war. Pulling out of unnecessary wars. And nominated for 3 Nobel Peace Prizes.

A nomination doesn’t have yet weight or prestige you think is has. There are over 200 nominees this year. There are many thousands of people eligible to nominate someone.

From the Nobel Commitee:

“Any person or organization can be nominated by anyone eligible to nominate. To simply be nominated is therefore not an endorsement or extended honour to imply affiliation with the Nobel Peace Prize or its related institutions.”

By the way, Biden was nominated today.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Countries Debt to GDP ratio

Japan   237%

China   50.5%

Russia   12.2

Wrong. China's debt to GDP ratio as of 1st quarter 2020 is 317%.

https://www.thestreet.com/mishtalk/economics/chinas-debt-to-gdp-ratio-hits-317-percent

5 ( +5 / -0 )

The low Russian debt to GDP ratio reflects the unavailability of any kind of external financing even at very high interest rates after Russia's 1998 default combined with financial restrictions imposed on Russia due to western sanctions after Russia's invasion of eastern Ukraine. Russia uses the traditional Latin American method of printing money, which effectively reduces the value of existing Rubles. In essence those who hold cash balances finance public services indirectly through the inflation induced diminution of their buying power.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Funny, as I don't care and it does not matter. I just pay tax have no voting right so whatever they spend it on I have no say. Good luck supporting theses old men.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Not even a drop in the bucket. Japan needs to put the youth i.e. starting with those not attending high school to be drafted into the SDF where they are taught skills that will help them in life while serving the needs of the country and then up to them to move on or stay in.

Conscripts make terrible soldiers, sailors or airmen. One of the great strengths of western military organizations are their volunteer career personnel. Conscripts aren't there because they are thinking of a career. They are there because they are told to do their two or three years of service or they will go to jail. They are not as easy to train or motivate and they don't stay for a career. At best they can do very simple tasks under considerable supervision. They are not going to be autonomous thinkers able to innovate in combat or able to maintain complex hardware and software. For someone who has never led troops it might be hard to understand but the great advantage the military organizations of western democracies have is their personnel want to be there, take their jobs very seriously, learn what they need to do to do their job and don't need an officer looking over their shoulder all the time to make sure the work is done right. Most often well trained and motivated troops do their jobs without having to be told. They want to promote and thus seek out harder jobs and greater responsibilities to prove their worth. They are motivated to succeed and to support their unit, their fellow soldiers and their countrey. They don't need an officer standing around telling them what needs to be done, and because they stay around a long time always learning and advancing, they are able to maintain complex systems much better than their Russian or Chinese counterparts. In the Russian military officers and warrant officers have to do technical work accomplished by mid grade enlisted troops in western militaries. It is a huge advantage western volunteer military organizations have over the militaries of Russia, China and other similar authoritarian regimes.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Sakurasuki

Japan economic problems started with the Plaza Accord, 30 years of stagnation and debt followed. It wasn't because we spend on defense or our military.

You care about debt? It will be alot worse if we can't defend our country if Japan gets hit with no answer in return. Our economy our stocks will completely collapse. Your solution is to leave Japan naked, defenseless, weak, vulnerable.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Funny, as I don't care and it does not matter. I just pay tax have no voting right so whatever they spend it on I have no say. Good luck supporting theses old men.

If you have such a low opinion of the place why do you stay? And if you really intend to stay are you working to obtain your citizenship so you can have a say in how your tax money is spent? I would not live someplace for years and not obtain citizenship there. If I'm paying my hard earned into a tax system I want a vote and a say in how that tax revenue is spent.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

If you squint your eyes, it looks like Godzilla in the photo.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Chinese SOEs are defaulting left and right. It is rumored that a Chinese SOE may default early next year with debts with up to 10 billion US dollars.

Russia is also at the brinks of collapse due to the embargo exacerbated by the shrinking demand for oil.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Err I have a family, 3 daughters, 5 grandkids, so I like to think as my family pays tax I might want to say have a voice?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Let’s go to war! You know how it ended last time...

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Phew! And here I thought they were raising our taxes and costs of everything going up as well for social security needs like pension, health care, child care, unemployment, and the other ballooning costs! But get ready for Suga to revisit his slip-up about raising consumption tax, saying “it can’t be helped! There’s no money!”

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Defense Spending

Japan $51 billion

China $200 billion

Russia $271 billion 

The numbers say it all.

You do know that China has 10 times as many people as Japan, and Russia has NATO pushing for a world war?

