Thread: Battlefield Outerspace.

Originally Posted by Chubz

I'm not really sure of them switching to high altitude transports within the next 5 years though.....it wouldn't seem very economical. The airline industry itself has been having issues money-wise for the last while (though it has calmed down a bit).

Economics is exactly what is driving it. Companies that are dealing in long range flights are having trouble breaking even with the cost of jet fuel and what the market will bear for ticket costs. High Altitude flights will enable them to go anywhere in the world within 2 hours with a resulting difference in the cost of fuel. There have been several contests having to do with coming up with prototypes and two different companies I know of have settled on designs that are currently in production. They claim they will have flights within 5 years. I just believe them.


PS. I decided to look up the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty since I keep hearing so much about it.

Originally Posted by Chubz

Yeah, of late they've been trying to stay out of most treaties, but the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty was ratified by the United States congress.

Evidently it was a treaty signed only between the US and the USSR. It also had an article allowing for one of the countries to withdraw from the treaty given a 6 month notice.

Article XV

1. This Treaty shall be of unlimited duration.

2. Each Party shall, in exercising its national sovereignty, have the right to withdraw from this Treaty if it decides that extraordinary events related to the subject matter of this Treaty have jeopardized its supreme interests. It shall give notice of its decision to the other Party six months prior to withdrawal from the Treaty. Such notice shall include a statement of the extraordinary events the notifying Party regards as having jeopardized its supreme interests.

On December 13, 2001 the President gave Russia and 3 other former Soviet States the required 6 month notice.

So no treaty was broken. The US withdrew under the terms outlined in the treaty.