How flight MH17 was obliterated in just 12 seconds: BUK missile system carrying 150lbs of explosives fired at doomed Malaysian flight with 95% accuracy BUK launcher takes five minutes to warm up and 12 minutes to reload Missile was likely detonated within 65ft (20 metres) of the MH17 target This caused critical damage to the aircraft engines and control system The huge explosion would have ignited the fuel on board the aircraft BUK missiles can take down a plane up to an altitude of 75,000 feet The missile systems were developed in the Soviet Union in the 1970s HOW WAS THE MISSILE LAUNCHED AND HOW DID IT BRING DOWN FLIGHT MH17? MH17 was believed to have been taken down by a missile known as the Mach 3 semi-active homing 9M28M1. It was thought to have been launched from one of the BUK family of missile launchers. The surface-to-air missile has a range of 1.8 to 12.4 miles (three to 20km) and can hit targets up to an altitude of 75,000ft (23,000 metres). A typical missile battery to launch the the missile consists of a command vehicle housing computers and displays, a target-acquisition radar and one or more self-propelled launchers each carrying up to four missiles. Once a target has been selected it takes five minutes for a missile to warm up and 12 minutes to reload after launching. Depending on the model the missile would then accelerate to at least 2,790ft (850 metres) per second to up to 4,035ft (1,230 metres) per second. This means it would have reached MH17, 33,000ft (10,000 metres) high, eight to 12 seconds after being fired. It detonates within 65ft (20 metres) of its target, which causes critical damage to the engines and control system of the aircraft. The missile acquires its target using radar in a ‘seeker’ in its tip. It tracks its target autonomously after being fired.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 17:01:23 +0000
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