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Funny, as I don't care and it does not matter. I just pay tax have no voting right so whatever they spend it on I have no say.

and

Err I have a family, 3 daughters, 5 grandkids, so I like to think as my family pays tax I might want to say have a voice?

If you not a Japanese citizen, you don't get a vote. Why should non citizens have the right to vote? It is the same all of the world. Japanese living in the west- who pay taxes- don't get the right to vote either.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Just wondering who would like to invade Japan and for what (except for a few tiny islets with fishing right).

2 ( +4 / -2 )

@openminded.

we have solar, thermal, wind and tidal energy resources. Japanese old dinosaurs don’t know it, but Japan is very resource rich. Please keep secret.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

This is just signaling that Japan is keeping up with the Joneses, does not mean war or some other nonsense despite what internet tough guys in here say.

on the other hand

Deterrence is good since the neighborhood getting more and more dangerous ( Belligerent, agressive China)

I even foresee SK upping their military budget in the near future.

but,

The icing on the cake is the fact that if they did change the constitution they would need the Americans for protection more than ever

2 ( +2 / -0 )

If Japan wants to scrap a plan to deploy the costly Aegis Ashore systems to Akita and Yamaguchi, do so to the nail. No need to worry about breach of contract and find alternatives for them. Missile defense experts say the U.S. missile defense system's accuracy rate is a little more than 50 percent.

So, the cancelling of the purchase can't be breach of contract if the final product Japan is to buy has only that much accuracy rate. You can't sell futures products, knowing they are defective.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

You already haven’t enough staff here for delivery and 24h convenience store operation etc. So who will be physically able and educated enough to play with all that toys , be it abroad or in the defense forces? 90 years old senpai from retirement homes, commanding Aegis systems, flying F35B and operating anti- jamming electromagnetic equipment? Forget it. What comes as smaller output from the schools and universities is also statistically not capable of doing all this in necessary numbers and already completely necessary for the civilian rest of the society processes under shrinking population circumstances.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

For a country of Japan's population, and considering that it is near North Korea, China, and Russia, and considering its GDP, its military budget is not large enough.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

that plane F-35B is a POS it is a sloppy made plane it is like buying a Blu-ray player from Lockheed when you could get it a memory stick from Boing.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

An excellent purchase: The F-35, which doesn't need to be shot down, it simply falls out of the sky on its own accord. One of the worst designs ever for a fighter aircraft. A boondoggle, wasting cash which ends up in the coffers of US defense corporation Lockheed.

Military budgets. Japan: 5.4 trillion yen. Vietnam: 500 million yen: one-tenth. Vietnam defeated the USA. Vietnam defeated the French. They fought the Chinese who invaded, in 1978, with endless waves of infantry. The Vietnamese slaughtered Chinese soldiers, over 50,000 in six weeks. Deng Xiaoping, claimed China would over-run Hanoi, in a week, not so. A lesson to be learned - so much for the might Chinese military machine. No endless waves of Chinese soldiers will invade Japan.

The inflated military budget is simply a means to enrich defense contractors and does little to 'guard the country' from foreign enemies. The USA, already has a ring of bases in Japan. China has no need of the isle as it lacks resources. Though it is a staging area for the USA, to 'police' the Asian mainland. No need for a military when you have US forces piled-up all over the place. Which is the only impetus for China 'warring' with Japan, as it is a military outpost for the Great Satan aka Paper Tiger. To attack Japan, is to attack the USA and insures mutual destruction of not just the USA, China and Japan, but the entire planet. Only foolish politicians would invest in such.

The mention of the SDF as a vocational program, forcing individuals into the military because of a lack of viable work opportunities reflects an economics that has failed everywhere it is employed. Funding actual vocational programs and higher education is more efficient and less expensive. And preferable to turning post adolescents into trained killers - which is the intent of the military, no matter how it is coached.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

@Sven

due to its lack humans willing to fight, Japan will lead the world (and sell to many nations in order to reduce its own outlays) in defense AI - battle robots and drone swarms and intelligent missile launchers.... sort of a SkyNet lite.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

[ Military-industrial complex, network of individuals and institutions involved in the production of weapons and military technologies. The military-industrial complex in a country typically attempts to marshal political support for continued or increased military spending by the national government.

