Surface to air missile sites for the Olympics

by **Pedronicus** on Tue May 01, 2012 11:30 am

Fucking groovy news for me.
So a pointless 4 week sporting event that was originally budgeted at 3 billion, which then ballooned to 9 Billion, which Londoners paid for through increased taxes, which allocated tickets in a blind fucked up lottery, which I don't know anyone who tried to get tickets got one...

Now they go and install surface to air missiles in residential areas.

So I paid for the fucking games.
But I didn't want the fucking games.
We didn't get a preferential chance to guy tickets after paying for the fucking games (I didn't even bother applying because my three year old isn't going to enjoy watch a sport unless it involves throwing cream pies in someone's face)
And now I get the slim chance that if anything sparks off a possible launch of said SAMS, me and my family might end up with a missile or exploded plane debris landing on us.

Residents in east London are due to have missiles placed on their roofs this week to protect the Olympic Games from airborne terrorist attacks.

Military planners at the Ministry of Defence have decided to fit high-velocity rockets with a range of 5km to several apartment blocks close to the Olympic Park. This weekend they informed the occupants of the Lexington Building apartment complex in Bow that a missile battery would be installed this week.

The weapons are capable of shooting down aircraft and can counter "pop-up strikes" by helicopters, according to the MoD. During the Games, they will be controlled around the clock by 10 unarmed soldiers, who might be guarded by armed police.

The MoD is to send leaflets to residents in other blocks chosen as temporary missile bases before the systems are deployed with dummy missiles for a national Olympic security exercise starting on Wednesday.

An MoD spokesman said fewer than 10 locations had been selected to host missile batteries in areas around the Olympic Park. Not all of them were on residential buildings and no final decisions on locations had been taken.

The MoD leaflet sent to Lexington Building residents on Saturday says: "The location has been chosen as it is situated close to the Olympic Park and offers an excellent view of the surrounding area and the entire sky above the Olympic Park.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/apr/29/london-rooftops-missiles-olympic-games

by **Neoteny** on Tue May 01, 2012 11:34 am

You get used to them, if it makes you feel better.

by **saxitoxin** on Tue May 01, 2012 11:48 am

Residents in east London are due to have missiles placed on their roofs this week to protect the Olympic Games from airborne terrorist attacks.

When Saddam Hussein and Slobodan Milošević placed SAM batteries adjacent to apartment flats they were widely derided for putting military hardware in civilian neighborhoods. NATO's policy was to bomb the batteries anyway - taking both the launchers and the apartments out - that it is the responsibility of a nation's leaders not to place active military equipment in civilian neighborhoods.

by **patches70** on Tue May 01, 2012 12:05 pm

SOP, placing surface to air sites around the Olympics. I for one am glad the Olympics were in the UK rather than the US. The Olympics almost always are a drain, not a money maker for the host nation's economy. It almost always costs more than what is brought in from the games.

Better that you Brits foot the bill than for me and my citizens to. Thanks for taking one for the team!