Ghappy1000 wrote:
If the near missile launch succeeded due to a computer malfunction and a failure to park an armoured car on it before its launch, what are the effects? A barely delayed 1983: Doomsday scenario (3.5 months after Doomsday pod and 2 months after Able Archer potential Doomsday pod)?
I’m not even sure if parking an armored car on the ‘lid’ will actually DO anything considering they’re designed to open even if covered with several tons of debris. As for the car ‘dropping’ into the silo that only happened if you park it against, (run up one side of the door so that it will ‘fall’ forward and then roll into the silo) the lid. One thing to keep in mind is that one of the ‘safeties’ to prevent a launch is disabling the door mechanism so that it won’t open at all. One ‘good’ reason you’d part a vehicle on the lid is to in fact indicate an ‘issue’ which the Soviet’s would pick up and then be aware of.
But if the missile launched, there won't be much time for warning unlike Protect and Survive as nuclear counter response would occur. Slightly delayed 1983 Doomsday (over the January 1984 launch instead of the September 1983 Doomsday pod or Able Archer 83) is more likely.
Eh, no actually as by the 80s there is very much no “launch on warning/launch indication” so you have about 30 minutes to “warn” the Soviets it’s coming and where it’s headed. (If you don’t manage to re-direct it before launch by reprogramming the target coordinates) One (1) incoming missile would not automatically cause a counter launch. Keep in mind there was hesitation over a possible five (5) incoming missiles, and several incidents of possible single incoming missiles. As I noted one reason to put a vehicle against the launch door is to indicate to any Soviet surveillance that we are having a problem and therefore warn them there might be problem.
Randy