The term military-industrial complex was first used by U.S. Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower in his Farewell Address on January 17, 1961. Eisenhower warned that the United States must “guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence…by the military-industrial complex,” which included members of Congress from districts dependent on military industries, the Department of Defense (along with the military services), and privately owned military contractors—e.g., Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman. Eisenhower believed that the military-industrial complex tended to promote policies that might not be in the country’s best interest (such as participation in the nuclear arms race), and he feared that its growing influence, if left unchecked, could undermine American democracy.

Although Eisenhower is credited with the phrase and many scholars regarded the phenomenon as new, elements of the domestic and international military-industrial complex predate his landmark address. Military forces have been funded overwhelmingly by national governments, which historically have been the target of lobbying efforts by bureaucrats in military-related ministries, by legislators from districts containing military bases or major military manufacturing plants, and by representatives of private firms involved in the production of weapons and munitions. Because the goals and interests of these various actors broadly coincide, they tend to support each other’s activities and to form mutually beneficial relationships—what some critics have called an “iron triangle” between government officials, legislators, and military-industrial firms. For example, legislators who receive campaign contributions from military firms may vote to award funding to projects in which the firms are involved, and military firms may hire former defense-ministry officials as lobbyists. ]

https://www.britannica.com/topic/military-industrial-complex

0 ( +0 / -0 )

An excellent purchase: The F-35, which doesn't need to be shot down, it simply falls out of the sky on its own accord. One of the worst designs ever for a fighter aircraft. A boondoggle, wasting cash which ends up in the coffers of US defense corporation Lockheed.

Huh? The F-35 has had the lowest mishap rate per 100,000 flight hours of any developmental airplane in history. Japan operated some fighters with truly high mishap rates per 100,000 flight hours such as the old F-104. Some air forces lost 40% of their Starfighters to mishaps. Japan lost about 23% (going just off memory here). The old F-4 Phantom has a higher non-combat mishap rate than the F-35 and you do not hear anyone whining about the F-4 being a bad airplane. If my memory is correct the F-35 test fleet accumulated right about 100,000 flight hours before the first mishap and that had never been the case before with newly developed aircraft.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Although Eisenhower is credited with the phrase and many scholars regarded the phenomenon as new, elements of the domestic and international military-industrial complex predate his landmark address. 

Of course. Find out who the cartoon character "Daddy Warbucks" was. He made his first appearance in the "Little Orphan Annie" comic strip in 1924. According to the comic strip he made his fortune operating a steel rolling mill providing steel to the US for WWI. War profiteering is as old as war itself. There is nothing new about it.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

that plane F-35B is a POS it is a sloppy made plane it is like buying a Blu-ray player from Lockheed when you could get it a memory stick from Boing.

Would you care to tell us what your qualifications are to make that assessment? How many flight hours do you have for example? What types have you flown? Gee, you couldn't even spell Boeing right so let's say I have my doubts.

I've been around the military and military aviation since the early 1980s and know enough that nobody commenting on open sources like this is going to tell you what that airplane can really do. I'm certain you have never flown one nor have I (though I have a lot flight hours in helicopters and even some jet time) but I know people who have flow multiple different types of tactical jets and they all revere the F-35. The reasons for that reverence will probably never be revealed publicly in my lifetime however.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

If Japan wants to scrap a plan to deploy the costly Aegis Ashore systems to Akita and Yamaguchi, do so to the nail. No need to worry about breach of contract and find alternatives for them. Missile defense experts say the U.S. missile defense system's accuracy rate is a little more than 50 percent.

SM-3, which is the ballistic missile defense missile that Aegis controls, has hit 16 targets in 19 attempts and these were of subscale targets, meaning targets that were smaller than an actual ballistic missile warhead and thus harder to hit, and full scale warheads with decoys. 16 out of 19 is 84%. In most cases two interceptor missiles are fired for each incoming ballistic missile. Aegis in one form or another has been in service since the mid 1980s and the current version is the most advanced air defense system in the world with a test history that is the envy of other similar military programs. The US Navy has put huge effort into Aegis. It can be traced back to the 1970s when the US Navy feared the Soviets would overwhelm their existing slow loading arm launchers and rotating radars by simply firing more missiles at US ships than they could shoot down in the time available. Aegis allows literally hundreds of intercepts to be conducted simultaneously and the VLS launchers can fire missiles at one second intervals. It is a very difficult system for an enemy to saturate and the radars are powerful enough to track objects in space, or incoming sea skimmers, even artillery shells. Older versions tracked Syrian artillery fire off Beirut and guided counter battery fire for friendly forces during their civil war. It defeated Houthi fired Chinese anti ship missiles fired at US Navy destroyers off Yemen.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"Err I have a family, 3 daughters, 5 grandkids, so I like to think as my family pays tax I might want to say have a voice?"

