I hear the Russians sold Iraq GPS descramblers?

[glohworm]

I hope I didn't dream this, but I thought I heard on the morning wakeup station that the CIA has found out that Iraq has purchased some 200 GPS scramblers from the Russians! I think our laser guided bombs also depend on GPS to reach their targets. GPS is really based upon accurate time. I mean really accurate time, like atomic clocks positioned throughout the world and the signals they send out. By triangulating the time differential from point to point, that's how a position can be pinpointed within meters. If the Russians have developed a device that can interfere with these signals, then all our beautiful Starwars type smart bombs will be "null and void". Am I wrong on this assumption?

[zen]

De-scramblers.

[glohworm]

I meant scramblers!

[Redwolf]

GPS scarmbling? Thats something new. It would be easier for the Russians to take advantage of this. Of course, it is possible...

Won't affect us much though. Most of our smart bombs are laser and radio guided anyway. It will affect the use of cruise missiles tho if they have this technology.

We still use B52 carpet bombers. We used them a bunch in the Gulf War, but it wasn't THAT impressive on TV. At least CNN didn't think so.

I belive the defense department can change teh frequency on the new satelites if they need to.

[glohworm]

Redwolf,

Maybe I was dreaming, but I don't think so. If this is true and why couldn't the Russians develop an effective deterent to our smart bombs, then what bothers me most is why the Russians would sell this technology to the Iraqies?!!! This makes me think I just imagined this. It wasn't in the morning paper. Maybe I'm going mad?!

[ClubMed]

Yes it's probably right, and just about every western country with an arms industry sold them something too, USA included (biological agents to use against Iran).

Late breaking news.

[pickel]

............, and let God sort them out!
I am really sick and tired of all the whineing about the affairs of the planet we live in. If it comes down to a showdown with whomever and I have to sacrifice some of wealth ( just an ordinary run of the mill electrician ) and freedoms to put an end to the idiots from other countries bent on our destruction and demise, then so be it. I was in the military during the cold war and Viet nam and the way that was handled was a disgrace and probably the reason,we're in the predicament we find our selfs in now. Desert Storm, the unfinshed botch up, didn't help either., We either make a stand NOW or are going to swallowed up and spit out by our own internal enimies and those abroad. I'm not saying world domination. just stand up to all the BS and take a stand. Every one wants to be top dog but biting us on the a$$ for the problems of this planet needs to come to an end. We try to feed those without only to have a bunch of cowards take the food and supplies to do harm to us. We give money to regimes for aid and the big boys put in their pockets. I say cut it all off til our national debt is gone then if these beggars want help, be prepared to do right by us and help themselves to give our country or any other country willing to be of assistance , the incentive to do so. Every body has their hand out and should be willing to help us out the the other hand. I hope President G.W. Bush isn't a chip of old block and finishes what he starts. Go Army. Go Navy, Go Marines. Damn the torpedoes full speed ahead!

[Redwolf]

Actually, I checked Google News. Saw no such story. I hadnt heard it either.

In my earlier post, I was dwelling on the possibility.

Gloh, realize that near the end of the cold war, NATO technology was decades ahead of the russians.

I should have put this in my first post (I dont' know why I didn't think of this), but Russia is now a NATO member and is thus even less likely to sell technology to the Iraqis.

[willy_ph]

what bothers me most is why the Russians would sell this technology to the Iraqies?!!!

Capitalism promotes this. If you're in business, you're out there to make a buck. If the Iraqi's offered enough money, the business would eventually cave.

[Redwolf]

BTW, when you said scrambler, I was thinking more area-effect. Such a device could potentialy render cruise missiles ineffective, but I didn't think you meant a way of turning 'off' the sattelites.

a) Such a device would be impossible without satelites in orbit that could relay the signal (and quite powerfully so) to jam teh signal from the GPS satelites. This is die to the fact that the earth is round, and that GPS frequencies have to penetrate the ionsphere (meaning that you cant jam GPS with shortwave frequencies or something similar, it has to be teh same frequency as the satelite). I dont know much about jamming technology, but I do know that blocking out satelite waves for an area larger than a couple of square miles requires some powerful electronics.

b) Should Saddam equip his troops with GPS locators, the GPS satelites would be more beneficial left on. Think of it as being able to turn off the earth's magnetic field in the middle-ages. His troops wont be able to find their way around, but nor would he.

c) Olod GPS satelites cannot be turned off except by physically destroying the thing or 'flipping the switch' on teh satelite itself. Newer ones can be turned off remotely, but the code is highly encrypted. It would take Saddam hundreds or even thousands of years to crack the code.

Smart bombs like the JDAM do need GPS to operate, but bombs (I think the JDAM as well) can use laser designation instead of GPS navigation.