Sports

London Olympics displays Anti-Aircraft Missiles

London, United Kingdom - Missile batteries were placed in six sites around London including two apartment buildings where residents had previously expressed reservations about hosting the anti-aircraft weapons in prepration of the upcoming Olympics.

Aside from Rapier and High-Velocity missile batteries, a Royal Navy helicopter carrier in the River Thames, Royal Air Force jets and army helicopters will be stationed nearby.

Defense Secretary Phillip Hammond said that there is no reported threat to the London Olympics but the public should expect that a range of measures will be in place which aims general safety and security of this once-in-a-generation event. He added that "ground-based air defense systems will form just one part of a comprehensive, multi-layered air security plan which, I believe, will provide both reassurance and a powerful deterrent."

Additional anti-aircraft missile batteries are in place in farmland and hills east and south of London. The Olympic complex is north of the Thames and east of central London near the Stratford and West Ham mass transit stations.

"Our focus is to deliver and Olympic and Paralympic Games that London, the U.K. and the world can enjoy," said Home Secretary Theresa May. "This is the biggest sporting event in the world, and with that comes the huge responsibility to deliver it safely and securely. ... We will leave nothing to chance."

Source: Yahoo news

Comments

London displays tight security procedure for the benefit of all delegates around the world which includes ambassadors and political leaders. But is this really necessary? Did China do the same set up when it hosted the Olympics in 2008?

National Geographic and Discovery Channel featured the prepration of Beijing Olympics. Anti-aircraft missiles were also installed in various spots in Beijing.

Any host country should scale a set up like this. Terrorists are always ready to find a way to penetrate the city and make a devastating attack. They can do that anytime especially if there is no tight security in the location. Different nations might have existing conflict and this event could be the easiest way that they can retaliate by sending an assassin to spread havoc during the period.

Let's rewind back and set Munich Massacre as an example.

During the 1972 Olympic Games. Eight Palestinian terrorists killed two members of the Israeli Olympic team and then took nine others hostage. The situation was ended by a huge gunfight that left five of the terrorists and all of the nine hostages dead. Many people criticized the lack of preparation on the part of the German authorities(about.com).

Staging these high-velocity missiles will intimidate any terroristic threats in the area. A very short statement but that concludes everything.

A Starstreak high velocity missile system, which could play a role in providing air security during the Olympics, is manned by members
of the British Royal Artillery during a media demo in southeast London in May 2012. British residents living near London's Olympic Park
launched legal action Thursday over government plans to station surface-to-air missiles on the roof of their rented flats. (AFP
Photo/Carl Court)