From: nuny@bid.nes   
      
   On Wednesday, November 1, 2017 at 2:51:33 AM UTC-7, trident wrote:   
   > AS Above.   
   >    
   > I know my question is strnge (as most of my question actually).. but I am   
   > pondering this issue with respect to North Korea's threat. Jow many long   
   > range missiles can they possibly field   
      
     As many as they have operational at a given moment. Supposedly they have at   
   least a dozen or so. How many haulers is anyone's guess.   
      
   > and how many of them can they keep on constant patrol?   
      
     The missiles themselves don't much care where they are as long as they have   
   external power for their guidance updates and liquid fuel for topping up when   
   necessary (assuming they're not straight solid fueled).   
      
     Those mobile launchers are fuel and maintenance hogs. Well, they were back   
   when I was in (and I'll say no more about that) but I strongly doubt that's   
   changed much or that the Soviet or NK haulers are much different. Yes, the   
   Soviet ones were probably    
   way over engineered but that just cranks up the fuel usage.   
      
     AIUI NK doesn't really have the fuel to spare to keep many of them wandering   
   around.   
      
     Then there's the roadway limitations. Those things are not pickup trucks and   
   require a very sturdy well packed and well maintained road surface.   
      
     Okay, one more tidbit from my USAF days. Haulers could go off road but it   
   wasn't recommended. They tip over easily and bog down easily. Getting one   
   unstuck *with a live warhead or two aboard* is a major undertaking.   
      
     Also AIUI NK doesn't really have a lot of roads suitable for them either, so   
   they're likely limited to a few hundred miles racetrack-style.   
      
   > Could they too deploy 4-5 missiles on continous patrol?   
      
     Probably but on two separate racetracks.   
      
   > Or could the deploy more? Or, if their strategy is just "disperse on warning"   
   > what's the fuss about them having second strike capability?   
      
     Same as back in the Cold War. If you've located all of the enemy's silos you   
   just whack them in your first strike. If they're under a tarp or some trees   
   next to a road the last time your spy satellite went over, you can't predict   
   which stretch of the    
   roan they will be on when the SHTF.   
      
     But I have no doubt at all that the racetracks have been identified and are   
   looked at every couple of days, and would be looked at much more often if the   
   DEFCON got very high.   
      
     So it's a roll of the dice no mater what you do other tha try to shave the   
   odds as best you can.   
      
      
     Mark L. Fergerson   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)