Yes, you do have a voice; however, it can only resonate on JT pages.

It certainly matters zilch on the ballot box.

Same as with Japanese granddads living in your country. They too pay tax and have a tongue.

However, Trump and Boris do whatever they like with the taxes these Japanese granddads pay for being allowed to reside in your country.

You know what a foreigner must do if he/she wants to have any say on how taxes are wasted.

Japan must rearm.

Fully.

China and Korea would be singing a different tune.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Desert Tortoise:

16 out of 19 is 84%*

Sure, technology develops and improves. The accuracy rate of the U.S. missile defense system is now 84%, you say, improved from a previous 50 percent. Still, it's not one hundred percent accurate.

The reason why the U.S. is so intent on selling Aegis Ashore systems to Japan is undoubtedly that it wants the JSDF's anti-missiles to shoot down U.S. mainland-heading hostile missiles at an initial stage. It's apparent that the U.S. is aiming to profit at Japanese taxpayers' expense to defend the mainland U.S.A. Should the Japan-installed initial stage fail, a second and third stage would be activated to counter-attack penetrating enemy missiles. Wouldn't that be the case?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

the great advantage the military organizations of western democracies have is their personnel want to be there, take their jobs very seriously, learn what they need to do to do their job and don't need an officer looking over their shoulder all the time to make sure the work is done right.

I would argue that not all volunteer soldiers want to be there after they have been in a while. Many want out but cant get out because of the "contract" they signed specifies a certain number of years service.

Also when your a serving soldier your not thinking every day, I want to be here, I dont want to be somewhere else. Most soldiers are like any other employee and take their jobs at different levels of seriousness (until they see action) and many slack off a little or a lot when officers and NCO's are not around. Most who have been in a while try to do the job right the first time so that they dont have to spend time doing it over.

Conscripts in many cases would be resigned to serving their time and once that happens will in many cases be no different to the volunteers. Some will slack off when they can, others will gain an interest in what they are doing and do it well. It is all about the individual and how they react. How their military system treats and supports them at their work, and in many cases it is about the leadership from NCO's to officers and if they are professional, fair, good at what they do and if you get along.

In a past conflict decades ago, some conscripts were found chained in to their armoured vehicles so they could not run away, during the Korea conflict. But those days are gone.

I say this from the point of view of someone who was a volunteer soldier in a western nation with an experienced and respected military history.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Sure, technology develops and improves. The accuracy rate of the U.S. missile defense system is now 84%, you say, improved from a previous 50 percent. Still, it's not one hundred percent accurate.

That's why you fire two missiles at each incoming ballistic missile. The the Phit is over 100%. Probability of two mutually exclusive events, a and b is P(a) + P(b) - P(a and b). P(a) and P(b) both equal .85% P(a and b) is zero. If a hits the target, b has nothing to hit (hint: Aegis can redirect to another incoming ballistic missile if necessary however). If a misses (15% it could happen) then b has an 85% chance of hitting the target. Overall probability of hit is 170%.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Desert Tortoise,

Overall probability of hit is 170%.

If the overall probability of hits is 170%, why didn't you say so, for starters. You said, "SM-3, which is the ballistic missile defense missile that Aegis controls, has hit 16 targets in 19 attempts", that is, the hit rate was 84% (= 16 / 19 ).   In other words, the second back-up interception missiles didn’t work at all.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Probability of success with two missiles is mathematically 97.75%, not 170%.

85%, plus 85% of 15%, or 85% plus 12.75%.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

If the overall probability of hits is 170%, why didn't you say so, for starters. You said, "SM-3, which is the ballistic missile defense missile that Aegis controls, has hit 16 targets in 19 attempts", that is, the hit rate was 84% (= 16 / 19 ).  In other words, the second back-up interception missiles didn’t work at all.

No. The test shots were of single missiles against single targets. No back up missile was fired in the tests because it was unnecessary for the purposes of the test.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Desert Tortoise,

If 16 of 19 incoming missiles were shot down, 3 would have  penetrated. But you say they could be shot down by back-up interception missiles to be fired a second later. Note, however, that since the hit rate is 84% there still would be a possibility for one missile to dodge the defense net.

The question: Were the 19 test missiles fired simultaneously or at intervals?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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