# Are more missile attacks on airliners imminent? If so, what do we do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 3, 2002, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187 "2002-12-03T09:17:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/121 "2002-12-06T02:06:35Z")
and, if I were a bad guy out to blow up an airplane, I doubt I’d be reading this board :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/122 "2002-12-06T02:40:24Z")
Terrorist threats to western countries have existed for quite a while. Authorities have always been aware of these threats. Some examples home grown terrorism… Detonate a truck load of explosives beside building. Sniper attacks on civilians. Post anthrax in mail. Explosives in mail. Poisoned Kool Aid. Some anticipated and currently managed threats… Hijacking a truck transporting dangerous goods and crashing into building Parking a speedboat full of explosives next to ocean liner Crop duster over city Nuke in a speedboat entering harbour Truckfull of explosives on bridge SAM attack on aircraft Many more that should not be mentioned here. Prior to S11, these threats were managed to an extent. Now, however, security is much tighter. I would expect that although the likelihood of these high consequence events has increased since the arrival of the latest US administration, the controls put in place to manage these threats have improved greatly. Thus, in answer to the OP, it seems that there would be a decreased risk of these attacks to western countries. I certainly hope this is the case. ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/123 "2002-12-06T04:23:46Z")
You forgot the “dirty” nuke ☹ ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/124 "2002-12-06T04:32:33Z")
You mean a “dirty” bomb. If it’s a nuke, then it’s not a dirty bomb. ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/125 "2002-12-06T04:49:46Z")
See “enhanced radiation” aka “neutron bomb”. But yes, I was referring to a conventional explosive charge being used to disperse radioactive materials. My bad. ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/126 "2002-12-06T05:33:07Z")
I left out dirty nuke, UV laser, select agents dispersed into crowded areas, because I did not want to upset GettingWarmer. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/127 "2002-12-06T06:12:01Z")
And we know what he thinks of people from Sydney. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/128 "2002-12-06T11:16:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by happyheathen \* > \*\*See “enhanced radiation” aka “neutron bomb”. > \*\* Huh? When did you suggest a neutron bomb? In any case, neutron bombs tend to be less destructive to personel than standard jacketed ones. And the terrorists would have to go about getting tritium, which can be a bitch to get, as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/129 "2002-12-06T11:34:19Z")
C’mon! Tritium is _everywhere_… the hard part is finding a tweezers teeny enough to pick the tritium out of a sample of ordinary water. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/130 "2002-12-06T11:57:30Z")
I was under the impression that tritium was an artificially produced substance… Or is it just really hard to refine? ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/131 "2002-12-06T12:04:35Z")
It occurs naturally, and can be produced artificially [http://www.speclab.com/elements/hydrogen.htm](http://www.speclab.com/elements/hydrogen.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/132 "2002-12-06T12:05:40Z")
(Not that easy either way) ---
**Author:** ![Mort\_Furd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mort\_Furd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mort_Furd)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/133 "2002-12-06T12:14:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Broomstick \* > \*\*C’mon! Tritium is _everywhere_… the hard part is finding a tweezers teeny enough to pick the tritium out of a sample of ordinary water. \*\* That and keeping it from getting contaminated whilst you collect a couple of liters of the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Ficer67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Ficer67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ficer67)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/134 "2002-12-06T14:01:46Z")
Personally, I would rather not think Pussy Galore… ---
**Author:** ![Mort\_Furd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mort\_Furd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mort_Furd)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/135 "2002-12-06T15:31:39Z")
Ummmm. Pussy galore. I could get into that. I don’t recall what she did in the Bond film, though. I’m not much a James Bond fan. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/136 "2002-12-07T00:36:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by happyheathen \* > those who still haven’t guessed the “unspoken trick” - just watch a few James Bond, Bruce Willis, or other action-genre films - its been done to death as a way of introducing bad guys. > think Pussy Galore… I’m a James Bond fan… that’s the problem, I was looking at Sean Connery during _Goldfinger_ rather than the Bond girls. If I recall, Ms. Galore was the leader of a team of aerobatic pilots that Mr. Goldfinger was intending to use to release a cloud of noxious gas (I forget if it was sleepy-gas or a killer-gas) over Fort Knox during his neferarious master plan. The Unspoken Tactic is nothing so elaborate as that. It does not involve _spraying_ or _dropping_ anything from an aircraft, nor does it involve any modification of a vehicle or aircraft. In other words, **Heathen** , no T-hangars required. Upon reflection, yes, something _akin_ to the Unspoken Tactic has appeared in action films. However, the _exact_ tactic has not. So I continue to remain remain silent. ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/137 "2002-12-07T02:06:21Z")
Do I get a second guess? 🙂 Yes, Pussy was going to use killer gas, until she got “tamed” by 007, after which she used knock-out instead (nuttin wrong with that wench that a good lay won’t fix - I sent a copy of Goldfinger to my kid sis a couple of years ago with instructions to play it for her 14 & 12 y.o. kids) Kids! see “Lethal Weapon”! (I especially loved how bullets bounced of the chopper) ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/138 "2002-12-07T02:09:07Z")
Do stinger-type missiles still have to be armed by extending the launch tube? Now you see where a hangar might come in handy? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/139 "2002-12-07T02:49:25Z")
Nope, they never did, you are thinking of a [LAW](http://www.mst2-vietnam.info/Stoner_ordnance_notes/LAW.htm), a Light Anti-tank Weapon. ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187/140 "2002-12-07T03:45:48Z")
Thanks **UncleBill**. **Broomstick** - scratch the hangar, but the uncontrolled/seldom used/abandoned airstrips, and choppers remain. But I don’t think your C150 would be adequate 😉 but this would be: [http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1873709805&category=26428](http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1873709805&category=26428) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-more-missile-attacks-on-airliners-imminent-if-so-what-do-we-do/140187.md?page=8)