In article ,
Peter Kemp wrote:

On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 19:16:32 GMT, Chad Irby wrote:

In article ,
"Kevin Brooks" wrote:

Oh, a mere 1200 to 1400 miles up the Yangtze River, maybe 1500
miles from Taiwan; piece of cake, right? Let's see, F-16's (the
most potent potential ground attack platform the Chinese possess),
lugging weapons heavier than anything the F-16 has ever lugged, on
a 3000 mile round trip,

...because nobody would ever send a number of planes on a one-way
mission to destroy something that's a major part of the enemy's
infrastructure, right?

Would you send a large number of your best planes on a one way
mission, knowng that teh air disparity would be even worse?

No, but who says that's what's needed? A handful of very accurate
weapons that could damage the 3GD enough so it would fall apart on its
own, versus sitting on the ground and getting pounded by missiles for a
few weeks?

Having a big, high-value mission like a 3GD takeout would be a *great*
deterrent for the folks in the area of the PRC, since the only other
option seems to be nukes. The PRC is starting to look more like a
threat to the little guys in the area, due to their recent arms
expansions.

And incidentally, ensuring that your own island would be attacked by
every means possible.

....as if Taiwan would be untouched if the PRC decided to remove them
from the area, right?

If the 3 gorges goes, I'm fairly sure the PRC would be
less hesitant about turning Formosa into a floating heap of ash.

If Formosa is in the situation where they feel the need to do such
damage to the mainland, you can pretty much bet that the worst would
already be on the way.

--
cirby at cfl.rr.com

Remember: Objects in rearview mirror may be hallucinations.
Slam on brakes accordingly.