Does the White House have SAM Sites?

[samanvahedi]

just wondering
Does the White House have Surface to Air Missile Sites around it?

 

[Windogg]

During the last incident when someone stole a light plane and crashed it on the White House lawn, I remember reading that the security unit does have Stinger Missilies. They were not fired last time because they were worried about the debris raining down on the city.

Windogg

 

[Blayze]

I doubt that they wouldn't think twice before using them now.

 

[jehh]

Very true...

Stingers might or might not work against an airliner... those planes are so big, the small 30 pound warhead in the stinger might not do enough damage...

Personally, I don't understand why Patriot batteries are not installed in DC...

Jason

 

[BlueIce]

Ha. I have Rail Guns galore, but will not show them to anyone for fear of thief.

Gotta love those media guys.

 

[dawheat]

Stingers are man-portable. While they may be effective vs a small prop plane or a helicopter, trying to shoot down an airliner would be akin to trying to top a moving train by firing a rocket launcher at it- while you may damage the train, it will have enough pure momentum to reach its target. Also the range of stingers are measured in miles- hardly enough to stop a massive fireball from smashing into a city.

 

[Balt]

Would it really be that expensive to keep some fighters flying around DC at all times? We run recon planes constantly, we might as well keep some jets in the air as well.

Edit: It is possible that instead of hitting the Pentagon they could have flown into the Capitol Building and taken out much of Congress (like in Clancy's novel, Debt of Honor)?

 

[J3anyus]

If I'm not mistaken, there are anti-air guns mounted on the White House roof with people at them 24/7. However, I really doubt they could take out a 767, and even if they could, like dawheat said, it'd have enough momentum to keep going. PLUS, even if they somehow managed to stop it, that wouldn't be good, because then it'd fall in the middle of the city and kill a ton of innocent people.

 

[perry]

<< Would it really be that expensive to keep some fighters flying around DC at all times? We run recon planes constantly, we might as well keep some jets in the air as well. >>



Do you really want to have fighters flying over your nation's Capital 24 hours a day? It's one thing to have B-52's flying around Alaska where no one sees them, but over your nation's capital.. It would be a sign of fear and weakness.

Oh, those little stinger missles won't do anything against a commercial airliner.

Also, keep in mind that the approach path for DCA is maybe 2 miles from the White House. You can stand on the balcony of the Kennedy Center and watch planes snake their way along the Potomac on their way in to land. The plane that took off from DCA and crashed into the Pentago didn't have very far to go at all. Actually kinda surprising that they were able to get it there so quickly.

 

[THELAIR]

secret service agents are equiped with shoulder mounted ground to air anti aircraft missles.

again, in all liklihood, by the time somthing was seen as going haywire and a plane was heading in, and the order was giving to shoot it down, it could well be too late.

 

[dawheat]

in addendum- the warhead in a Stinger is not 30lbs as someone posted. Remember its man portable- I belive the warhead is more along the lines of 1-2lbs. Hardly enough to destroy an airliner. Also Stingers are infared missiles I belive- which would mean if sucessfull, would impact the engines. A trained pilot would probably still be able to control the plane to its target a mile or so away from its target.

 

[vegetation]

There just isn't enough reaction time against shooting down a commercial jet that deviates a few miles from a normal flightpath. Those anti-aircraft guns probably are not even manned 24 hours, so by the time someone gets authorization to shoot, unlocks, etc, it's well too late.

 

[labmice]

<< Personally, I don't understand why Patriot batteries are not installed in DC... >>



sorry to inform you, but it is a disclosed fact that Patriot only work 1/10 times. Though the US government deny the inconstancy of the patriot missles, the european newspaper report the fluke of the patriot missles. For every 10 iraqi missles taht go up only one of them would actually be intercepted...

it's sad to fire a patriot missle in your own country and missle such a big commercial plane, then have the missle hit some other civ buildings...

 

[Doctorweir]

According to the media they intended to hit the white house first and then took a sharp turn towards the pentagon...
This sharp turn is also seen as indication of very good pilot skills...

 

[LethalWolfe]

<< There just isn't enough reaction time against shooting down a commercial jet that deviates a few miles from a normal flightpath. Those anti-aircraft guns probably are not even manned 24 hours, so by the time someone gets authorization to shoot, unlocks, etc, it's well too late. >>



They have lookouts/anti-sniper personnal on the White House roof 24/7 so I'd assume they'd have agents standing by the other White House defenses. Also, I'm sure they have standing orders to fire at will. If the anti-sniper agent(s) discovered a sniper aiming at the White House I doubt they'd have to ask permission to shoot him.


Lethal